Customer Reviews

Giving Up the Ghost

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is, by far, Jackie's most accomplished and stunning release to date. The pairing of musicians with Producer Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), shows a maturity and purposeful direction I have not heard on his other releases. There's a wonderful honesty in Jackie's lyrics, and his vocals can go from sweet and low down to raw in your face rock. I highly recommend this release to all as you'll want to jump on this wagon now.......you're watching the next bright star about to shine through.

Jackie Greene has produced an outstanding CD in Giving Up the Ghost. The styles range from bluesy rock to ballads. Some songs, such as Shaken, are somber and mournful, while others, such as Don't Let the Devil Take Your Mind, are full of catchy hooks that won't let go. The songwriting is superb, while Greene's mellow, but strong baritone is one of the best to come along in a while. Greene has been compared to Bob Dylan, but I think this is only partially fair. While this may be true from a songwriting standpoint, I think that Greene has a much better voice. He never slips into the unintelligible, purely nasal delivery for which Dylan is famous. Greene also does a good job of giving a variety of emotion to his 12 tracks to keep them from all sounding the same - whether it is the earnestness of Prayer for Spanish Harlem to the playful, upbeat delivery on Like a Ball and Chain. Finally there is enough variety in the instrumentation of these twelve songs to keep things fresh. Whether you like organ and vibes or trumpets and saxophones, you will find something layered on top of the traditional guitars, bass, and drums. Jackie Greene might be relatively unknown now, but don't expect this to continue until his next CD.

Download this: Don't Let the Devil Take Your Mind

Just caught Jackie Greene a few months ago when he played with Phil Lesh and was so utterly amazed by him! This album has to be his best yet! Starting with Shaken and rolling all the way to Ghosts of Promised Lands, every track is awesome! Play it right through cause you won't want to miss a beat!

Way back in 2002, I stumbled into a recording studio in Sacramento and accidentally caught a very young musician recording an incredible folk/blues song. I left the room that day wondering who on earth it was that I had just heard. It wasn't until a month or two later that I discovered that the young man's name was Jackie Greene and the song was called "By the Side of the Road, Dressed to Kill". From that moment on, I was a huge fan of his, attending his various Sacramento gigs and watching him grow with each album.

"Giving up the Ghost" is is his first album after leaving his old stomping grounds of Sacramento and it shows. This album is bigger, fuller and more polished than his previous releases. Long time Greeneheads might have a hard time reconciling the new sound at first, but it's well worth it. The new album is really brilliant. I have never written a review of an album before, but this one inspired me. By all means, buy it. This is an up-and-coming young star.

Before Amazon Vine posted an offering of the GIVING UP THE GHOST CD for review, I'd never heard of Jackie Greene. I listened to clips of the songs online, however, and liked what I heard, so I ordered it.

I ripped the CD to my PC and downloaded the tracks to my iPod as soon as I received it, listening to nothing but Jackie Greene for days after it arrived. Guess what? I never grew tired of it. This album kept my attention, had my swaying in my seat, on my feet, wherever I happened to be listening to it.

The bluesy sound of the lyrics and the instrumentation kept me in a soulful mood, which I quite enjoyed. The songs are thoughtful, meaningful, and full of real emotion. In a day when many of the Top 40 hits are full of trite lyrics about sex or broken hearts, Jackie Greene gives us something a little bit more.

Is this a Top 40 album? Probably not. But this artist could definitely be on his way there, I think. Whether it lands a spot on the hit lists or not, it is an album that will stand the test of time, with songs that will remain pertinent for years to come.

There is not a single song on this album that I didn't enjoy, but I have two favorites: `I Don't Live In A Dream' and `Don't Let the Devil Take Your Mind'. I will be picking up some of Jackie Greene's other CDs very soon.

This album has wonderful vocals and blends together several music traditions. For me this is just good "hanging" music for an evening on the deck or to just tune out the noise at work.

It not a slick over-worked until its bland album. It has genuine tones and rhythms that make it easy listen to.

I'm far from a music critic but I know what I like and this album I do like.

I'd never heard of Jackie Greene before "Giving", so this is my first outing with his sound. Apparently though he's been around for a while & it really surprises me with his vocal talent & sound that he doesn,t have a more mainstream recognition, as he deserves it. "Giving Up The Ghost" is by far one of the best contemporary rock albums I've heard in a very long time. Greene's voice is easy on the ears & the music only compliments that. Not to sound corny, but the Lyrics kinda speak to your soul, almost as if the music was made just for you (I know that sounded lame, but it's true). You can hear various influences throughout the entire album from Country on tracks such as "Like A Ball & Chain" & "Uphill Mountain" to the Blues on "I Don't Live In A Dream" & "Don't Let The Devil Take Your Mind" & the soft almost lulliby of "Prayer For Spanish Harlem". To put it bluntly, this is Adult Alternative done right. With the first track "Shaken" being the albums first single (& my personal favorite on the album) expect this album to blast off & pull Jackie Greene into the mainstream where he so very obviously belongs after listening to this album. Buy this album, & you will not be dissapointed!!! It's a real treasure of an album that should be heard by all.

As a musician myself, I couldn't help feeling jealousy when listening to this excellent album, but at the same time, my admiration and enjoyment were so great, I was never caught up in my jealous.

Jackie Greene comes off as something of a more "modern" John Mellencamp. That is not, however, meant to be a knock against either him or Mellencamp. He may not have the years and wisdom of John, but he has an interesting edge and freshness that I feel John has lacked in most of his attempts at pop.

They are similar, and I would find it hard to believe Jackie was not a fan of John's, and Dylan's as well, but Jackie does come into his own, and I hope he comes further into his own.

The instrumentation is incredible. We have Jackie performing the songs and arranging them, with producer, and an excellent list of players turn up on the tracks. Everything from the strings to the electric bass stands out, but nothing overwhelms the core root of these songs, most of them simple (by choice, I think, to facilitate the often complex, and awesome, arrangements, but not overbearing by any means; we are not reminded of any kind of 1970s wall of sound business here).

This album is really a triumph in many ways, a triumph of songwriting (which I think will only get better) and performance mixed with great production, arrangement and instrumentation. A far cry from the American Idol pop garbage we're accustomed to, this is a new way to make music, which hearkens back to the old ways.

Please do buy this. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.

Edit: But in looking at other reviews, I see some people are apparently disappointed. I suppose that just shows the value of reading alternate critiques. I do stand by my review. I found this album refreshing in many ways.

I never heard of Jackie Greene before getting Giving Up the Ghost and I had no idea of the quality to expect. I have listened to the CD many times and am happy to say that my opinion of Greene increases with every listening. He has a raw style that is also mellow and introspective. When comparing him to better known male musicians, thoughts of Bob Dylan, Steve Miller, and John Lennon all come to my mind. In addition, because of the use of analogies and metaphors in the lyrics, many times I felt I was listening to a male version of Sheryl Crow. Despite these comparisons, the complete Greene package is something quite unique and creative. Equally great in Giving Up the Ghost are the wonderful musicians that accompanied him. Greene is definitley a world class artist who I hope will have much success.

This is my introduction to Jackie Greene, and I have been impressed and happy with the cd. The songs are eclectic and have variations that make the cd more enjoyable than if the songs seemed repetitive. I am tempted to make comparisons between Greene and successful musician songwriters but I think that would overlook his unique sound and voice. This is also one of the few cd's on which all of the new songs are excellent and worthy of downloading.

Author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays