East Nashville Skyline

Todd Snider | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Oh Boy
• ASIN: B0002IQCC0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,564 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Indie Music > Country > Alt-Country & Americana

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

East Nashville lies just across the Cumberland River from the mansions and skyscrapers Music Row built, but for Todd Snider it may as well be in outer space. On his seventh album, he paints a word-drunk, smart-ass, but always affectionate portrait of this gritty neighborhood--the dead-end dives, low-rent bungalows, and musicians barely scraping by--with a freewheeling comedic spirit as true to country as it is to rock & roll. He gives Mike Tyson a chummy hug, flips off the moral majority, fails to decipher "Louie, Louie," and turns an attempted suicide into a bittersweet recognition of human folly. Producer Will Kimbrough keeps the sound loose and tipsy, sometimes whittling back to a single acoustic guitar, which is just right for Snider's funniest, sharpest, and most life-affirming album yet. --Roy Kasten

Product Description

Todd Snider's East Nashville Skyline, his 4th Oh Boy Records release, is a collection of bold, sometimes unsettling, often funny songs about death, suicide, going to jail & growing old. Told in only the way Todd Snider can, with wry wit, unabashed honesty & a unique perspective. They're the kind of songs that make you laugh while hitting you in the gut. Produced by Todd Snider & long time friend & band member Will Kimbrough, East Nashville Skyline features appearances by Tim Carroll & Elizabeth Cook, 9 brand new songs, 3 choice covers & liner notes by the man himself. This is some of Todd's best work yet.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Todd Snider Studio CD in Years July 21, 2004

By K. Palmer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

As the previous reviewer stated, Todd Snider has had a long battle with substance abuse, with a particularly bad stretch just last year. It's probably explained why his previous two studio efforts, "Happy To Be Here" and "New Connection" were disappointments to me. But the man is back in high form with his latest release "East Nashville Skyline".

The CD is fairly short (I didn't check the total time, but it probably isn't much over 40 minutes), but there is a lot of wallop in these 12 songs. There's slow songs, very fast tempo songs, humorous songs and songs that will make you think, which kind of sums up my thoughts on Todd's first CD, "Songs for the Daily Planet" which I believe is his best effort.

Personal favorites on ENS are "Alcohol and Pills", which is actually one of the few songs that Todd has recorded that he didn't write, but his performance on this song about Hank Williams aand Elvis Presley is a definite highlight. I also enjoyed the "Ballad of the Kingsmen", which Todd tells the story of how easy it is for people to blame rock and roll for life's difficut events. And "Tillamook County Jail" is Todd Snider in full humor (the passage about the "Tillamook County lie detector test" had me laughing so hard I almost crashed my car). And the last song "Enjoy Yourself" just simply lets you know to just have fun.

I also am happy that Todd has finally committed to CD the classic "Iron Mike" song about Mike Tyson, which I first heard on the radio about 8 years ago. It's still funny today although Iron Mike isnt quite as invincible as we was when the song was originally written.

All in all, a great effort by Todd Snider. I hope he stays clean and gets rid of his demons because the guy is a terrific talent and a great performer (see a live show if you can).

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Vinyl July 20, 2004

By Todd Smith

Format:Audio CD

Hearing Todd Snider's East Nashville Skyline is like listening to a bit of vintage vinyl. Everything from the warm analog production to the length of the album harkens back to the days when a dusty old pile of records was a good evening's entertainment. Instead of overproduction and heavily doctored music that many of its contemporaries rely upon, the record possesses instead a unique vibe that fits Snider perfectly.

For children of the 70s, the record is quite a ride. For fans of Snider's beer-guzzling party anthems this album a bit of a departure despite having its share of clever, twisting lyrics and even a rowdy sing-along. East Nashville Skyline, a tribute to both Bob Dylan and Snider's own neighborhood, is ultimately much more than witty one-liners: it is a deeply personal set of songs that obviously comes from the soul of the talented, yet troubled troubador.

The album leads off with a witty recollection of the journey that has been Todd's musical career called "Age Like Wine" including references to the inevitable comparison of his "old stuff" to his "new stuff." The album rolls along with "Play a Train Song" which is arranged like a classic Johnny Cash tune and stands as a testament to Snider's road manager, friend, and one-time self-proclaimed mayor of East Nashville, Skip Litz. A cover of Fred Eaglesmith's "Alcohol and Pills" is one of the better cuts on the album with a heartfelt rendition from Snider, whose well-known substance abuse problems lends a sense of sincerity to the song. "The Ballad of the Kingsmen" exudes incredible California vibe and serves as a wry indictment of placing blame upon rock music for societal problems. Classic Snider sarcasm peeks out from "Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican, Straight White American Males" which despite being a protest song is a throwback to classic country music with buckets of twang. Snider goes on to praise pianist Jason D. Williams, rowdy Texan Jack Ingram, and some aspects of his current hometown on a rolling tune aptly titled "Nashville."

The real highlight of the album is the surprisingly honest "Sunshine." The song is moody and hopeful at the same time, chronicling via a hypothetical third-party Snider's own bouts of depression. Heartbreakingly matter-of-fact it does not paint suicide as a dramatic cry for attention but rather focuses on the very real resignation for some victims that it is simply a decision to end the despair. Despite focusing on such a tragic topic, the song ends on an upbeat note giving hope to both the listener and Todd himself. The song is unlike any Todd has written--nearly spoken with a bright, yet haunting backdrop of hollow accompaniment. Further, fans who know his own struggles will find this a very open look into the normally private battle.

At various points in the album, you'll find flashbacks to some of the artists that influence Todd: the confessional lyrics of John Prine; the folksy harmonica and sweet guitar of Neil Young and Dylan; the narrative stylings of Tom Petty and to an extent Lou Reed. Amazingly it all is blended in a distinctive style that is Todd's alone--albeit with help from co-producer and obscenely talented Will Kimbrough who plays just about everything on this record. Together they have created what may be the seminal Todd Snider sound via an album sure to impress.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great collection of heartfelt songs August 17, 2004

By Rufus T. Firefly

Format:Audio CD

I'm new to Todd Snider, and thanks to this album, I'm a committed fan. I heard the side-splittingly funny "Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing, Republican, Straight White American Males" on the radio and the next day I trucked right out and bought the album. I have to say, it is a relief when you buy an album based on one song, only to find that they are all as good as the first!

Snider has a wonderful musical range. He shifts from the twangy "Conservative..." to the playfully intimate "Enjoy Yourself" to the harder and darker cover of "Alcohol and Pills", pulling off all these styles with aplomb. The recording has a lovely ragged, dirty analog edge, which gives it real warmth. Snider also has a great sly sense of humor, which shows up right from the get go in "Age Like Wine" and continues right through the last chord of "Enjoy Yourself".

My favorite tracks are "Conservative...", an uproarious look at the political divide in our country today; "Age Like Wine", where Snider shows his amazement at still even being here playing; "Enjoy Yourself", a gentle and funny encouragement to stop working so hard and worrying so much; "Good News Blues", a silly bluesy takeoff....well heck, I really like *every* song on the album. If you like music that will get your feet tapping, or that will get your brain working, or that will tickle your funny bone, or just something great to groove to as you roll down your windows and barrel down the country roads, this is it. Highly recommended!