Customer Reviews

Gentleman'S Blues

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent cd, except for one detail. You can find the last "extra track" also on Kerosene Hat. If you let the cd to continue to play, this will be song nomber 89. There is no need to buy the import, as long as you own the other cd.

You sure don't get cheated when you buy a Cracker album. Their 4th studio release features 17 songs and more than 73 minutes of music. And while more is not necessarily better, it is safe to say that any album that gives you 60 great minutes of music has to be forgiven the quarter hour of overkill. Cracker's music takes on many personallities, with three distinct styles vying for control on each album. There is good old fashioned alternative guitar rock; pop with a bit of an edge, mostly written by frontman Dave Lowery. Guitarist Hickman contributes a number of country/roots rock-flavored songs that sound nothing at all like Lowery's songs. It's like listening to two different albums, especially confusing because the order of the songs is usually Lowery, Hickman, Lowery, Hickman. The 3rd style is the one that sets Cracker apart from the pack of 90's guitar rockers. On each album, Lowery puts forth a couple of songs that are slow. I don't mean Celine Dion-type slow. I mean, ssslllooowww. These would be slow by slow blues standards, but they are extraordinary. On this album, the title track stands out. It is an intoxicating dirge that saps the life out of the listener, leaving you hypnotised and mesmerized and any other "ized" you can think of. These songs create an atmosphere that is so pervasive that you just want to stop and lie down and let it wash over you. Wonderful stuff.

Cracker's fourth album, "Gentlemen's Blues" is a marked improvement from their previous effort, even if it isn't quite on par with their first two records. The album contains the greatest diversity in sound the band had yet achieved and their Virginia roots shine through more than ever in their music (see: "James River" for details). Leader David Lowery has regained his deft sense of humor and longtime sideman Johnny Hickman comes up two of his best ever songs in "Wedding Day" and "Hold of Myself."

Other highlights from the album include the gorgeous "Lullabye," and the rocker "My Life is Totally Boring Without You" that is as close to a signature tune as Lowery can get. There's also some hidden material with a strong Blues bent, which is fitting of the whole album's more adventuresome style. It might be a tad overlong with a few bland songs, but it is nice to see Cracker back near the top of their game.

Overall, a mini-comeback album from Virginia's best known rock band.

I'm ashamed to say that Rolling Stone reviewed this album before I even knew it was out. In that review, this doorknob compared Gentleman's Blues to Camper Van B.'s work- I'm assuming based solely on the track "I Want Out of the Circus." As usual, the editorial staff there just doesn't know it's ass from it's elbow when it comes to giving meaningful and concise album reviews.

I must admit, I had my mouth all watery for a repeat of the magnum opus that is Golden Age (5 stars). Having followed the steady evolution of Cracker from it's debut release, I was a bit taken aback by Gentleman's Blues. Here I was expecting another trippy, off-the-wall collection of disparate tracks that blew my mind away from the first note of "Big Dipper," and what I got instead was a solid, cohesive body of songs that segue smoothly into one another... a kick in the ass to remind me that Cracker is a rock band, not some space-age cosmonaut always out to push the boundaries of sound. Maybe I've been listening to too much Massive Attack lately.

At any rate, Cracker's Johnny Hickman has just about perfected the vibrato-guitar sound on Gentleman's Blues, and slow-burners like "James River" show off how well Hickman and David Lowery have blended their unique styles. The band has developed a keener sense of the effectiveness of percussion in accenting both lyric and music, and though this album may sound stripped down to an untrained listener, further inspection reveals some very well thought-out, intricate songsmithing.

This is a good album. It's a plateau, not in the sense of peaking and being unable to push further, but rather a foothold that Cracker has made for themselves to become established as competent songwriters.

This album is terrific, but the best song on the CD is the hidden track called "Cinderella" with recording artist "LP", formerly of Lionfish singing vocals. Her voice is simply amazing! I can't wait for her solo album, due to be released sometime in early June, 2001.

Cracker was one of the first bands that really caught my attention during the alternative boom that took place while I was in high school. "Get Off This" was deservedly all over MTV and Kerosene Hat was in my opinion superior to their debut. Sadly I lost track of Cracker in the following years, in favor of newer sounds and other things. It was their album with Leftover Salmon that dragged me back to Cracker Soul, and when I listened to Kerosene Hat after all those years I was amazed at how well it held up. It wasn't simply a period piece to be pulled off the shelf every now and then, it was a living, breathing piece of rock n roll goodness that made just as much sense in my older years as it did when I was in high school.

So I made a point of setting out to correct the errors of the decade, seeking out the best of what I had missed. 1997's Gentleman's Blues was my first find, and it really is the Kerosene Hat of my adult years if that makes any sense. Kerosene Hat captured perfectly the anxieties of being young and stupid, allowing me to laugh at myself as I sang along to these remarkably absurd songs that somehow fit very logically into my life. Gentleman's Blues is the sound of the once young and stupid realizing that he (or she) is all grown up and facing responsibilities, relationships, and other adult traumas. The now-middle-aged David Lowry chooses to confront these concerns in a song cycle that is much more revealing than anything he had previously released, except perhaps Camper Van Beethoven's Key Lime Pie album.

The humor here is now shaded with a kind of cynicism, or even fear of success and what it brings. The sound itself is more subdued, with classic rock keyboards playing a more prominent role than they had previously. This down-to-Earth approach makes the album a steady source of comfort for someone like myself, who also has his issues and fears related to growing up, having a career and a serious relationship. I find myself singing along in the car as if these songs were written by me, for me. That is a rare thing.

One last note- it is interesting to see the reactions of critics and fans to this album. When it was released, the popularity of alt-guitar-pop bands was sadly waning. Many fans were either turned off by the previous album (The Golden Age- a mediocre effort) or found this one too far removed from the carefree Kerosene Hat. Critics generally praise the album but I haven't seen it turn up on any "best of" lists for the 1990s. Basically, this record is more likely now to turn up in used bins than anywhere. And that is a sad state of affairs. I urge you to buy it and really listen, make it your own. I can only hope that the next time a band this good comes along (and there are several of them out there now), they aren't neglected.

Okay, how many of us see that an album has 17 songs on it...over 60 minutes of music...and think to ourselves "Well, I hope half of it is good"? I mean, even a classic like the Beatles' White Album has a number of filler songs on it.

Well, folks, plop this baby in and be blown away. I was amazed during my first listen as song after song had my toe tapping and I mentally made a note that "that was a good song". The thing I like about these guys is that they seem to really be enjoying themselves, their songs are sprinkled with humor, and they ROCK.

I also agree with a number of other people who have reviewed this CD here at this site: Any information about the hidden last track would be appreciated. This song is fabulous. Only Cracker would make one of the best songs on the CD a hidden track. And just who is that singing? What a great voice!

Cracker's 4th studio album "Gentelman's Blues" #182 in 1998, is the album Cracker should of hit the big time with, but the music scene had changed dramaticaly and this album just got lost in the shuffle. (But i blame Virgin Records for not promoting it all). David Lowery and Johnny Hickman did a great job here as they produce some of there best sounds. Highlights: Everything. The All-Time best songs on the CD include: "The Good Life", "Seven Days", "Star", The bluish "James River", "My Life Is Totally Boring Without You",the razor blade commericial"The World Is Mine", "Been Around The World", the fun keys of "I Want Out Of The Circus" and the hidden track "Cinderella". The main band: David Lowery,Johnny Hickman,Bob Rupe and Frank Funaro.

I have all of Cracker's albums and this one has longevity and expert songwriting, along with an extra dose of talent at the end. It's not as radio friendly I suppose, but I like Cracker for their blues/country/alt influences as much as their tight pop tunes. I highly recommend purchasing Gentleman's Blues. Also, their more recent album Greenland is similar to Gentleman's Blues if you're curious. Long live Johnny and David!

For a Cracker fan (a Crumb), picking a favorite Cracker album is tough and often changes with the seasons; however, Gentleman's Blues has always ranked at the top for me. Since its release, I have loved it far more than the too often top picked by others, Kerosine Hat, which is too closely associated for me with Cracker's early sound. The band has absolutely matured musically, and Gentleman's Blues was the first album to demonstrate their more expressive sound. I love the bluesy folk feel and the mixture of vocals. If the only Cracker album you own is Kerosine Hat, you absolutely need to buy this one!