Customer Reviews

Almost And Always

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a David Mead fan for a long time, so I was eagerly awaiting this new release. Finally, it became available here, so I bought it immediately. Upon first listen, I thought it was good, but a bit boring and uninspiring. However, on further listenings, you start to really hear the music and its nuances, and it's quickly become a new favorite. The masterful combination of exquisite vocals and wonderfully written lyrics make for an amazing album. While one or two songs on the album left me wanting ("Mojave Phone Booth" for instance), the great majority of the album is excellent.

Another brilliant album by Mead!!!! This guy is so consistent. I was originally concerned upon first hearing that it didn't involve a full band, but I've always maintained that intrinsically GOOD MUSIC doesn't require complex instrumentation. The lyrics, chords, David's voice... it's ALL perfect--flawlessly pure just the way it is. I swear, this guy is so consistently amazing it blows my mind. How is it possible that such a treasure is not a household name? You can't get any better than this. Every track a treasure. ALL Mead albums are amazing--and so consistently good that I don't have a fav. I can't say that about any other artist, band or symphonic composer. The art of stellar song-writing of 25-45 years ago mysteriously died in all the earth, except in David Mead's world. How can he be so insular to the drought? On this album you'll hear a steady flow of sonic beauty that is thriving, boldly. Be heartened. I'm damn proud to turn friends on to this. In fact, I'll play it and those with "ears" will say, "Who IS that?!" Instantly sold! My job is done. I only wish he'd crank out an album every 2 months.

David has made each of his CDs very different from the prior one. His last CD had a dense sound, with most songs having a number of instruments, especially keyboards, on each track. Most of the songs on the new CD have only a few instruments which gives the CD an intimate feel. It also brings David's voice to the forefront. This CD is really unique. I am not sure who else could have written and performed these songs. The variety of songwriting skills here is tremendous. The CD is extremely low-key, and completely acoustic, as the songs are mostly about a failing marriage and life afterwards. None of the songs seem like fiction. In "Sicily" the lyrics tell of a couples trip that seems idyllic, yet ends with the plaintiff, "I thought to myself that we'd make it somehow". Knowing that they did not make it gives the song that extra meaning that distinguishes this CD. Throughout his career David has always written songs that evoke a Paul McCartney aura, and this CD is no exception. Sleeping in Saturday has harmonies that have faint echoes of the Beach Boys. These are not homages or rip-offs, just classic song writing and arrangements. David's skills are almost wasted writing for today's marketplace. He should be writing for Broadway shows as he is showing a depth that his contemporaries could not begin to match. Grammercy Vaudeville could have been written in 1949 for all of the style that it shows. He has songs on other CDs that no one else could write. You should get this CD, but get all of his CDs. They are great as individual works, especially his first, Luxury of Time. But put all of them in your CD player and hit shuffle, and you will get a variety that is unmatched by anyone else writing today.

A masterful singer/songwriter with a knack for writing beautiful and subtle melodies that get under your skin.
Compared to his last album the magnificent "Tangerine", "Almost and Always" is more acoustic and personal but equally delightful.

Current artists that are of a similar nature and quality are Josh Rouse and Ron Sexsmith, if you like those you'll love this, guarneteed.

I have become a Mead "fanatic" over the last few years. His work is of such consistently great quality, it kind of boggles the mind. I was surprised and impressed with his first two discs, and can hand pick songs from both that hold up to any pop music of the last "umpteen" years. "Indiana" is beautiful and "Tangerine" is just amazing. And don't forget his EP "Wherever You Are" - fantastic songs there, too. My musical taste is across the board, including singer-songwriter, rock, country, jazz, bluegrass, classical, world, blues, etc. - but I continue to be drawn in by the artistry of a great pop song. Bacharach, Lennon and MacArtney, Nilsson, Crenshaw, Johnston (Freedy, that is), Newman, John and Taupin, King, Taylor, Simon, etc. I put Mead right in this company. I too hope he continues to compose and perform and record for a long time to come. BTW a look at just a few of the songs he covers in his shows and recordings reflects his sensibility to other pop masters: "Human Nature", "God Only Knows" and "The Only Living Boy in New York."