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Sony Music Alternative Sampler
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Childish Things
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James McMurtry Album Review:
Still the Southwestern Boss at 2006-03-05
James McMurtry comes through again with a musical snapshot of the southwest. While the tone and style of the music itself may be somewhat predictable, (although pleasently so), his lyrics are worthy of print. McMurtry manages to distill issues into distinct stories, sometimes amusing, (Slew Foot), sometimes heartbreakingly poignant, (Holiday). Listening to this CD is like looking through a scrapbook of the lives of people who work for a living, who struggle to make it in a hard part of the country and who manage to maintain hope and grace while doing so. McMurtry is one artist who consistently makes first class music. No bad tracks, no mistakes, and no disapointments. I highly recommend this CD to any fans, as well as to anyone who appreciates smart, literate, and on point artists.
James McMurtry Album Review:
One of his Best at 2006-03-01
James McMurtry has been recording for quite some time and has put together a considerable catalog. CHILDISH THINGS, his 2005 release ranks up with his best works.The son of novelist Larry McMurtry (LONESOME DOVE, James obviously shares his fathers genes for storytelling and observing small, but key details. His songs are similar to well written small stories. His songs often detail people living on the margins of life and are often undercut with a very dry sense of humor.CHILDISH THINGS is a solid CD packed with great songs, that ranks up with McMurtry classics like 1995s WHERED YOU HIDE THE BODY and his debut TOO LONG IN THE WASTELAND. Songs like WE CANT MAKE IT HERE and HOLIDAY creep into political territory, documenting the issues of the have nots under the Bush regime. Ironically, McMurtry had been noted as one of Bushs favorite artists. He carries over the harder sound that he used on 2003s LIVE IN OUGHT THREE to good effect. The covers of Peter Cases OLD PART OF TOWN and OLD SLEW FOOT benefit most from the rockier arrangements.Old McMurtry fans will find CHILDISH THINGS to be a treasure trove of quality songs (unless of course they are sensitive of the political criticism). Anyone looking into McMurtrys work would be well advised to start here. Its one of his best, as well as one of the best releases of 2005.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Give it a try at 2006-07-07
A weird wonderful mixture of Bruce, Warren Zevon and Robert Earl Keen. His lyrics make you want to hurry up and learn the words so you can sing along. A most enjoyable CD.
James McMurtry Album Review:
About 20 years too late! at 2006-03-27
While musically James McMurtry has talent, the message of his album and especially the hit song We Cant Make It Here is outdated and unrealistic. In the song McMurtry laments about shirts being made in Singapore and the problems of outsourcing jobs, among other ridiculous things. It seems he would like to live in the world of the 1950s. While appealing on the surface, it is a waste of time to think like this. McMurtry should realize that oursourcing is a reality and American companies have no choice. Nor is this a new issue. Shirts being made in Singapore? Give me a break -- he should find a real cause to wail against, not one that was lost years ago.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Wonderful surprise at 2006-03-20
Wonderful surprise. I bought this CD based on one song I heard on the radio, ususally a mistake. I am thoroughly enjoying the whole CD. I will definitly buy more.
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Saint Mary of the Woods
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James McMurtry Album Review:
A strong return for McMurtry at 2005-05-21
For me, this is McMurtrys most consistent cd. Wasteland and Body are both excellent cds but I felt they had their share of tracks to skip...surrounded by truly brilliant tracks. This is the first McMurtry cd Ive bought that you can pop in and let the thing play beginning to end. Theres something very honest about McMurtrys music. His guitar work is fantastic and he has such an ability to create these wonderful characters in his songs. A word of warning to those buying this cd - Do not listen to Out here in the middle or Valley road in the morning...you WILL be singing them all day long. Choctaw bingo is a masterpiece - an eight plus minute guitar driven journey into the heart of America. I cant wait for his next studio album.
James McMurtry Album Review:
On the Dark Side at 2005-05-09
James McMurtry often plays with a group called the Heartless Bastards and maybe thats the problem with him as an artist: no heart. This is a good CD with lots of thoughtful lyrics and excellent, heavy-duty guitar licks -- but it is unrelenting in its sarcastic, crude, rude, and sardonic moods. I like McMurtry and his music -- but theres too little joy in this CD for me to give him a top rating.Choctaw Bingo -- an eight-minute epic -- is the best song on the CD and its jaunty, infectious lyrics and tune should make this CD great, but even there McMurtrys misanthropism intrudes and undoes the good feeling of the song. Lighten up, James. Youre a great guitar player and you write good songs. What might help would be to abandon the fuzz guitar a little more often and pick out a nice tune on an acoustic or a sharp, clean stratocaster. Balance the bleak with something a little lighter. Smallchief
James McMurtry Album Review:
One hit album.... at 2006-04-16
I bought this for Choctaw Bingo, which I thought was incredibe music the first time I heard it on RadioParadise.com, even better when I listened to the lyrics (incredible! -- make crystal meth cuz his shine dont sell, strap them kids in, put a little bit of vodka in their cherry coke). Unfortunately, the rest of the CD hasnt done much for me (came of to me as kind of standard singer-songwriter fare), so I havent listened to it much since I got it several months ago. The rest isnt BAD, just not my cup of tea right now, but who knows? I wouldnt write it off as not having the potential of being one of those CDs I pull out one day for the hell of it and I hear something in a new way and it suddenly grows on me.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Folk music for the 21st Century. at 2006-02-28
I was surprised when I first heard James McMurtry. Oh, yeah, some wealthy, famous authors son trying to prove he has talent, too. Whoopdy-do! And I dont like his daddys books. But he got my attention right away with his lyrics. This is simply great stuff. Choctaw Bingo is the most famous song, and deservedly so. You very rarely hear lyrics about giving the kids some vodka to calm them down for a long drive. Or Uncle Slayton cooking Crystal Meth because the shine dont sell. He likes the money, he doesnt mind the smell. But Choctaw isnt the whole game. I feel like I know St. Mary of the Woods. I may even have been married to her at one time. Out Here In The Middle is a maudlin song I like, though I hate maudlin songs, in general. McMurtrys back to cooking speed on Lobo Town. Not blaming it on Uncle Slayton any more. G All in all, a solid album with no bathroom breaks on it.
James McMurtry Album Review:
loved it... at 2005-09-29
I first heard him on XM.Loved the song Choctaw Bingo.So I bought the cd.I was not disappointed.I like every song.Definitely worth it.
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Walk Between the Raindrops
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James McMurtry Album Review:
No, not his best... at 2004-09-03
No, I wouldnt call this his best work. I like Wheres You Hide The Body, It Had To Happen and St. Mary best. However, McMurtry is one of those artists that you buy all their works. There are no bad songs on any of his CDs. He is a five star act. He has no lapses...no filler songs...every song has a story.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Snapshots of Life at 2002-05-31
This is one excellent album. McMurtrys lyrics show us a number of different takes on life, some funny, some sad. You will relate to some or all of them. If youve ever had a knock-down drag-out with a significant other, then the lines: tire marks on the pavement where you spun out of the drive, hound dog in the corner looking glad to be alive will certainly ring true. Social commentaries Tired of Walking and Racing to the Red Light also will hit a nerve with you. And, to me, Soda and Salt and Airline Agent are hilarious.So, McMurtry can write some lyrics. He backs them up with great music. I dont know bats about music, but like the Supreme Court I know it when I see it. Two things: 1. I painted the entire inside of my house to this CD and two others of his (Wasteland, Whered you Hide the Body) - you really can put this one and the others on and just leave them on. 2. Friends of mine come over and I have this over the outdoor speakers. Next thing I know Im having to order anywhere from one to all five of McMurtrys CDs for them. Im doing it again tonight. That should tell you something. I dont know if we can get him to come play a town of 600 but it would be a big turnout.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Great Stuff at 2001-03-02
Intelligent, emotional, quriky. I agree with previous reviews: Why isnt his music onthe radio 24/7?
James McMurtry Album Review:
Not bad -- but not among McMurtys best. at 2000-04-22
After the twin classics Whered You Hide the Body, and It Had to Happen, (his two best albums), his fifth album is a bit of a letdown. In fact, the best song, Rexs Blues, is a cover of a old Townes Van Zant tune. Songs like I Only Want to Talk to You, and Every Little Bit Counts, are good, but only hint at the lyrical power of which McMurtry is capable. If you are looking to introduce yourself to his music, start with the previous two albums I mentioned and hear this fine artist at his best.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Not his best at 2001-10-24
The direction of the indie road seems to have changed. Once an artist recorded for an independent label to get the attention of the big ones and jump in the big wagon. Mcmurtry has done the opposite way coming from Columbia to Sugar Hill. He was probably not commercial enough and felt the pressure of being asked to make a more commercial records.McMurtry is really very far away from any mainstream. He is a rocker, but mostly an acoustic one, he is not really your typical singer-songwriter but he writes all his songs. He could have made it big in the sixties, but we are in the nineties. Walk Between The Lines is McMurtrys second cd for Sugar Hill, after three CDs for Columbia. It is clear that he is doing here what he thinks is right. His voice reminds me of Lou Reed, his music very much the American rock band, from Little Feat to R.E.M.. His lyrics are highly literate and memorable:He had some line but he never used them She didnt need much talkin tooHe thought hed died and gone to Houston By the time the dawn burned off the dew (Fast As I Can)The production is By Lloyd Maines, and very different from the work he has done with the group Son Volt. I was expecting to hear his Pedal Steel but the booklet explains that he plays it through a device that makes it sound like a special guitar. The playing is mostly done by 4-5 players giving the feeling of a rock group.This cd is surely not a folk record, more a rock album with some hints of folk. If you like Little Feat, Allman Brothers Band, late Eagles, R.E.M., youll probably like this cd.
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It Had to Happen
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James McMurtry Album Review:
An Obscure Gem at 2002-12-29
Some years ago, I chanced to hear James McMurtry perform at a small club near where I live. He was promoting his first album which had received accolades in the alternative press, and though the crowd was very thin, he played as if he were playing for thousands.I bought that album on cassette and still have it, but I hadnt thought much about him until recently when a friend to whom I had introduced McMurtrys music brought out a stack of his newer CDs for me to hear.Among those was It Had To Happen. When I first put it on, I was pleased but not overwhelmed. McMurtrys unmistakeable voice and style were there to be sure, but no song initially stood out. Then, as I listened more closely, it began to grow on me.McMurtry is nothing if not sardonic and that is a quality I admire in a songwriter. Dylan has it, Nick Cave has it, and its clear that McMurtry has it too. You gotta love story songs like 12 Oclock Whistle, the sneering Sixty Acres, and the wistful No More Buffalo. But to my ears, the best song on the album is the lyrically and musically powerful Be With Me. McMurtrys bitter, sardonic delivery is just stunning and makes it a song I could play over and over again.There are a few weak spots that detract from a higher rating, notably the too frequent repetition of the title of the otherwise well-written Jaws of Life and the inclusion of Kinky Friedmans Wild Man From Borneo. Despite that, I highly recommend buying this obscure gem by a singer/songwriter who deserves more fame than he has.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Almost there, but no steam. at 2002-07-04
McMurtrys follow-up to the 1995 Whered You Hide The Body doesnt quite live up to its predecessor. Paris and No More Buffalo are definately standout tracks, but the rest of the album is slow moving and the songs seem to have no destination. It basically winds up being an album of songs that run too long and it lacks those characters that McMurtry is so noted for creating in his first three releases.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Tour West Texas if Only in Your Mind at 2001-08-14
The best CD I own. Great for any mood you are in ... down, alone, happy, on top of the world. If you have ever driven in West Texas, you know this CD captures the feel of the land...open, raw, western. GREAT MUSIC FOR DRIVIN and THINKIN.
James McMurtry Album Review:
The best album from a great songwriter at 2000-04-22
If radio had any imagination, James McMurtry would be a superstar. Folk rock simply does not get any better than this. It had to happen, his fourth album, is also his best. Not a bad song, but the tracks that really stand out are No More Buffalo, Twelve OClock Whistle, and Jaws of Life, which are all lengthy tributes to Americana. Also of note is the fine cover of Kinky Friedmans Wild Man from Borneo, showing once again that James has a sense of humor. If you buy one McMurtry album, this should be the one.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Texas Troubador Tells It As It Is.... at 2000-01-17
James Mcmurtry can paint a better picture with words than that of every artist in the Louvre put together. He sees the world through the eyes of a man that has been around much longer than he has. To not mention every song on this CD is a travesty but any McMurtry fan will know evry song is right on lyrically and musically. 12 OClock Whistle is a wonderful song about small town Texas and the everyday goings-on that are uneventful and so intensly poetic. Peter Pan will take you back through childhood and put a grin on your face through the whole song. James is as solid on stage as he is on his CDs. He writes as well as Dylan and Townes Van Zandt. He could possibly be the greatest songwriter of this new millenium. Hes hit his stride. Ladies and Gentlemen, the horse is out of the gates and hes not looking back. Put your bets down. Hes no longshot as is no CD you are considering buying by this truly talented artist.
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Where"d You Hide the Body
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James McMurtry Album Review:
It also rocks! at 2006-04-19
Im in agreement with the good reviews here that focus on songwriting, but keep in mind that the band is slammin! This is music you can listen to without even knowing what the lyrics are.
James McMurtry Album Review:
This Ones On My Eternal Playlist at 2006-03-09
I have all James McMurtrys albums, have seen him several times over various releases, and this is still the acme for me. This album continues to resonate after all these years. When my Ipod hits a song from this album in its shuffle I invariably turn the volume up. This is a beautiful album, but one that does not take a cheery view of life. These are not songs that will make you smile or brighten your day. McMurtrys world is populated with the desperate, the failed, and those just hanging on. The songs Down Across the Delaware, Levelland, One More Winter, and Whered You Hide the Body are so lovely and so bleak. And if you are ever driving across west Texas, this is part of the soundtrack you need to play (see also Terry Allen and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Give a listen to a great singer-songwriter and his best album (so far).
James McMurtry Album Review:
They Dont Understand Me...In Levelland at 2004-09-07
That about sums up McMurtrys angst and maybe why he writes such soulful lyrics. Levelland might be McMurtrys best song ever. The lyrics are outstanding. Other standout songs by McMurtry are No More Buffalo and Peter Pan on It Had To Happen. This is a must have CD for someone getting into McMurtry and one of the best to start with for someone new to McMurtry. You might want to get this second after getting It Had To Happen.
James McMurtry Album Review:
I like this one!!! at 2003-11-12
Great CD. Having a hard time keeping it out of the car and home CD player. Good song writer and good tunes. I definately recommend if youre into any kind of alt. country/folk music.
James McMurtry Album Review:
One of my desert island discs at 2003-10-16
If you were the son of the guy who wrote The Last Picture Show (father Larry McMurtry), what would you do? Paint houses, build houses, tend the bar, and generally pretend like youre not your fathers son so that you dont have to live up to the expectations. But lucky for us, the younger McMurtry eventually got around to writing songs in his late 20s, and he had a hell of a lot to say. Thankfully he took the high road and didnt pre-judge every last podunk town and oddball hick in the Texas outlands that were his home. Rather, he told it like he saw it, maybe because he himself had stayed too long in the wasteland (ironically the title of his 1988 debut album.) By the time McMurtry hit his mid-30s, both his songwriting and guitar chops had matured to the point that I think this album can be favorably compared to Bob Dylans opus Blood on the Tracks (also written in his mid-30s.) Yes, I say favorably, because Whered You Hide the Body has absolutely no filler, whereas Blood on the Tracks suffered from the inclusion of Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts and out-of-tune instruments on some tracks. The title track here is indeed the standout, but the songwriting quality is outstanding throughout. Plus, McMurtrys got the dusty voice (and the gritty guitar, a Fender VI electric) to match the content.
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Candyland
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James McMurtry Album Review:
just incredible.......... at 2000-06-25
an amazing collection......have played it many times, and now bought the cd for my new portable cd player..it just gets better. Each song is a story.......his songwriting is the best
James McMurtry Album Review:
McMurtrys Sophomore Effort is His Weakest at 2002-08-26
Simply put, James McMurtry is (arguably) the best American folk rocker currently working. He writes great story songs almost effortlessly, with memorable images and clever wordplay. But what really makes him special is that he never lets his lyrical concerns get in the way of his catchy hook-laden songwriting. That said, Candyland is perhaps the weakest of his five studio albums (a sixth is on the way in September 2002). It was his sophomore effort and was recorded (like his superior debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland) under the watchful eye of his musical mentor, John Cougar Mellencamp, using members of Mellencamps band. Thats part of the problem, for McMurtry often sound too much like Mellencamp through much of this album.Still, there are some first class McMurtry recordings here. The best is Wheres Johnny, that opens the record on a melancholy note with lyrics about a young man whose emotional troubles ruin a promsing future. Also fine are Dont Waste Away, the rocking Good Life, and an actual love song of sorts, Dusty Pages that closes the album. The rest of the material, however, is not as strong as what youll find on McMurtrys more recent classic albums It Had to Happen and Whered You Hide the Body.Overall, a not bad album from an artist who has produced much better during his career.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Right up there with Wasteland--you gotta have it at 2005-07-14
Together with Too Long in the Wasteland this album Candyland is just too good to miss.Fine low key descriptive story telling done by an interesting voice backed by great music. I suppose you could, possibly, maybe, get tired of some of these great songs. In the 17 years since Wasteland was released I never have, it remains among my all time music favorites with Candyland beside it.Listen to Storekeeper for an example.......it is on a par with Bullet Holes in the Mailbox. Music for thinking folks, video that needs no screen!
James McMurtry Album Review:
A great album - not as good as his first but very good. at 2004-08-15
It would have been nearly impossible for McMurtry to have topped his album Too Long in the Wasteland but this is a strong follow-up. I listened to the Cassette so many times that it refuses to play any longer - I literally wore it out!Strong lyrics. Strong music. Makes me get all philosophical as I sing along.
James McMurtry Album Review:
Candyland at 2004-11-13
Okay all you out there reviewing this CD, not his best, but it has some songs that resonate. I am shocked that no one mentioned Safe Side. Maybe no one reviewing the CD has lived in San Antonio. He nailed it in a big way. This CD is a little softer than his others, (with the exception of Safe Side), there are ballads, kind of sweet ones. It would not be the first of his CDs in my collection, but to round out all the others it is not at all bad.The man is a Southwestern Bruce Springsteen. His lyrics are evocative of a part of this country that few artists have written about. Okay, his voice is not what one would call great, but like Springsteen, Dylan, Neil Young and to take it back farther, Woody Guthrie, his unique sound echoes the songs he is singing/writing. Face it, if Celine Dion were singing these songs we would all be hanging our heads over the toilet. I would strongly recommend his live CD. It gives a bit of insight to the man as well as his music.
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Too Long in the Wasteland
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James McMurtry Album Review:
Bullet Holes in the Mailbox at 2002-12-05
Great CD by a great songwriter
James McMurtry Album Review:
My favorite of a great American songwriter at 2002-06-20
James McMurtry has a fantastic knack for distilling people and places into a few well-chosen words. The best i can do, i think, is quote a couple of lyrics:I hadnt intended to bend the rules, but whiskey dont make liars, it just makes fools. So I didnt mean to say it, but I meant what I said.You should have been here, back about ten years, before it got ruined by folks like me.Back home for Christmas, its just like the good old days, fighting with your Mom, fighting with your sister, your brother had sense so he stayed away.My only complaint with this album is a little two-beat bar rhythmic device he overuses - he got those surprise rhythms under more control on later albums. But for lyrics, this one is the winner.
James McMurtry Album Review:
McMurtry the Word Man at 2004-08-19
You dont remember Dylans melodies as much as his words. Gargling in the rat race choir ? Well, McMurtry is a North Texas Bob Dylan, even more than Oklahomas Jimmy LaFave. He is one of those artists that hasnt made a bad song; because, every songs words make you think. I own every CD, except the new live one. If you like one CD, you will like them all.
James McMurtry Album Review:
A wonderful album - I can listen to it as I drive for days.. at 2004-08-15
I bought this album on the recommendation of a friend and boy am I glad I did! The lyrics are poignant and yet work. You can tell that he inherited his dads (Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry) ability to mold and use the English language. But the great thing is that the music is just as good as the lyrics - youd be singing along even if the words were meaningless.I gave my only copy to a friend (and fellow fan who had worn his cassette out) that was called up to active duty after 9/11 - I knew that he could use the boost more than me.Every McMurtry album has great songs but this one is strong all of the way through!
James McMurtry Album Review:
Too Long In Obscurity at 2003-02-24
I agree with the sentiment expressed by another reviewer that if radio programmers had any imagination, James McMurtry would be a superstar. But, to borrow a line from one of McMurtys songs, the programmers work from the neck down, they dont call the shots.This release alone should have established James McMurtry as a musical superstar, yet as fate has it, he continues to languish in relative obscurity despite a string of pretty decent albums.I bought Too Long In the Wasteland on cassette back when it was released years ago. I was instantly struck by his pithy and witty lyrics, and his dry sardonic delivery.The very first song, Painting By Numbers, strikes an immediate chord with all who feel trapped in meaningless, dead-end jobs.Im Not From Here will resonate with anyone who has moved to another part of the country and encountered the prejudice of regionalism, particularly directed against those who come from states that have contributed large numbers of newcomers to an area. For instance, native Coloradans dont particularly like the influx of Texans and Californians, and so segments of the native population harbor resentments against people from those states. The lyrics could describe many a western city:nobodys from heremost of us just live herelocals long since moved awaysold their played-out farms for parking lotswent off looking for a better wayThe rest of the song rings just as true. I noticed driving home from a long trip today that many ranches are for sale 50-100 miles out from the city as landowners seek to cash in on soaring property values and to escape encroaching urbanization. And I see the same all over the west. Another favorite from this CD is Talkin at the Texaco, which perfectly describes how stultifying small town life can be.The other songs are excellent, too, but in the interests of brevity I highlighted only the best ones. Mc Murtry has an obvious knack for storytelling in such a way that cuts to the chase.I recommend this CD to anyone who is attracted to a little realism in music and who enjoys an alternative country/folk type of sound.
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