Customer Reviews

Chinese Vacation

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The release of Steve Poltz's new album, Chinese Vacation, almost makes you entirely forget about the five and half years that have passed since his first solo release, One Left Shoe. It really is that good.

One thing I love about Steve Poltz is that he's not afraid to be humorous in one song and heartfelt in the next. The title track is bound to make you laugh with lyrics such as, "And my strength is as limp as a Chinese noodle. What the hell are you trying to feed me? Is it pork or is it poodle?" While "10 Chances" will be familiar to anyone who knows how frightening and hard it is to want to say "I love you" to someone for the first time. Also on this cd is a surprising cover of TLC's "Waterfalls." He puts his own spin on the song and it works quite well.

Personally, my favorite song on Chinese Vacation is "Music Box." It's the perfect combination of humor and sweetness. It's enough to make me jealous of any girl who gets to see him stripped down to his boxers and socks.

The album leaves us with another humor-laden song called "Give You Up For Lent." It's a humorous look into a relationship that seems to involve a lot of giving without getting anything in return.

Bottom line...Chinese Vacation is great. It was entirely worth the wait, but I do hope that I won't have to wait so long next time.

Steve Poltz is probably one of the finest songwriters and acoustic performers on the American scene but unfortuneately outside of California he is little known by the public. I was listening to some of his songs today in my car on the One Left Shoe and Chinese Vacation CD's and I just could not believe how powerful and prophetic a songwriter this man is. I think the difficulty in getting him exposure is that his songs like Chinese Vacation and those on One Left Shoe CD tend to be offbeat and non-commercial and very unlike what is accepted on Top Forty. But what about Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell? They all fit this pattern as well. In summation, once you acquire a Steve Poltz album, it's addictive musically and you won't stop popping them in your deck. Whether Steve fades into oblivion or somehow emerges into the next Billy Joel or James Taylor will depend on how many more people like me become totally enveloped in this outstanding artist's music. The fact that Steve's music departs from what can be considered to be mainstream in no way should minimize his astronomical talent.

Jay Adler, Massapequa, NY

wow, wow, wow...

can't say enough good things about this cd. was quite a wait, but so worth it. used to seeing steve solo, and this disc manages to capture that, yet also adds to the songs with the perfect accompaniment. on top of that, he included some of my favorite songs (I killed walter matthau, stax, you remind me). the disc is pretty much perfect. kudos, steve. side note...if you haven't seen him live, you should see him live (how's that for flowing prose?).

amazing cd.

Having waited with bated breath for four and a half years for this release, I had to wait a couple of days to write a review. I had to let the excitement wear off so I'd be able to write something fair and objective.
Well I don't know when that time will come. I've been listening for 4 days straight and I can't get un-excited about it. This is an incredible album that brilliantly displays all facets of Steve's personality. Billy Harvey couldn't have done a better job with production, it's neither over, nor under produced.
While the entire album is excellent, the highlights for me are Friendly Fire, Who I Am, Lost Without You and Ten Chances.
This is a wonderful album to sing along to or to have playing in the background.

BUY IT NOW!!

Brilliant. The only word that fits. Mr. Steve "Polioboy" Poltz's previous solo work was a nice departure from his (much appreciated) band, The Rugburns, but seemed somewhat wooden. However, the production work of Billy Harvey (of Bob Schneider fame) is exactly what the doctor ordered, not overproduced, or overly slick, all the right sounds, in all the right places. The song writing is ROCK SOLID. Songs like "Friendly Fire" and "Chinese Vacation" are the rockers, "I Killed Walter Matthau" the pseudo tear jerker..."You Remind Me" the happy little sing along....lovely introspection with "California"...The best thing about this disc is that it presents Steve's true personality, something that I feel was lacking from "One Left Shoe", but all who have attended his live shows have been privy too all these years. As my friend is wont to say, "There's not a fart in the whole carload"

God Bless You Steve Poltz.

words cant express how truly wonderful this cd is, this man is the personification of what truly good music is supposed to be about, plus he's cool. "Give you up for lent" will have you swooning as the cover of TLC's "Waterfalls" will have you slow-jammin
buy this CD!
buy it now!
and while you on the net purchasing poltz products you also should check out w-w-w-dot.poltz.dot-c-o-m!
theres gold in them there hills~

What can I say.. It seems like I have waited forever for this CD. This is one of Steve's best CD's to date. You should purchase this CD, it will make you cool. Ok fine it will not make you cool. I personally like track 1 (friendly fire) and track 2 (California) and track 3 (You Remind Me) the most. I purchased about 10 cd's so now my christmas shopping is done. Thank you Steve this holiday season will be stress free for me. Now purchase the cd and make start singing spiderboy..

I first caught the Rugburns in 1989 at The Backdoor at San Diego State. After a wait that only a Springsteen fan could endure, Chinese Vacation emerges as an amazing album.

Although its hard to top songs like War, Tommy & Marla, Learn About Love, Gold's Gym Guy, etc., California does just that. A word Mr. Duffy: Release this song as a single by February - don't wait- start pressing those CD's now, and put "I Like Banana's" on the flipside.

This CD has been a permanment fixture in my car stereo for two weeks. Buy it - then buy a few more for all the other smart people you know.

Mike in Santa Barbara

Chinese Vacation is finally here! The virgin release from 98-pounder records blew away my highest expectations. Longtime fans will find that this CD is well worth the almost 5-year wait, and new listeners are bound to be drawn in by Poltz's fresh lyrics and inviting tunes.

Chinese Vacation is a smooth blend of "the many faces of Poltz." 'Friendly Fire' rocks Rugburns style while 'Stax' and '10 Chances' are reminiscent of the sweet sauces on "One Left Shoe." 'You Remind Me' and the title track 'Chinese Vacation' exemplify the contageously upbeat spirit that pervades Steve's live shows.

Once again Steve Poltz proves that he is a lyrical artist who's sound is constantly in flux. 'California' and 'Lost Without You' are brilliantly mastered, a testament to the successful collaborative efforts of Poltz and Billy Harvey.

The bottom line: BUY THIS CD!

If you have ever seen Steve Poltz live you don't need to read this review. His concerts are typically stripped down affairs finding on Steve up on stage performing. He's a storyteller live...a comedian of the highest degree.

On Chinese Vacation, you get to hear these songs turned up quite a few notches and I must say the results are great. I loved One Left Shoe but I didn't think it quite capture how Mr. Poltz comes off when he's live...this CD definitely does a better job of it. If you love songwriting, you'll love this disc. My personal faves are California, Stax, You Remind Me and Lost Without You. Get back to me tomorrow and I'll probably end up adding ever other song on the disc.

Incredible disc and I hope there's more to follow pronto!