In the Meantime Reviews

**jbrownsjr** · #1 06-21-2004, 01:25 PM

Anyone have a review yet?

**jbrownsjr** · #2 06-21-2004, 06:35 PM

Anyone?

Aisling · #3 06-21-2004, 06:53 PM

your just about as impatient as i am. LOL but yes, HAS anyone done a review? those of us waiting for amazon copies are actually used to instant gratification, so naturally this is a very hard day to get through.

**jbrownsjr** · #4 06-21-2004, 06:57 PM

Well said!

C'mon and help my addiction!

blinker12 · #5 06-21-2004, 11:46 PM

I'll write one.

I'm happy to say this is a complex, tuneful album that has only grown more appealing with repeated listens. The songwriting isn't quite up to her 1970s standard (what is?), but it's certainly more inspired than on the 1984 album, which I find dry and dated.
Christine's voice seems not to have aged a bit since "Rumours." She still hits some thrilling high notes, but as always her true strength is her velvety, bluesy tone. I hadn't realized how much I missed hearing her sing. The very sound of her voice soothes me.
My one complaint about the album is that I would have liked to have heard more of Christine's keyboard-playing. All of the songs are very guitar-based.
Here's a track-by-track breakdown.

01. Friend - Fantastic opener. It's an uptempo rocker with an instantly hummable chorus. Some of the keyboard riffs remind me a bit of "Got a Hold on Me."

02. You Are - Nice melody, though the lyrics are completely cliched and the weakest on the album. Most of you have already heard this, so I won't spend much time on it. Honestly, I think there would have been better choices for the single.

03. Northern Star - A gorgeous ballad with a catchy guitar riff (presumably played by Dan Perfect?). Christine hits some feathery high notes on the line "casting stones/throwing bones" that set my heart aflutter.

Long, luxurious instrumentral outro.

04. Bad Journey - Not one of my favorites, but it's grown on me. Has a distinctively Bob Welch feel, in both the lyrics (which mention lots of mystical-sounding places around the world) and the music, which has a loose, bluesy feel. I think of "Bermuda Triangle" and other stuff from the "Heroes" album.

05. Anything Is Possible - Another so-so track, IMO. I'm glad this is no longer the opener. It has a generic blues-rock feel. I'd call this filler, even though Christine says there's none on this album.

06. Calumny - One of my favorites. Her voice sounds terrific, very soft and sweet. The verse melody is instantly appealing; the chorus goes in an musical direction that you might not expect but that sounds completely right once you get used to it. Lyrically, it's very similar in theme to "Little Lies" (she's asking a lover to tell her sweet little fibs).

07. So Sincere - Fantastic, quickly becoming my favorite. The verse unravels over a gently churning guitar groove, then the song bursts into a triumphant chorus: "Yooooooooooooouuu are the man/Funny little white car with the broken light." Perhaps the album's best lyrics.

08. Easy Come, Easy Go - The album's lowpoint, a McVie-Quintela collaboration. This indicates that their musical partnership soured right along with their marriage. Unappealing melody, boring lyrics ("Easy come, easy go/That's just the way it is").

09. Liar - The hardest-rocking track, it opens with a hard-charging guitar riff and never lets up. Not one of my favorites, but a nice change of pace.

10. Sweet Revenge - This has an incredibly catchy chorus, though the verse sections are rather disposable and are marred by a cheesy keyboard part. I LOOOOOOOOOVE the line that caps the chorus: "I've got some pretty wicked ways to get my sweet revenge."

11. Forgiveness - Love it. Maybe my favorite part of the song is the bridge _ "I forgive you/And the spell that you cast" _ which has intriguingly meandering chords that somehow lead back into the infectious verse guitar riff.

12. Givin' It Back - Pleasant enough, but kinda boring musically and lyrically.

macfan 57 · #6 06-22-2004, 05:56 AM

Thanks for the review.

I love that line in the chorus of "Sweet Revenge" too-"I've got some pretty wicked ways to get my sweet revenge."

I'm counting down the days till the CD arrives in my mailbox.

**jbrownsjr** · #7 06-22-2004, 10:44 AM

Great review thanks!

Aisling · #8 06-22-2004, 11:31 AM

thanks for the review!

hmmmm. . .i wonder how long it will take for my copy to get here. . .i feel like i'll be living one long, painful, day until it arrives. LOL

**jbrownsjr** · #9 06-22-2004, 11:57 AM

I'm hoping by thursday!

Aisling · #10 06-22-2004, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I'm hoping by thursday!

actually i was thinking the same thing!! but i don't want to get my hopes up and then be disappointed.

Janet · #11 06-22-2004, 02:27 PM

I'm hoping to order this online. Someone I know just did it from LA and now I'm excited. I just have to wait to get some money!

What is the feel of the album. How does it compare to the 84 album * I really love that one*. I'm curious...

Gailh · #12 06-22-2004, 02:29 PM

I've heard it through about 3 times now and as blinker12 says it needs a few listens.

It has a kind of jazzy bluesy feel to it and her voice is stronger than ever.

As said above Bad Journey does definately have a Bob Welch Bermuda Triangle feel to it.

The songs naturally enough deal with love - (lost or found) and Bad Journey, Liar and Forgiveness have betrayal as their theme.

I find it tougher than her last solo outing which was I think a bit tame.

I hope your copies arrive soon and you can see what you think.

Gail

macmar71 · #13 06-23-2004, 11:48 AM

I can't wait to hear her latest. Sounds great from the review. Christine has a voice that I don't think has changed at all since her earlier albums. She has a strong powerful voice and hope she has great success with In The Meantime.

Gailh · #14 06-23-2004, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet

I'm hoping to order this online. Someone I know just did it from LA and now I'm excited. I just have to wait to get some money!

What is the feel of the album. How does it compare to the 84 album * I really love that one*. I'm curious...

I personally think it's a lot better. It's a bit tougher and the production is totally different.

You have to listen to it a few times though but it's worth the effort.

Amazon.co.uk has got it at £8.99 (plus postage) which is a very good price - I paid £12.99 in Virgin records.

Gail

MirrorInTheSky · #15 06-23-2004, 02:40 PM

Wow...I haven't gotten the album yet, but I just checked out her website, and she looks smokin'!! Go Christine!