Customer Reviews

Ballad On Third Avenue

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

 

 

Ed Hale has recorded a solo album away from his Brit Pop band Transcendence but hasn't left the pop sentimentality too far behind, using the skill to help shape something acoustically raw and introspective. Ballad on Third Avenue is rich in memorable and pleasantly catchy songs that eschew common trappings of a larger sound in favor of recording more sparse and intimate material. It succeeds in practicing restraint and in also telling stories weaved through American landscapes.

The album recalls the jingly soft sounds of late sixties bands that seemed to crystallize sugary melody versus stomping easily all over it. Hale, at times, will sing in a near hushed whisper that is guttural, careful and crackling. He sounds like a gritty version of Bono. That's not a slight, Hale's warm singing style is a plus and helps sell songs such as the album's title track and the gently driven `Scene in San Francisco.'

The album is not an immediate grab. The slow pace and humble delivery makes it stand out after the fact, after it ends. It's the person in the room you notice later, the one you wished you'd noticed earlier. This quality makes Ballad on Third Avenue a surprise, a gift that keeps giving. It's indifferent and coded and may take a few spins before it begins to tattoo itself on eardrums and heart strings. Ballad on Third Avenue is a work that seemingly aims to be just left of field - a warm blanket instead of a quick pick-me-up. It's textured and sometimes harrowing sound is a winter's morning, a love letter to the past and indeed rich in imagery. Take a sample lyric from `I Walk Alone' - "And those lights by the bridge shine through the night of my eyes." Hale is digging deep and revealing through music the travails and pleasures of living life.

Brian Tucker/Bootleg Magazine/Wilmington, NC

By Lee Zimmerman in New Times Magazine: CD Review, Music
Monday, Sep. 14 2009
Ed Hale's outfit Transcendence was the kind of band that allowed ambition and extravagance to find equal footing. Progressive by design, its sumptuous arrangements often overshadowed Hale's skills as a songwriter, which featured some great melodies at the core. Hale seems to have remedied that band's often-obtuse approach with a solo album that focuses more on emotional content and less on instrumental elaboration. The cast of supporting players is terrific (several played in Transcendence), and Hale demonstrates an enviable gift for brooding, introspective melodies that are as quietly compelling as those of Leonard Cohen or Nick Drake. And yes, they're that good.

The fact that Hale still boasts a penchant for grander schemes ought come as no surprise. His own Dying Van Gogh label has given a home to some of South Florida's most talented artists, including multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo, who also co-produced this disc. Hale himself has shifted his base of operations to New York, where he now finds both the aural and visual muse for his music. And despite the vast expanse of these urban environs, songs such as "Scene in San Francisco," "Hello My Dove," "It Feels Too Good," and "New Orleans Dreams" provide an intimate view of life, love and longing from a solitary point of view.

Other tracks, like "Thoughts of California and "Never Let Me Go Again," seem to drift along in a dreamy haze. Only "I Walk Alone" conjures up the sweep and spectacle of Transcendence, but even so, Hale shuttles the song while lowering his gaze. Still, with all due respect to his former outfit, Ballad on Third Avenue is easily the best record of Hale's still-evolving career. Intimate yet endearing, these songs of the street offer an eloquence all their own.

An honest and touching album with rich lyrics, amazing melodies and beautiful vocals that lures you in and fills you up! The songs continue to play in my head long after the music is turned off ... especially one of my favorites on the album: "Everywhere she is there". A must have jewel of an album!

This album fills you. Fills you and moves you. It's intimate, poetic, the perfect way to unwind and be consumed by beautiful sounds. The music is more creative and interesting in its composition than what we usually have to choose from, and the delicate sounds call for a lovely sitting, perhaps with a glass of wine.

i absolutely love this album! his lyrics are smart, poetic and seductive!... his voice is haunting and sexy. beautiful melodies! love it!

This album is a work of art.

Ed hale is a master songwriter and on "Ballad on Third Ave" he gives a clinic!!
This album is as soothing as it is heartbreaking.

Ed Hale's CD "Ballad on Third Avenue" should be a favorite of mine. I love acoustic melodic music. As a vocalist, Hale sounds like a nervous David Gray. The opener "Scene in San Francisco" should be a powerhouse, but it misses the mark. For example, Hale's wail on the title track isn't interesting, "I'm a clown for you; I wanna be with you even though I know you lie, but I recognize so do I." The melody just kind of drones on without grabbing me. On "It Feels Too Good" the acoustic guitar strums repetitively with minor melodic modulations, making it a rather numbing track. "Everywhere She is There" is painfully awful like music for people on depressants with the percussive touches trying to atone for the absence of an actual song. From "New Orleans Dream" to "The Architect's Daughter" to "Thoughts of California" Hale creates sonic landscapes but fails to hold my interest. Lyrically, he has some interesting ideas. As a vocalist, he sounds impaired, stretching for notes at times but emotionally cold. So while this certainly sounds like a recording I ought to like, I didn't connect with any of the tracks. Taxi!