Customer Reviews

Green World

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had never heard of Dar Williams before a moment of words and music caught my attention in the background of a television show: "Once upon a time I had control / And reined my soul in tight." I tracked down the lyrics, from the song "After All," and ended up buying "The Green World." The song was a lyrical treasure, about the singer coming to terms with her family ("I am the daughter of a great romance / And they are the children of the war") and thereby unlocking her own life ("Well the sun rose with so many colors / It nearly broke my heart / And worked me over like a work of art . . ."). Not since I first heard Nanci Griffith singing "I Knew Love" have I listened to a new (to me, anyway) artist with such delight.

After listening to "After All" for about the hundredth time, I tried the rest of the album, and was pleasantly surprised that "After All" was not just a gem in a five-and-dime store. Dar Williams can write, and she can sing, and both with art and heart and depth and range. Even her slightly jaunty tunes ("What Do You Love More Than Love," "Another Mystery") glitter with wry lyrical twists. Her tribute "I Had No Right" introduced me to Father Daniel Berrigan, an antiwar activist in the Vietnam era, who coupled his protest with a deeply reflective personal literature about social conscience ("First it was question, then it was a mission / How to be American, how to be a Christian") that I have just begun exploring.

I have become a fan overnight. I look forward to getting to know the rest of Dar Williams's music.

Dar Williams is a very talented singer, song writer and performer. Her live performances hold a special place in my life, partially because they were wonderful, memorable shows, but more-so because my wife conceived shortly after each show. I guess when we're done expanding the family we'll have to miss Dar's shows!

This album opens with a military snare drum rhythm and a blast of synthesized trumpets which serve notice that this is a new sound for Dar. Indeed, the album has a thickly layered sound where the producer seems hell bent on filling the spaces that used to punctuate Dar's recordings. I'm not a folk purist who objects to production out of hand. Indeed, I find the skillful juxtaposition of non-traditional sounds enhance an album, as Mitchell Froom's productions of Suzanne Vega and Ron Sexsmith do. But here Stewart Lerman glosses over the subtlety of Dar's songs and diverts the listener's attention away from their strengths rather than highlighting them.

So does this ruin the album? No. It just makes the listener work harder to delve beneath the sonic layers to appreciate the fine material. In fact, this is state of the art production. Unfortunately, the current trend is to compress all the dynamics of a song and force the singer to compensate by over emoting. And while this works for demonstrative singers like Jewel, singers with subtler gifts get lost in the shuffle. So this album will do little to distinguish Dar Williams from scads of singer/song-writers trying to break into the limelight. And that's the tragedy here, since Dar is a rare talent who deserves to rise above the pack.

Some recording artists need this sort of production to hide second rate material. But Dar Williams is a gifted story teller with an ear for strong melodies. The relentless layers of sound smother the subtleties of her writing and performance so instead of an outstanding album, we get merely a good one.

So I first heard about Ms. Williams from the press for her "End of the Summer" CD. While I can't claim to be an ardent fan, I do recommend seeing her in concert. Her latest CD actually has some songs she's been playing for the last year or so, i.e. Cry Cry Cry and solo. So I've been waiting for this release with some anticipation. It does not disappoint. I am reminded of Suzanne Vega's first two albums, when I think about how Dar Williams' music has evolved since her last CD. Purists might disagree, but I think the additional background instruments add a texture to her songs they previously lacked. Her lyrics here are as well crafted as those by Cheryl Wheeler. My personal favorite is the sentimental "After All." In all, I am very happy with this latest CD, and I look forward to hearing her on tour.

Addendum: I just saw her in concert, and I must admit to being somewhat disappointed. If you've heard the CD tracks, the live performances don't add much. Lost in all the flash and reverb were the elocution and inflection I have come to appreciate in Ms. Williams' songs. I found her acoustic renditions the most moving, and I hope she returns to this format. Soon.

Ever since I discovered Dar, I have been eager to explore each of her terrific albums for her extremely witty and intelligent lyrics, her beautiful melodies and so on. Although I had high hopes for End of Summer, I must admit that I was disappointed in (yet still enjoyed) that CD, feeling it wasn't up to the Honesty Room or, in my opinion, Dar's masterpiece Mortal City. Well, I lost touch for a bit and didn't even know Dar had a new CD coming until I saw this one. And with slightly lowered expectations, I must say that this album simply blew me away - it is absolutely fantastic. Within a few weeks - and a few thousand repetitions - I feel this CD is right up there with Mortal City.

Dar is a totally unique musician - while other songwriters use great lyrics, there's something poetic in Dar's use of language that I've never heard anywhere else. And her music is strong enough to support and showcase these wonderful stories. A lot of this album feels very personal - most notably 'After All' but there's still a lot of whimsy within it. From the first few bars of 'Playing to the Firmament,' I was totally drawn in, and was struck by the end of 'Another Mystery' by how many different sounding songs were included in this one seamless album.

I feel that Dar's Yoko Ono song is a perfect example of her uniqueness - sure, there's another song or two about Yoko out there, but Dar turns this one around and makes it her own, wondering from the start whether Yoko should have 'stayed solo' and not let John Lennon interfere with her own career, a little twist that's very Dar. And I'm sure I could not have tolerated from any other singer a line such as 'challening the warring nations with her paper installations...' I never get tired of Dar's fantabulous style, originality, terrific lyrics, wonderful music - I highly recommend this to any Dar fan, old or new, or to anyone who simply likes good music. You won't be disappointed, and you won't want to turn it off!

Unfortunately this CD continues the path Dar took in End of Summer - less of the distinctive character point of views and humor that made Honesty Room and Mortal City so original and fun.

Even End of Summer had "Party Generation" which presented the point of view of an aging party animal and the clever yet soaring "What Do You Hear In These Sounds."

And those are just shadows of amazing songs like "Flinty Kind of Woman", "The Babysitter's Here," "The Pointless, Yet Poignant Crisis Of A Co-Ed" and "The Christians and the Pagans."

And I don't get all this blather from critics about how she's now more "pop-leaning" and less folky. Does anything rock out more exquisitely than "As Cool As I Am," which is from one of the two "more folky" releases? If anything, Green World is slower, more folky, more self-consciously singer-songwriter-poetic and humorless than anything she's done yet.

Nevertheless, the last song on Greenworld, "Another Mystery" is up to Dar's songwriting genius standards and makes it all worth it.

And I appreciated "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono," which I hope is a reply to the fatuous Barenaked Ladies' "You Can Be My Yoko Ono."

As a fan of Dar, nothing would preclude me from rushing out and getting her new release as soon as humanly possible. But End of the Summer was a little disappointing for me. I can honestly say -- not only as a fan of Dar, but as a fan of music -- that The Green World is fresh, affirming, and one of the best musical purchases I've made in a long time. It's a little bit difficult to process Dar's lovely voice under the layers of production, but generally I think the production works well and only adds to the songs. The only low point on this album for me is "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono," but there are so many good songs that it doesn't matter. This is a five-star album. If you're interested in Dar Williams and want to hear what she's done lately, The Green World is a good place to start.

I recently decided to re-write a couple of my first Amazon.com reviews because at the time, I was more brief and general with my reviews than I am now. One of the first albums I reviewed at Amazon was Dar Williams' "The Green World". I am by far not a big folk music fan but one day I was at my local record store and decided to listen to this album on one of the listening booths. I didn't know who Dar Williams was at the time but I was curious to hear what she had to offer musically. I absolutely loved what I heard the second I heard the opening seconds to "Playing to the Firmament". It definitely wasn't your typical folk song. The song wasn't just an acoustic guitar. There were electric guitars, bass, and drums. The melodies was irresistable, and Dar's vocals quickly captivated me. Then I heard "And a God Descended", that is what really convinced me to buy "The Green World" (and what made me a Dar Williams fan for life). What really took my breath away was the beautiful ballad "After All". Now that song really made (and still does) me want to weep. The sorrow and poignant lyrics were unbelievable. Not many songs nowadays gives me the chills as does "After All". I absolutely love the silliness of "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono", Dar's response to the Barenaked Ladies' "Yoko Ono". My other deeply personal favorite track on this stunning album is "I Had No Right", a tale of a Vietnam War' veteran. That song alone reminds me of folk music's earlier roots that delved into socio-political issues like war. The more I think about it, that song is appropriate at a time when war is possible. I haven't listened to "The Green World" in ages but now that I am, I am quickly reminded why I love this album to pieces. It is a stunning collection of quirky yet somber folk/rock songs. I look forward to Dar's new album early next year. Until then I will be playing this album relentlessly.

Although "The Green World" has been touted as a major departure from Dar's previous sound, I found that it fits right in with all of her other albums, i.e., it contains a few breathtaking classics, a few perky hummable tunes, and a couple of totally forgettable songs. Of course, everyone's taste is different, but I find that most of us "hard-core" Dar fans gravitate either to her humorous tunes or her spare acoustic melodies that highlight her ethereal voice. "Green World" doesn't disappoint on either count, although the ratio of humor to earnestness seems to be dropping. "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono" fits neatly into the first category, and "After All" and "It Happens Every Day" are heartfelt and moving. Another beauty of a song is "I Had No Right," in which Dar tackles sensitive political issues, a subject that's never scared her off. Dar's music has always defied being pigeonholed, and "The Green World" is no exception. I strongly recommend a listen (or several) to this or any of her other CDs. Also, she's great in concert. Just to be able to listen to her hilarious, self-deprecating, stream-of-consciousness ramblings between songs is well worth the price of admission!

Yes, Dar Williams is a female singer/songwriter. Yes, her voice occasionally recalls similar artists such as Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and Emily Saliers. Yes, she would fit right in at Lillith Fair. But make no mistake: Dar Williams is her own woman-with-a-guitar. She is Ani DiFranco without the attitude, Sarah McLachlan with a social agenda, and Joni Mitchell with a sense of humor. And what this all adds up to is a very talented, very likeable performer. It is therefore rather unsurprising that Dar Williams' new album, "The Green World" is a very likeable album. It is not particularly challenging, adventurous, or ground-breaking, but it is something everyone can appreciate: a poetic, intelligent pop album. Long-time fans may be initially turned off by the lack of solo tracks, a band-friendly trend that Dar has displayed over the course of her last several albums. (For anyone who wasn't paying attention to her last release, "The Green World" is a blaring announcement that the high priestess of folk has voluntarily abdicated her throne.) Songs like the leadoff track, "Playing to the Firmament", only hint at folk; the production and instrumentation fall much more in the modern alterna-rock arena. "I Won't be Your Yoko Ono" is straight-ahead, contemporary pop; but with lines like "You don't know a person like me, I could sell your songs to Nike" it's wonderfully apparent that this is classic Dar. "After All" and "It Happens Everyday" showcase her gorgeous gift for melody, while the country-influenced "Another Mystery" and "What Do You Love More Than Love" are lighthearted and catchy. And the album's centerpiece, "We Learned from the Sea", sets her profound lyrics and fragile voice to a fingerpicked guitar and a haunting string arrangement. What is so refreshing about Dar Williams is that her music is emotional, poetic and enjoyable all at the same time. In an age when most artists are either melodramatic in their angst or obnoxiously tongue-in-cheek, Dar Williams is a breath of fresh air.

Dar Williams's previous effort, End Of The Summer, hinted at a movement from simple guitar-and-vocal folk to a more produced musical conglomeration. The Green World continues down this path, and it might arguably go a bit too far. Fans of Dar's early works might be let down by the more mainstream sound this offers.

What really struck me about this CD, however, was how much it grew on me with repeated listening. Dar's music tends to require repeated listenings before you really "get" what she's trying to put forth. But this time, not only did I "get" the meaning behind the songs more, but I found I liked them much more once their complex rhythms carved their grooves into my head.

Bottom line? First-time Dar listeners would be better off starting with one of her earlier offerings. But after you've gone through them, you certainly won't want to miss this one -- just don't dismiss it after the first listening.