Customer Reviews

Edge of the World

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Billy Bob Thornton's new CD, "The Edge of The World", his second, marks his move from "Lost Highway" to "Sanctuary Records", home of a plethora of rockers. "Edge" also is a move from the more 'story-oriented' country/blues selections to a strong rock sound for Billy Bob. It is a return of sorts to Billy Bob's musical roots. Billy Bob started his career as a musician playing drums and opening for musicians such as Hank Williams Jr., Ted Nugent, the Earl Scruggs Review, and Richie Havens. The return move is strong, satisfying, and entertaining.

Two of the first three tracks; "Emily" and "Island Avenue" were written by Billy Bob's late brother, Jimmy Don Thornton, to whom the CD is dedicated. "Island Avenue" features Mike Shipp, (whose CD "Adventures of Roosterboy" was recently released) on guitar and a passel of great vocalists singing back-up, including Tommy Shaw (Styx).

"Everybody's Talking" is a very credible cover of the popular song from "Midnight Cowboy" and features Marty Stuart on lead guitar, along with Brad Davis on rhythm guitar. Brad is a songwriter in his own right, apparent on his own CD, "I'm Not Gonna Let My Blues Bring Me Down", which also features a cut by Billy Bob entitled "Tell Me Son".

'Baby, Can I Hold You' (Tracy Chapman), one of the slower tracks features Billy Bob vocalizing at his best with back-up sung by the talented Mica Roberts and great guitar accompaniment by Randy Mitchell.

The other tracks were written by Billy Bob and/or fellow musicians Brad Davis, Jim Mitchell, and Randy Mitchell. They run the gamut from covering all forms of rock and displaying the talent of the musicians, as well as the singing and writing talents of Billy Bob.

"Do God Wop", an irreverent monologue directed at God in an attempt to ascertain an answer to life's problems that will explain things to both the speaker and children, starts with music that can best be described as psychedelic before transposing into the absolute ultimate 'do-wop' song. Great display of that VOICE, and BB hits the drums on this one too. Too cool!

"Savior", features great lyrics, acoustic and steel guitars, and again the feeling Billy Bob is using that distinctive voice to sing poetry on the subject of the rejuvenation offered by children, directly to the individual listener and being sang directly from his heart.

'Midnight Train" has been likened to the sound of Kris Kristofferson or Waylon and Willie. For the life of me, I cannot listen to this without hearing echoes of the late Johnny Cash. A decidedly 'country' sound, featuring Warren Zevon on the organ and some great guitar licks. Country lyrics at their best, and again a reference to the energizing spirit of children on one's life.

There has been much written about exactly who inspired the songs on this CD that Billy Bob wrote, including Billy Bob's own explanation of sorts, including his distinctive comments on each track that appear in the linear notes (along with interesting personal photos, including pix of his children). As a fan, I have my own opinions about "To The End of Time" and exactly which individual(s) may have inspired it, along with "Pieces of A Man", " God", "The Edge of The World", and "The Desperate One". Each listener will decide from themselves, or may not even think about it or care one way or the other. Personally, I leave that explanation to Billy Bob. Suffice it to say, that many of the tracks evoke a portrait of an individual on the 'Edge", gathering memories, looking for answers, excising anger, and searching for a future. All these emotions converge in lyrics, music, and vocals to create a touching, electric, inspiring, and entertaining CD containing 17 tracks, including a hidden track.

Rock fans should avoid writing-off this offering as a 'vanity project', a label I see bandied around often about "Private Radio", Billy Bob's first CD. "Private Radio" was a legitimate addition to today's musical menu. "The Edge of the World", while different in format, content, and style, offers great musicians playing rocking music, and great very personal lyrics written from the heart, with vocals offered by an original rocker returning to his first love with gusto, confidence, and talent. An Edgy CD that is destined to reside on your CD player for listen after listen if you respect true talent and love music.

I've had "The Edge of The World" for a couple of weeks now, and since I was anticipating it so much, I wanted to make sure that I gave it enough time to sink in so that I could write a fair review for it.

Well, everyone knows that Billy is a great actor and everyone knows what happens to most famous people who try to move into another area that their not already known for (they usually get slammed for it) , so I'm going to skip right through all of that and get on with what is really important here...THE MUSIC.

"Private Radio" was a very different move for an actor making a record. It had next to no radio appeal, no pop, and no commercialized videos with lush scenery to go along with the songs on CMT, but what it did have was an honesty and a realism that brought me back listen after compelling listen to the land of Waffle Houses, back porches, cotton fields and one night stands. THAT was an amazing record with more replay value than just about anything I've heard over the last five years. Truly remarkable.

Now, two years later, here we are at "The Edge Of The World". I wasn't qutie sure what to expect here, but I knew that this would be more rock oriented and there would be a loose story line. From the opening licks of "Emily" I knew that I was in for another treat. If all you know of Billy's singing is from "Private Radio" then this will blow you away. Frankly, it doesn't even sound like the same guy. On the last record everything was low and Cohenish, here he sings out and loud, backed by Michael Shipp's awesome guitar playing and a mighty fine band.

When "Emily" gives away to "Everybody Lies", you won't be surprised if Billy has a bonafide hit on his hands here. This is everything a great rock tune should be. It's just such a blast to listen to and the lyrics burn in deep. Now, with "Island Avenue", Billy had released this tune a couple of years back on a wildlife benefit cd called "Hollywood Goes Wild". It became one of my favorite songs and everyone I played it for loved it. Here, we're treated to a slightly different version which features back vocals by James Young and Tommy Shaw from Styx. Also, Michael Shipp's playing really shines through. It's another winner.

Now, I'm not going to go through all seventeen tracks here but I will say that with your first listen, by the time you have made it to the beautiful instrumental of "The Edge of The World" (reprise) you might agree that this is one of the most exciting and original albums of 2003 and see for yourself that Billy is indeed, the real deal. This is music about life, in a language that we can all identify with and understand.

Thank you Billy Bob!!! See you on Tour

This was very different from Private Radio - not better or worse - just different. And equally amazing. Billy Bob Thornton is one of the most talented musicians out there today. People have criticized this album because it is so different from Private Radio. But I think that is why it should be praised. I respect the few artists who don't keep releasing the same stuff in different wrapping. Artists should constantly try new things. And people who can't handle that should to go back to reviewing their Top 40 repetitive mediocrities.

A gem! Truly a gem! Billy Bob is the most vivid lyricist to come along in a long time. He deftly tackles the haunting questions that torment us in the night. This is music you can sit back and inhale.

And I thought PRIVATE RADIO couldn't be beaten.

To be true, this album isn't as steeped in despair as Thornton's first was. And when the openening licks of the (almost) commercialized "Emily" met my ears, followed by the (almost) commercialized "Everybody Lies", I wondered if Marty Stuart's absence (though not total; he does produce two tracks and co-wrote one) had made Thornton into nothing more than a country-music-star wannabe.

Then I got further into the album. "Island Avenue," the superb "The Desperate One," and "Everybody's Talking" brought back that old feeling, while adding something new and exciting: SOUND. No, they weren't all stoned when they made this CD (listening to PRIVATE RADIO, one gets that idea) but they were at their best, with or without narcotics. (I don't mean to say that drugs make you a better musician; I wouldn't know, don't care to find out, and don't advocate that others find out; let's just move on to avoid further awkwardness.)

This CD is a masterpiece. The title track is no despairing, you wonder just what the heck Thornton was thinking (and yet, there's an ironic "I'll-get-you-back" twist to it that makes you have to smile). "Pieces of a Man" follows that despair-ridden tone. "Savior" offers a bit of optimism (so does the previously-mentioned "Emily"), and "To The End of Time" closes out the album (not counting the unnecessary hidden [17th] track) with a positive attitude. And "Do God Wop", a remix of "God", asks some questions of the Good Lord that'll get you laughing our buttocks (yes, I avoided saying something else) off, and yet at the same time nodding your head at how much sense it makes; great do-wop backing vocals, by the way.

That's not all the songs; the rest are pretty good, too. And yes, there's a lot of downers here; hey, this guy's been through a lot, after all. Thornton wrote or co-wrote all but three of these songs; you could say this is, if not his life, then a period of it. The greatest surprises come in 1) the instrumental "The Edge of the World reprise" (Thornton on drums) and 2) the three-minute instrumental intro to "Do God Wop" (again, Thornton on drums). Shows a nice range of musicianship.

Critics will despise this album. It is certain to garner bad reviews. Thornton is known for his acting; whenever someone tries to carve out another career, they get hammered for it. But ignore what the critics say; go with the people who actually LISTEN to the music. Billy Bob Thornton isn't exactly country; he isn't exactly rock. He's stuck somewhere in between...and that's what makes THE EDGE OF THE WORLD so delictable.

Billy Bob Thornton's new album, The Edge of the World, is a work of genius, and I don't say that lightly. It is a soul-searching autobiography that uses music and lyrics to tell the story of relationships, the death of a best friend, and the loss of one's true love. I know each one of those three areas (relationships, death, true love) has been covered by poets, authors, and musicians since the invention of language, BUT what makes this time different is the bloody honesty of them.

Billy Bob includes very short liner notes, a sentence or two, as an introduction to each song. They're sort of a where-when-why thing. That brief narrative grounds those songs deep into the heart. They're no longer melodies and words; they've become passages in the journey of his life, my life, and your life.

Billy Bob Thornton is a master musician. This will be one of my favorite albums for a long, long time.

Well, after listening to Billy Bob's previous CD, Private Radio (released 2001), this was quite a change.
I like Private Radio from the very first cut, and found the whole recording to be one I could listen to over and over again.
Perhaps it was the bare bones (but quite extremely fitting) arrangements and more intimate, introspective atmosphere of Private Radio that I half expected here.
Well, dispite (or maybe because of) the more elaborate production and overall polish of 2003's The Edge of the World, I just don't feel that Billy Bob was quite as comfortable and relaxed this time around. While I didn't notice the "ascend to pitch and descending last note" vocals in Private Radio, they're quite apparent here, particularly in the title cut (melody of which is reprised in "God").
Other observations:

Please tell me that's not a drum machine in the opening measures of "Fast Hearts."

A horn section at the intro and throughout "Everybody Lies"? Yes, it's a horn section. A HORN SECTION. Lord, step aside, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Billy Bob's comin' to Vegas.

Billy's band discovers acid for the lengthy opening of "Do God Wop," and passes the bong for the equally lengthy (and utterly pointless) spoken narrative/outro.

Either Billy Bob borrowed Cher's pitch correction software after she was finished using it for "Believe," or somebody has done something damn funky with Pro Tools digital editing, because held notes seem a bit too unnatural. (Note: for those who have no idea what pitch correction is, let me sum up my feelings on the matter: better for a human voice to be natural [albeit a few cents flat or sharp] that to sound like a robot [a la "Believe"]).

A sitar on "Edge of the World (Reprise)"? Billy Bob, come on, man!

Oh, I see: repeating the vocal melody throughout the album is artistic. Gotcha. Now I understand. Goes along with the "Part II" and "Reprise" thing. Right.

The studio musicians are most definately LA studio musicians. Oh, yeah. LA studio musicians.

Oh, yes, that IS pitch correction! Check out "Island Avenue": not only disgustingly obvious enough initially, but intentionally used for robotic effect on the words "In a monotone".

But, there are a few good points, folks: "The Desperate One" is a well-produced tune, without being overbearing. Harmonies are top-notch; Joe Walsh does some fine guitar work on "Pieces of a Man"; and "Midnight Train" and "To the End of Time/Edge of the World, Part II," without the way-overused pitch correction (though it's still there, for cryin' out loud), overproduction, horn sections and sitars, comes closest to conveying Billy Bob's voice and soul.

Yes, I was always told, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," but when you take a blessedly unpolished, soulful songwriter/vocalist like Billy Bob Thornton, add musicians who know that this is a voice meant for acoustic guitars and maybe a little B-3 organ, keep the arrangements tastefully performed and musically supportive of such a voice, and allow the music and vocals to come forth naturally -- raw, unprocessed, and natural, ie: MUSICAL -- you end up with with darn good music that's a pleasure to listen to over and over again.

I truly hope Billy Bob Thornton keeps making albums. But, a return to the realness, the unpretentiousness, the unpolished would be a most welcome thing, indeed.
Drop the LA guys, the digital pitch correction and the horn sections, Billy Bob. Damn, son, a guitar, bass, drums and organ is what your voice and lyrics cry for. Get back to the real, the gritty, the passionate, the painful reality.
And leave the overproduction and pitch-correcting annoyances to Cher.

I know this has come off rough, but honesty ain't always pretty. And if I didn't appreciate Billy Bob's work as deeply as I do, well, I guess I'd just hold my tongue. It's because I admire his work so much that I can say that, in my humble struggling musician's opinion, he can do a heck of a lot better than The Edge of the World. Want proof? Listen to Private Radio. Then try to tell me that ain't real.

If you are looking for music then let Ol' Billy Bob alone. His voice is off key more than on key and his back-up band is primative at best. Also, the sound/recording quality is lacking which will prove to your ears that Billy Bob's home studio needs a little professional help. Did I tell you about BBT's song writing skill? There is none! BBT's albums are fair comic recordings but music, it is not there. CAUTION: Play the samples before you buy so you will know what to expect. Like I said, his movies are great but don't let him sing.

Buying a Billy Bob CD is rolling the dice as to if anything on it will be worth listening to more than once. Now I am using the last two CD's I just got for coasters.

I wish someone had warned me.