Anyone who hasn't voted yet (see Dan's post), don't read this! Well, being a classical composer, I am rather far from the average pop fan, but I feel that the best thing to do would be to pick the best songs; just picking what seems accessible to the masses would give you a good album, I'm sure, but one lacking some of the depth and variety that I feel gives David's albums such charm and power.
There are 6 songs that jump out to me as must-haves on the album. First, "Love #29." The juxtaposition of those bitter, hurt words with the funky 70s-ish groove of the instrumental parts gives this song a lot of power. The song has a beautiful irony because of that mix, PLUS it's got a great beat and a very singable and catchy vocal line.
Second, "The Only World I Know." This song is one of the only spots in the set where anger is allowed to burst out, and the band really shows itself off. The guitar and bass work is gritty and strong, and the singing is very raw and emotional. This also brings a heavier sound into the mix, which adds to the aforementioned spicy variety.
Third, "The Crash." This one is probably not quite as easy to "get" as the other 2, but it's too beautiful to leave out. The words about drunk driving accompanied by very ethereal and soothing music create a wonderfully surreal whole. The narrator really does sound helpless and oblivious in a sea of soft music. It just works so well, and again the music is very well put together; the musicians are incredibly tight, and sound like a unit.
Fourth, "Paddy Chayevsky's Dead." This is even a bit more obtuse, but this is, I would say, probably the best song of the set. The opening ballad is gorgeous, and the vocal line is very effectively sung. Then, the development into a hootenanny just happens so smoothly and feels completely natural. Everything in this song is so well done, and the contrast from start to finish is fantastic. The spoken part at the end is a nice statement, but I can't stop myself from laughing when I hear it. Something about the delivery of those lines comes off (intentionally?) as really funny.
Fifth, "Playground in the Park." This is a really great, creepy slow song. It's very bleak, and musically interesting. Wonderful imagery in the lyrics, and the guitar part is executed with outstanding skill (it gives me the chills when the guitar comes in after "Pain it's a playground for all").
Sixth, "Daydreamer." This is a great song for a wide-release album. The vocal line and lyrics are catchy and singable. The band sounds better on this song, I think, than on anything else; their sound here has a real subtlety...every note and every percussion hit sounds perfectly placed and nothing is taken for granted.
These are the ones that I find to be the absolute essentials. There are definitely others that I would love to see on a wide-release album:
"Bozo Wierdo Wacko Creep." Just lots of good, highly funkified fun. David and Sheryl Crow (I think it's her) sound wonderful together on this one. Their voices blend beautifully here. Nice catchy chorus, vocally and lyrically.
"Smart in a Stupid Way." This is a really well-written, lovely ballad. The lyrics and the music fit together perfectly, and really capture the idea of lost love. The backing vocals (stupid stupid stupid yeah) are kind of silly-sounding, but I think they're wonderfully ironic (much like the "oooh"s and "aaah"s on Kevin Gilbert's "When you Give your Love to Me").
"Bob Dylan Blues." Musically, this one's not one of my favorites on the album; it's a bit too static for my tastes. But the lyrics are absolutely fantastic, and the music does its part to keep the song going. The voice part, in its purely vocal qualities, and in its expression of the marvelous words, really makes this song a winner.
"Black Mamba Kiss." Who doesn't like a film noir-style song? Very sleek and sexy, with a bit of a Latin-sounding twist. It's good to lighten things up a bit, and while this one has pretty dark lyrics, it still comes off (to me) as a lighter song, simply due to the bossa nova groove of it.
"In the Wild Wild West." The opening lines of this song are just so funny and grim that I recommend the song almost solely based on that. The whole song has a really nice sound, and well-written lyrics (although, for a wider release, you may want to make it more obvious that you're singing about California (unless I'm mistaken) and not the Old West). But I just love those first lines, in all their gritty description and flat-out bluntness.
"Back in Your Arms Again." A good happy song. The band sounds like they're having so much fun, as does David in his singing. Plus, this list is running a bit short on happy, and it's nice to have a healthy dose of variety in moods.
I've already got 12, but if I had to choose a 13th, it'd be "Compassion," another good happy song, with appropriately blissfully cheezy "sha-la-la"s.
Well, that's my list. I could easily say more about these songs, and I could also easily say something about why I didn't pick the other songs, which might be a slightly more interesting endeavour. But I'll leave it here for now, and if you're looking for more feedback, David, I'd be more than happy to post some, or send some to you personally (my email is [email protected], so feel free to write me if such a bizarre urge should overtake you). Thanks so much for giving us all this wonderful opportunity to be a part of your decision process, and I hope the new year finds you enjoying life.
Scott
