The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Team Love
• ASIN: B0012IWHKK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,402 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Felice Brothers' self-titled American debut is a collection of songs originally recorded to sell to make ends meet on the streets of New York. The band made these "field recordings" wherever they could: an abandoned cafeteria, a broken down school bus, a chicken coop, a derailed train, and under a bridge. In these tales of murder, pathos, lust, and love, you'll find an honest new brand of American storytelling and song. "Scruffy and scratched Americana that recalls Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and early Springsteen" - Time Out London. "The Felice Brothers' Catskills folk is rough around the edges and intoxicating. Ryan Adams, eat your heart out" - Metroland / Best Of 2007. "Backwoods Americana is all the rage, but this band of brothers is a cut above the rest" - The Sun UK (4 stars).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy the damn CD and go see them live!, March 9, 2008

By 

Ex Lion Tamer (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Felice Brothers (Audio CD)

These guys opened for the Drive-By Truckers at a recent concert. I had never heard of them but stood there, dumbfounded, as they made their way through an amazing set. I have been to many, many shows (I'm 50), and that set was by far one of the best I have ever seen. I bought their CDs immediately.

It's hard to describe their music: "roots" and "folk" seems so overused and meaningless, as does "Americana." And those terms really don't capture their sound anyway.

I'll characterize it as post-punk organic mountain/folk music and hope that doesn't scare you off. And ignore the "it sounds like Bob Dylan to me" comments. That's really lazy and superficial. They do to "folk" music what Hank did to country music.

Beautiful music with mostly painful and bleak lyrics. You need to listen.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ageless Americana that is also original and fresh., July 7, 2008

By 

James Harrison (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Felice Brothers (Audio CD)

On initial listening my thoughts were that these guys sounded like a mixture of The Band and Wilco but that is unfair. Certainly there are references to these great bands and Dylan, Neil Young and Randy Newman but only references not copying. Everyone is influenced by something and you might as well use the best.

This is original and fresh music in the Americana vain(for want of a better description). Thankfully the producer has allowed the band's playing to remain fresh and he has not overproduced this collection of great music that sounds live with strong accordian and keyboard playing that floats about the room as I listen to this wonderfull collage of sound.

I hope these guys can keep up this standard, if they can they will be a great musical force.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREATNESS, March 10, 2008

By 

J. L. Todd (md) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Felice Brothers (Audio CD)

This band is great. And this CD is great. Though it is true there are many great band/albums, it is also true about the Felice Brothers. As good as the CD is, the live shows are even better. This is perhaps becuase the band takes their simple and heartfelt approach to their music and turn the dials up to eleven in their live shows. I watched the band live once, and plan to see them again next month. They opened for a favorite band of mine, and I indeed thought their performance was better. I had never heard of them at the time, and was surely awestruck at their energy and variety. The lyrics are deep and thoughtful, and one can't help but get drawn into the songs. What's especially nice is the fact that three of the brothers sing on the CD which gives the album a varied taste and style---from folksy tunes, to country, blues, and even some new orleans-styled instrumentation.

As musicians they are probably at best average which is true of their their vocal technique...but that merely enhances the appeal of the tunes' subject matter/mood. The paradox is that while listening to this album or "Tonight at the Arizona" you get a genuine sense of their authenticity, it doesn't quite fill any particular template of musicianship. Here you have brothers working together in a unique sibling partnership, taking their personal experiences in rural America, and shaping it into their music. Though many artists in a folk/Americana label sometimes seem like they are artificial or assuming their qualities for the sake of the genre or selling records, in the Felice Brothers' case, I get the opposite sensation--this is for real. They give you THEIR music---popular opinion be damned!

None of their tunes get old. And each song is different. Though it appears through their lyrics that they sometimes, to a small extent, repeat content/themes (such as a predisposition with guns), it works out just fine. I recommend this album highly becuase it doesn't get old...none of their stuff does. Listening to this music you get a sense of each band members' personality, and this is hard to come by in today's world of over-produced music in EVERY genre. This band manages to be laid-back and not over-complicated yet they jump out at you and sometimes startle you with their songcraft.

I look forward again to seeing this band live, as anyone should do given the chance. This music is thoroughly a delight---a rare find these days.