Customer Reviews

Confessor

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album was slaughtered by critics upon its release, and has been catagorized as ordinary and typical 70's rock, but of course, these people are totally wrong. The Confessor finds Walsh in the middle of the eighties still rockin like it was the 70's. And really, whats wrong with this? His sound is updated slightly with more polished production, a bit more synth and keys, but at its core it's still Walsh, tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at stuff while laying down bloozy riffs and funky beats, which all your naysayers should know, that stuff NEVER goes out of style. The production on the title track really shines with every string rattle in Walsh's 12-string jumping out in the track giving a loose, slippery feel to the song before the knockout blow of crunching guitars and screaming vocals. Not really a signature style for Walsh, but effective nontheless. The rest of the album walks a tightrope of hangdog, laid back Walsh rockers, and pure pop structured songs, all delivered with a wink and a punch. The Confessor couldn't get any respect from the world when it was released at a time when funny looking Englishmen with bad haircuts and keyboards ruled the airwaves, nor does it get any respect today when focus-group picked talentless made-for-television bands are the flavor of the month. But for the afficianado of rock and roll listener its a worthy pickup if you haven't heard it.

Joe Walsh was the Eagles member known for his quirky sense of humor. He was also the FUNKIEST of the Eagles, which showed itself most notably on his solo records (see "Rivers of the Hidden Funk" from his There Goes the Neighborhood album).

On Confessor(1985), Walsh blends his sound nicely with the emerging technology of the mid 80's... utilizing drum synths and keyboards while keeping the best of what made his earlier records so great: good melodies, plenty of hooks and an endless supply of crunchy slide guitar riffs.

Mr. Walsh brings out his off-kilter humor on tracks like "I Broke My Leg" and "Bubbles"... gets rather philosophical on "Problems" and "Rosewood Bitters" (a solid rocker with a tasty slide guitar solo), and goes for all-out crunch on songs like "15 Years", "Good Man Down" and of course the epic title track, "Confessor".

Many people name only the title track and one or two other songs when they talk about this record, but the truth is the whole album is an enjoyable listen.

I think this is the Best Walsh album. I don't know if this will sound better on CD or SACD. The recording(in vinyl) is almost perfect. Almost all the songs in this album are just too good. It's almost like a "Best of Joe Walsh" album. The words and the music gives you a good feel of what is really going on. You travel as you listen to each song. After listening to this record, I've always said to myself, "unbelievable, this is so good." I don't listen to 1 or 2 songs, I've always listen to the whole album, at least twice, in one seating.

This album starts off a little slow, but picks up steam as it goes and the second half is very strong. The title track is the best song Joe Walsh has ever recorded as a solo artist and "Rosewood Bitters", "Slow Dancing", and "Dear John" are as good or better than anything he's done on his other solo albums. "Good Man Down" and "15 Years" are also notable. Overall, the album has a more updated sound, but there is plenty of Joe's stellar guitar work throughout. His trademark sense of humor is here, as is his simple, unpretentious charm as a vocalist and lyricist. I only gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because "I Broke My Leg" and "Bubbles", although not bad, are lightweights. I still recommend this album, especially to Joe's fans.

There aren't many albums that can outreach this one. It's not often that I like a good percentage of songs off an album much less all of them. Mr. Walsh has an impressive gift of grasping the thought and expressing it with amazing clarity.

Joe Walsh's 1985 release, The Confessor, suffers largely from the era in which it was released. At the time, artists were still pressured by their labels to put out an album a year, forcing the artists to write (and often record) while touring to promote their previous release. Needless to say, this prompted more than one spotty album. Oh, and since it's from the 80's, a lot of the songs get the big ol' drum machine treatment, which I've long since learned to look past. It's the mullet of 80s recording, after all. It was there, so everyone did it, and it looked normal at the time. Now it just dates things a bit.

The Confessor is such an album. At the very least, some of the writing feels rushed and cookie-cutter Joe Walsh at best. It opens with the weak "Problems," meanders through the lame joke of "I Broke My Leg" and the pun-laden "Bubbles" before briefly coming to life with "Slow Dancing," a cascading bit of guitar pop balladry capped by Walsh's trademark sly vocals. Unfortunately, we go right back down into the rote rocker "15 Years." No one could blame you if you stopped listening right there.

However, you'd also make a big mistake if you stopped there, because with the next song, the title track (which begins as mysterious folk and ends in an awesomely crunchy hard rock guitar workout), the album gets better and better. "Rosewood Bitters" is among the best pop songs Walsh ever sang, the rocker "Good Man Down" has none of the rote-ness that plagues "15 Years," and "Dear John" finishes the record with a wistful send-off to an ex.

So, in the end, we get 5 homeruns, a single, and three outs. Luckily, it's enough for The Confessor to win the game, but just barely. A little more time to write and he might have ended up with true greatness here. As it is, it's only half great. But it's still worth having.

you have to like Joe and his type of humor.you can't come here liking MTV's or American Idol's lastest flavor of the week,and expect to write an honest review of Joe Walsh.I love Joe's music allways have.Joe was in the trenches slugging it out,before most of your modern day guitar heroes were even born.I really like this album,the Confesser is another masterpiece by Joe,and yes, he has several.and no,it's not dance music.or bang your head music.but, it is very thought full,and makes you want to hear it again

I love this album almost as much as BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS. The Confessor, Dear John, Rosewood Bitters,and Can't keep A Good Man Down are excellent songs. Joe's sense of humor kills me. There are great session players on this album which make Joe's sound better than ever.

I don't know what is wrong with that guy from San Francisco but this is a great Joe Walsh album..I have 17 of his albums and this one is great. The cover song is one of Joe's best..he really rocks out on it, 15 years, Rosewood Bitters, and Good Man Down. love Slow Dancing too

"The Confessor" is the song that many fans of Joe Walsh had been waiting for. Not since "Rocky Mountain Way" has he shown that he can rock with a vengeance. "Good Man Down" also is a good rock song. The rest of the album is a mixed bag, but the songs mentioned above make this a better than average album.