Customer Reviews

Choochtown

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

 

 

With all the urban grit of Lou Reed and a healthy dose of informed viciousness, Hammell on Trial's third record arrives none to soon. His acoustic work is still violent and the band that he plays with on some numbers raises a beautiful garage band mayhem. Whip smart and full of losers, addicts, swamp monsters & shopping malls, and Bill Hicks-- this a beat poet for a more viscerally angry generation.

I first heard about Hamell on Trial when I picked up "Uncut" magazine, with a disk that contained the song "Choochtown" on it. It was a great song - melodic yet raw, with smart, funny lyrics delivered by Chooch, a street-smart player, and, best of all, it rocked with garage band intensity. So I picked up the album "Choochtown". With maybe one exception, every song on here is great, too. Not quite a "concept album" but more than just a bunch of unconnected songs, "Choochtown" tells the stories of a bunch of petty crooks, drug dealers and other misfits, many of whose stories overlap. Hamell uses this format to tell the story of what happened at one Toddle House diner at 3 am from three different narrators who were each there and who each know each other, but who each saw what was happening from a different angle. Not quite your usual fare - and even better, it rocks. In sum, Choochtown is an ambitious, smart album with great lyrics and a great sound that, to me, is equal parts Lou Reed, acoustic Springsteen and 60's garage. Highly recommended.

considering this alb cost less than 5oo dollars to make, this is an amazing achievement For further proof, check out UNCUT's 5 star Album of the Month review also. I really only came here to appraise all you Hamell fans of his latest, upcoming release "Ed's Not Dead....Hamell Comes Alive" (SuchAPunch Records), which was recorded on tour last spring while out on tour with Ani DiFranco. It's his best yet, for obvious reasons.

Ed Hamell does it again, bringing his own special brand of furious folk to the table. Hamell on Trial smacks us awake and makes us think like few artists dare.

This is good stuff. If you can find his previous two cds anywhere, they are worth your time and dollars.
Hamell on Trial is best heard live. I look forward to when Hamell on Trial returns to the stage to spit fire once again. Get well soon!

You owe it to yourself to get out there and see this man do his thing. He puts on an amazingly captivating show. This CD is fantastic, but it is impossible to do justice to his live show in a recording.

Sigh, Ed's just great!

This is a great album if you're a fan of the man. His lyrics are as inflammatory and inspirational as ever. Though no studio album could ever completely convey the energy that is felt when witnessing his on stage intensity, it comes close. However he's not the type of artist that you can listen to lightly. His quick lyrics and hard playing will tire your mind if you're not game. Be prepared to rage a little before you put him in you disc player.