Customer Reviews

Attainable Love

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Christine Lavin has long had the ability to lift a 16 ton weight off your shoulders with a comedic ditty, then rip out your heart and watch it quiver on the floor with a sorrowful ballad. On "Attainable Love" she performs this feat almost every other track.

There are so many great songs on this work: the playful "Sensitive New Age Guys" (albeit now slightly dated) and inspired "Shopping Cart of Love" for those in need of a smile; "Yonder Blue" and "Venus Kissed The Moon Tonight" for the romantically wistful; the title track, "Victim/Volunteer" and "Moving Target" for those unsatisfied with the state of their relationships.

The tour de force is her splendid "The Kind of Love You Never Recover From", a haunting piece that still brings a tear to my male eye even after years of repeat listenings. (This song and the rocking the baby elephant scene in Dumbo are the only two things that make me openly cry, so it's in very good company).

Simply, "Attainable Love" is a perfect album that has brought years of enjoyment to my family. I hope it brings similar joy to yours.

I first fell in love with Christine Lavin's music in October of 1991, at a concert in Seattle featuring Christine, John Gorka, Patti Larkin and David Wilcox. Attainable Love was the first CD of Christine's that I ever bought, and it remains one of my favorite albums today. I use it as a litmus test for my friends -- when I play it for someone for the first time, I watch them closely to see if they "get it." If they enjoy Christine's music as much as I do, I know we'll be good pals. If they don't, they don't have a strong enough sense of humor to tolerate me. Christine is funny, romantic, incisive and a real class act. This CD is a must-have for any Christine Lavin fan.

I'll be honest, I bought this CD for one song only - The Shopping Cart of Love. This song is the funniest thing I have ever heard on the radio and I just sat with my mouth open when I first heard it, it made me want to be able to write songs that clever! Now I love the rest of the album too. That trademark bittersweet view of life, love and relationships that Lavin fans know so well is at its peak in this album, which does indeed explore the themes of attainable (and unattainable) love. I particularly love 'The Kind of Love you Never Recover from', the heartfelt fear of perhaps blowing it or missing out on your soulmate. The only thing missing for me on this album, is a real, secure,love song, but I think we will have to wait until Ms Lavin meets her soulmate for that, and methinks she might lose her muse if that were to happen!

This is actually my second review of this CD...for some reason, my reviews of the five Christine albums I own are stored on Amazon in a different file than the one you might be reading now. I recently listened to this for the first time in many months, and my gosh, it holds up well. "The Kind of Love You Never Recover From" and "Shopping Cart of Love" are still unforgettable. "Sensitive New Age Guys" while dated, is still true and memorable. "Attainable Love" will always be true. "Yonder Blue" is a beautiful lament about lovers who travel too much in different directions, and "Moving Target" looks at the same idea from a far different point of view. "Fly on the Plane" is a fine example of Christine's demented side, funny and weird. Some fans like her live releases best, some find too much chatter. I chose to own mostly studio albums, but she is just such an attractive personality that you can't go too far wrong with any of her work. This remains my favorite whole album, even though "Castlemaine" and "Victim/Volunteer" are cuts I skip. Try "Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind" or "Shining My Flashlight on the Moon" or "Future Fossils" for other products that are worth the dough. Lavin works hard, does not take herself too seriously, helps other singers/writers up the ladder, stays loyal to those who taught her (i.e., Dave von Ronk) and cares about all the right things without having to pen furiously angry protest songs. One of those people who, having heard an album of hers, you would give an arm to meet and dine with.

My first girlfriend from 30 years ago wanted me to hear"The kind of Love You Never Recover From" and it took me three years to finally find and buy the album it's included on. I only received it two days ago and have listened to the whole thing three times. While "Kind of Love" is indeed a GREAT song, there are several other cuts that are superb. "Shopping Cart of Love" is to marriage-age women what "Alice's Restaurant" was to us draft-age men back in l967. It is unforgettable. There are three or four other songs that are simply irrestible as well, along with perhaps three that don't work so well, but are still listenable. The good stuff here is worth the price. Trust me. I'm old, and I've heard a lot of music in my time. I'll be buying more Lavin stuff pretty quick.

I have to start out by saying I wish I could have liked ALL the material on this album well enough to give it 5 stars, but like the blemishes that pretty much all your "cherished friends" have, not all the material on this album is 5 star. I saw the talented Ms Lavin in concert 10 years ago and, like everyone I know who hears the song, SHE got choked up performing "The Kind of Love You Never Recover From". This song burns with the lasting power of a devastating unfulfilled love - sort of an audio equivalent of "Casablanca" or "Like Water for Chocolate". Many of the other cuts are witty, or poignant or both. Some of them, frankly, fall a little short - but I overlook blemishes in my friends too, as I expect them to do with me. I also highly recommend "Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind".

This is a great CD. When living near the American Naval Base in Exmouth, Western Australia many years ago, my husband heard "The Shopping Cart of Love" and this led me to track down the album (no mean feat in remote Australia, I can tell you). It is an absolutely delightful funny and clever song of a woman who has just been abandoned by her fiance, and finds love in the supermarket in the midst of her despair. I have since listened to it many times, and the pleasure of it never fades. The rest of the album is also wonderful, with some of the ballads haunting and beautiful. If you want something a little different, and you want a track you will always remeber and enjoy, this is for you.

Christine Lavin has the most beautiful voice and takes you on a magical journey. She has the power to make you cry with tragic love songs and she will make you laugh with her song about New Age Guys. Whatever mood you're in, she has something perfect for you. I use this CD when I exercise, when I go to sleep, in the car, EVERYWHERE!

I also have met Christine Lavin in person and she is AMAZING! Here's a great example of a woman who beats to her own drum. She inspires everyone else to do the same.

Her other CDs are also wonderful! You'll love listening to her voice, she has an awesome sense of humor, and you'll feel great supporting her.

My only complaint about this album is that it's too short. I'd like it to last at least forever. It's an excellent mix of truly funny (Shopping Cart of Love) and poignant (Castlemaine) and performed in a pure, expressive voice.

A friend sent me this cd thinking I would like one song, Sensitive New Age Guys. Sure it's great, but the rest of the songs are just as good. The Kind Of Love You Never Recover From is worth twice the cost of the CD alone: you'll smile and you'll cry, and it will become your favorite song. Ms. Lavin is able to touch just about every emotion you can have, on one CD. If you like folk-rock, this will be the one you lend your friends and family...It's the kind of CD you;ll never recover from. Buy it