Customer Reviews

Antidote

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

 

 

These cd's haven't left my cd changer since I bought them. I've been a huge Jenny Toomey fan since my east coast/college days and in my opinion this solo effort was well worth the wait. Great lyrics (any song that references a Patsy Cline song can't be bad :) ), great music, great production. The songs range from slow and mellow to downright toe tappin', finger snappin'. All the best parts of Tsunami, Grenadine, Liquorice, all rolled into one and then with a kick. If you've been fan of her previous projects you won't be disappointed, if you've never heard her music before I'm sure you'll become a fan.

An amazing outing. Two discs, though don't let that throw you. There are no spares or contract-fufilling dross serving as bookends for a few singles. Soaring and beautiful with great musicianship and sparkling production work. Why this release is under-reviewed and underexposed is befuddling...refer to tracks like "Patsy Cline", "Clearcut" and "Unclaimed" and the awesome cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Fool for You" to become convinced yourself.

Jenny Toomey has to be one of the most under-rated artists of the millennium. Once again, a CD your can let run twice through and there's not one bad cut. The only way one might describe her voice is to declare it sultry and full of wistfulness.
A mature intelligent composer, this is a must have for any aspiring songwriter. Her placement and choice of Tone puts her in a category all her own.( let us not forget that the choice of producers and players can make all the difference as well. )
This album is also crucial in pointing out that no matter how much effort, or how much work, you put into an album it still must compete with an industry that has little sense of taste, or common sense, as to what is QUALITY MUSIC. This album deserves to compete with what you here on the radio. There is no contest.
Highlights include a killer version of Curtis Mayfield's ' Fool for You', ' The Smell of Him', and 'Clear Cut', a song which contains arrangement and tone reminiscent of Throwing Muses 'House Tornado', but with an edge all of Toomey's own.
Buy this album, you will not be disappointed. Like 'Tempting', it is a jewel for any serious music collector.

Antidote A mainstay in music, via the Washington, D.C.post-punk scene since the early '90's (Tsunami), Ms. Toomey is a veritable genius at fusing punk, folk-rock, intricate harmonies, and astounding melodies. I gather that many of the younger set (twenty somethings), who idolize various female performers, lesser in talent, yet easier for the corporate mill to grind out, have no idea who Jenny Toomey is, much less would ever try to listen to one of her albums. In her humble beginnings, she, along with the rest of her band,crafted some of the most amazingly hypnotic music you're likely to find anywhere. Her solo effort, "Antidote", is no exception to this rule. A 2 C.D. set, with one disc recorded in Nashville, the other in Chicago, is like a breath of fresh air, compared to almost anything else out there lumped into the female pop singer-songwriter category. listening to the lead-off song, "Patsy Cline", sets the scene for a beautiful, worthwhile, haunting trip thru her fertile mind.It only gets better from there.You find yourself asking, after a short while, "How could I have missed this?", or "How did she come up with these arrangements and/or chord changes?" Easily, her music will be the stuff that collectors will be shelling BIG bucks for, just a short while down the road. I assume that she doesn't record much anymore, as she was never really noticed by any major lables (a Mystery to me). I Highly recommend Tsunami's albums, "Deep End",and "The Hearts Tremelo" as well as this record. After which, I KNOW you'll ferrett out the rest. You'll sit and quite possibly drool, as her music permeates your mind, like a subtle opiate. Get 'em while they can still be gotten inexpensively, right hear at Amazon (and they ain't payin' me to say that!)All it takes is one doofus at you-know-where, to kick the prices way up! Back to "Antidote", I could review it song by song, but all I can say is that I can't find any faults on this record...it's SO varied, and inventive...and did I mention her voice? It's..aw, I've said enough....go get you some.