Customer Reviews

Guest Host

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

 

 

Ok, It's a 2000 release, but it's the best album I bought in 2001.

It was one of those Cds I just took a chance on... I liked the cover, the blurbs,the songs titles, etc. and just went ahead and bought it. I wound up with a cd that instantly entered my all-time top 20 list. The first track "Cavity" gives you a good idea what this album is all about-- killer melody, intelligent lyrics, passionate singing, interesting arrangements. Some songs may be difficult to decipher---they tend to be loaded with insider-references to everything from the music biz to the Bible--- but even if you aren't into unraveling all the lyrics, you'll still be able to enjoy the tunes. Stew sounds like a hybrid of Van Morrison and Harry Nilsson with Elvis Costello-esque lyrics and a penchant for Brain Wilson-like arrangements. Now, how can that be bad? Ultimately though, Stew is a true original, and thoughtful listeners should really enjoy his odd ruminations on love, innuendo-laced turns-of-phrase, LA-music-scene-name-dropping (playing checkers/with a roadie from Save Ferris) and sometimes heartbreakingly honest delivery.

What if one musical mastermind listened to and digested every blip of music that emerged from America in the last half century and made an album that succesfully blended everything from Fleetwood Mac to Motown to The Beach Boys? Well, "Guest Host" would be a pretty good guess. It's the rare record that is obviously referential and reverent, but never come across as derivative or "clever". Many bands have tried and failed to make this type of album. Stew has suceeded wildly. A landmark album.

I use the word deliberately, because Stew's work , while absolutely unique, recalls no one as much as the great Arthur Lee and Love, circa "Forever Changes." Evocative lyrics that demand repeated listening, wedded to memorable pop melodies and harmonies. Soulful and original and definitely fresh, they aren't making too many records like "Guest Host" anymore. That's becuse Stew is an artist who sounds like no one but himself, and yet brings to mind a heyday of songwriting now all but forgotten.

Mark "Stew" Stewart will probably draw in a new fan base with his first solo album. The tracks form an intoxicating brew that connects with the last few decades of LA pop, an earnest broth that adds a bit of Arthur Lee's Love to Burt Bacharach and everything in between. This is catchy stuff, but the emphasis is on the lyrics and Stew's soulful and intoxicating voice. The LA name-dropping won't mean anything to folks outside of the Smog Belt (including references to Echo Park and LA Weekly music scribes who only seem to like obscure bands), but songs like "Rehab" and "She's Really Daddy Feelgood" are urban and urbane cuts that will appeal to anybody who likes 60's influenced pop.

I just received Stew's "Guest Host" as a gift and I am amazed. Elegantly simple,engaging songwriting at its best. Stew resides permanently in my cd changer.

Don't know about the "Stew Rocks My World" one star review. My guess is the guy's either mentally unbalanced or dislikes good music. Regardless, "Guest Host" is Stew's debut solo CD and has amazing, wonderful moments. He's truly one of the best songwriters around today.