Customer Reviews

Haughty Melodic

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

 

 

Always a genius with a line of poetry,
Doughty really seems naked and open-hearted on this album.
From the touching 'Unsingable Name' to the pain of 'White Lexus,' this album really shows me a Doughty that is far less cynical, far more spiritual, in a genuine sense.

Doughty uses a more conventional sounding A&R than Soul Coughing, and the sound is more fully realized instrumentally than his small rock period. Really, this band rocks in the conventional sense of the term. I can't think of a single track on the album that even hints of the avant garde. And that's ok.

Despite the more conventional sound, Doughty takes more chances with his audience on this album. If you listen to Rockity Roll and Skittish, you can hear an evolution in his sensibilities as a writer. Gone is the need to protect himself with entirely oblique lyrical content. He still is clever, still a master wordsmith, but seems less inclined to make you parse and re-parse lines for the sake of meaning. There is still enough to discuss here, but the lyrics are rainwater clear.

Really, I think he trusts us not to turn on him with the truth like a cudgel. And the full monty works for him. He says that the days of uncool decathecting are gone. It shows. He may be looking at the world from the bottom of a well, but he is writing from the synoptic heights.

The band is wonderful, the coloration and arraingment very good, in places even sublime. I hope that he and Dave Matthews continue working together. Both of them will profit from each other's strengths.

This one really sneaked up on me. I'd heard Mike Doughty at an outdoor music fest last summer, and while he was good, I didn't give him my full attention like I did some of the other acts. Then "Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well" really caught my ear, thanks to frequent airplay on XPN-FM in Philly. Then I heard "Busting Up a Starbucks", and this guy, with his husky vocal style and ironic lyrics, got me hooked. Previously, I'd heard some Soul Coughing tracks that I liked, and the cumulative effect of these songs from his ouevre made me a sudden fan. This is a fine album with not a bad track to be found. Doughty's signature percussive style is evident throughout, and the lyrics are something to be savored, too. (Although I keep thinking of an eventual "double irony", if certain songs here end up one day in a Starbucks or Lexus commerical.) Suffice to say, if I'd heard this CD when it first came out, it probably would've made my Amazon Top 20 list for 2005.

This is the perfect introduction to Micheal Doughty's quirky, catchy and unique style. He was on the cutting edge as the leader of Soul Coughing for years, and now has gone off on his own to create a more mainstream but no less satisfying album. The songs are uniqe and have a great replay value. If you like this, try Soul Coughing's first album, Ruby Vroom. It is different than Houghty in that it's more bass and drums and wierd sound effects, but still good. Every song on this CD and on Ruby Vroom is great.

I found a few demo's and bootlegs of most of the tracks on this album elsewhere before purchasing this CD. I was a little disappointed when I popped this commercial release in my player.

In a word, it's too "slick". The strongest points of Doughty's stuff are 1st, his voice, and 2nd, his lyrics. The musical portion of his songwriting is still a little amateur or one-dimensional at times (the other members of SoulCoughing provided a lot, for that) as too many songs "sound alike".

Sony probably wanted to "pad" the mixes to sell 'em more easily for commercial radio, etc. The problem is, that takes away from Doughty's voice and simple guitar, it doesn't necessarily improve things.

If you're a SC or Doughty fan, go ahead and buy this. I wasn't disappointed, overall. It's still Doughty, and we love 'im! However, you might also scrounge-up the demo's too. Case in point: "...Bottom of a Well". The demo uses a drum machine rhythm track, which while simple, is unobtrusive, and you quickly stop noticing it and focus instead on Doughty's voice. The commercial, slicked-up version on Haughty Melodic buries his voice in layers of studio work.

In fact, nearly every song on this album has been worked-over this way. Some may appreciate the additional padding; I didn't.

Though I personally really like this album, I'm going to have to make the disclaimer that anyone who hasn't been following Doughty's post-Soul Coughing material may be a little dissapointed; the only real nod to the oddball beat-funk-rap of Ruby Vroom and Irresistable Bliss is "Busting Up A Starbucks", and though this is his first full-band solo album, the instrumentation tends to be much more conventional and singer-songwriter-y. This is not to say that the influence of Dave Matthews (whose ATO imprint released this album, and even shows up to sing a verse on "Tremendous Brunettes") has taken over proceedings entirely. Though this album does seem like a deliberate effort to ingratiate Doughty's quirky style to coffeeshop jam-band fans, there's not too much seperating many of these songs and the more mellow Soul Coughing material like "The Idiot Kings", "Janine", and of course "Circles", and if nothing else Doughty's distinctive vocal style makes sure there's a distinct personality. In fact a few tracks may even be a little too typical of him, though there's plenty of highlights like the spare perfection of "White Lexus" and the almost gospel-influenced "Grey Ghost and "Your Misfortune". If you're a Soul Coughing fan who likes their more melodic fare you'll like this. If you're just looking at this because of the Dave Matthews connection you'll probably be able to get into it too, and while it may be a bit of a strange journey, I'd reccomend gradually backtracking to Soul Coughing as well.

This is an excellent album made by a guy who obviously loves what he does. Sure, there are similar riffs and cadences throughout the album, but that was also the case for "Ruby Vroom" and "Irresistible Bliss". No one really has mentioned that. This time out, Doughty is obviously grooving. And yes, Dave Matthews comes on board for a song. Careful not to let your friends find out! They might not think you're indie anymore.

The haze of nostalgia has clouded many reviewers of this album, as they have been caught up in the fact that listening to Soul Coughing had finally given them a chance to be considered cool by someone other than their mothers. The vitriol has nothing to do with the music, which is solidly performed and heartfelt.

Times have changed. Mike has apparently moved on, adding a quality collection to his huge catalog of fine work.

I should preface this with I was a Soul Coughing fan, this is not Soul Coughing music. Soul Coughing has been dead for a long time now and Doughty has not attempted to resurect it with this album.

Then again, it could be argued that each Soul Coughing album was not what would be considered Soul Coughing music, the differences between 'Bliss, El Oso and 'Vroom were usually enough to throw most people as new directions each time.

Same with Mike Doughty's music. If you went album to album with what he has released the changes would be marked, as someone who has watched him perform over the years you can see a gradual move away from what he has played since Soul Coughing (Small Rock) to where he is now (Medium Rock)

Some of the tracks here I have heard before less polished and I loved them, here they seem a bit tighter, some of the organicness has left, the rough edges smoothed down, and yet it still works. I'm sure some of this has to do with being on DMB's label, and DM singing backup in spots.

All in all, I'd say this is a fine album, however if you're a Soul Coughing fan, make sure you can stand the album Skittish, or Smofe & Smang, which is Mike's style. The closest Soul Coughing song that comes into Mike's range that he plays these days seems to be Janine (that's J-A-N-I-N-E)

I love this album though, perhaps that's because I'm part of the SC / Doughty built-in audience, perhaps it's because the words in White Lexus punch me in the gut every time I hear it, maybe it's that I played it enough to get beyond the polish, do not know.

I was pleasantly surprised when I gave it a listen for the first time. I had been expecting the album to go in the direction of the songs on Rockity Roll. Something with an electro feel and new wave sensibility. I was amazed at what I got while listening to Haughty Melodic. It's great to hear these songs finished as they must have sounded to Doughty while he was writing them! If I had one complaint it would be that on some songs the effects on his voice kind of take off some of the haunting clarity that his voice possesses. I am going to see him live in Boston this weekend and I can't wait! Overall the album is great, it won't leave my stereo for many moons....

I was a fan of Soul Coughing, but would have never called them one of my favorites, I guess more than anything I came to find it annoying after a while. I've liked M. Doughty's solo stuff, but this record really has sort of blown me away. It's not Soul Coughing, not at all, and I guess that makes sense. After a few dozen listens I've found this is a record you listen to all the way through, no need to fast forward -(though I could stand it on 'His Truth,' but that's way at the end of the record so no bother) this is simply a pretty great record filled with one excellent song after the other. It's a mature record, a fun record, a sad record, a record that pulses and breathes and reaches out to you and pulls you in. The more uptempo songs like 'Sunken Eyed Girl, Unsingable Name, and Looking at the World,' are a good time and stand repeated heated listenings and sing-alongs, but the record finds it's emotional center in the mid tempo songs like- 'Grey Ghost,' -which I think may be about Jeff Buckley, 'White Lexus,' 'Your Misfortune,' and 'I Hear the Bells,' and 'american car.' There's a sort of desperation and humanity here that driven through Doughty's gravelly vocals works so well. This is a record that sounds great, and I've found if you spend some time with it, it will touch you as well. Not touch like a priest would touch, but the good touch. what else could you ask for? Sort of surprised to find out he's a damn good singer songwriter, and though he might not be so obviously working to turn a clever phrase as often as he did with SC, it turns out he doesn't need to rely on that boho/white Gil Scott- trip thing, that there's a lot more to him besides clever word play. I imagine that if you stream some of the mid-tempo songs above you'll probably fall in love.

Mike Doughty has indeed made a wonderful album. It is full of catchy melodies, quirky lyrics, and very suitable production with a full band. Doughty's songwriting style is unique, as is his straightforward, moody and murky voice. In the right circumstances, his voice is so perfectly fitting for the music he writes. He also has an ability to write somewhat simple melodies which snag in your brain, to a point where you may find yourself singing them offhandedly. "Unsingable Name" is perhaps the most infections of the set, very melodic, and very beautiful. Easily caught. "American Car" really gets in there too.

"From the Bottom of a Well" has come a long way from the musically intriguing but monotone demo of 2002. Other songs which appeared on the limited "Smofe & Smang" CD are brought to life here, too. "Madeline and Nine," "Grey Ghost," and "Sunkeneyed Girl," all wonderful when they first were played acoustic, have opened into something further and different within a band setting. I am still hard pressed to choose which versions of these songs I prefer.

One song that sticks out from the bunch artistically is "His Truth is Marching On." It is the one song of subtlety- not particularly enticing upon the first listen, but after awhile it really gets you. We have seen this special sort of songwriting before, with "Down on the River by the Sugar Plant" from his last release, Rockity Roll. Doughty has an ability to transcend the sort of fun-laced music he seems most prone to writing. When he does, the result is a song or two which seem to speak further and more capably than the rest. We hear it also in "White Lexus," too.

The only reason this CD does not get a fifth star is because of two songs which are skipped every time: "Tremendous Brunettes" and "I Hear the Bells." For some reason, I have never taken a liking to them. "Tremendous Brunettes" is melodically and musically bland in contrast to the other songs on the CD. "I Hear the Bells" is reminiscent of christmas-type songwriting, and is not particularly appealing to the ears. They seem like fragment song ideas fleshed out too far, or taken somewhere they ought not to be. We have seen this from Doughty before too, with the sad sacrifice of the wonderful "Lisa Ling and Lucy Liu" into the mediocre "27 Jennifers."

Key Tracks:
"From the Bottom of a Well," "Unsingable Name," "White Lexus," "His Truth is Marching On"