Customer Reviews

Her Mystery Not of High Heels & Eye Shadow

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The unusually long title of Jonathan's new opus , Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow, is already showing us that we won't find here what we had in "I, Jonathan", the short titled cd.
This is the record of a new life, Jonathan sounds happy again . Gone is the bitterness of Surrender. What already was blossoming in "I'm confused" through songs like "hello Cupid" and "Let her go into darkness" is now in full sight ..the sunset is reddening Jonathan's new landscape, and great songs are here catching our minds, "couples must fight" a long time live favorite is a winner as is "Springtime in NY". Jonathan has a tradition to revisit his old songs and this cd is not different in that way.. I always liked "give Paris one more chance", here it is again in a new format and it rules !! Four songs in Spanish conclude the cd , "Yo tengo una novia " is another highlight of the live shows which is pleasant to have on a regular recording and the cover of "Vampire girl" is just hilarious.. Sounds like it had been rewritten for Turquoise and me, to remind us of the 2000 show in Paris ....

After thirty years as a musical marginal, one of the countless offbeat characters criscrossing the country and playing to any available audience, Jonathan Richman has become part of the cultural landscape. There he was on PBS "History of Rock'n'Roll" series, being hailed as the Godfather of Punk. There he was on the front page of the New York Times arts section last weekend, as part of a story on jazz clubs staying open in the face of tragedy. There he was, crooning and anticking with longtime drummer/sidekick Tommy Larkins, in "There's Something About Mary," the sort of high-profile gig that has dogged him ever since, for better or worse. Heck, he even made it into Spike a few years ago, where his sing-a-long paean to late-night New England driving was reckoned the 53rd Best Thing of the Millennium.

Through it all, despite progressing from the tough-guy posturing of the indispensable debut "Modern Lovers" to the carefree exuberance of albums like 1993's "Having a Party," Jonathan has lost none of his charm. Part of it is a simplicity that makes even young squirts like me nostalgic for the 1950s, and makes the rich, chunky guitar of tunes like "Me and Her Got A Good Thing Goin' Baby" the musical equivalent of comfort food. Part of it is a childlike innocence that paradoxically makes the hard-earned sage advice of "Couples Must Fight" and "I Took A Chance on Her" that much more credible. Mostly it's just a sense of fun that's inescapable in live performance and shines through as strongly as ever on his unwieldily titled twentieth release.

Backed by nothing more than bouyant acoustic strumming, Larkins' spirited drumming, and the occasional piano or violin, Richman holds forth on love, friendship, and his favorite cities (the brilliant "Give Paris One More Chance,") occasionally in Spanish (the bouncy "Yo Tengo una Novia.") And when he sings, you've just got to smile. 9/10

I am admittedly biased in writing reviews of Jonathan Richman recordings since he is my absolute favorite artist in the history of rock and roll. I love him even when he is obviously failing, however I don't beleive that he is doing that on this release.

Of course I miss the childlike naivete and reckless abandon absurdity of some of Jonathan's early recordings but I do have to admit I think he is one of the few artists who has aged gracefully and managed to make quality records. (This is probably a result of his ability to be truthful and not phony. Can we say "Aerosmith" anybody?).

This is kind of a relaxing, subtle record and yes it could of been better but it is undoubtedly one of Jonathan's prettier and by default more human of his releases.

These really are simple, sad love songs for the timeless vaults.

The instrumentals could have been more fleshed out but I really think the pop songs are just like Jonathan has always been, innocent and completly devoid of pretension.

We've finally got an album with many of the songs we've heard Jonathan tour with for the past couple years. I was initially skeptical when I opened the CD and noticed the list of backup musicians he has playing with him. I usually prefer him with just a guitar and drums. But I was pleasantly suprised. The instrumentation is very tasteful and subtle (unlike the annoying keyboards of I'm so confused). However, it sounds like his vocals are a little buried in the mix, and I wish they were louder. His voice sounds a little thin sometimes. I was disappointed that he didn't record the song about Barcelona, the one about walking along the Charles river in Boston, and Arrividerci Roma. But for the most part, I think this should satisfy most fans of Jonathan.

As a long time lover of modern man Jonathan Richman, I don't know what to think of this new album. I'm sure I like I'm So Confused better, but I'm not sure why. Has Jojo become too formulaic or is there something missing from his step on this one? Has he stopped dancing in lesbian bars or has he just lost the direction? For Jojo worshippers you will find enough to feed your jones, but for others future would be worshippers it is hard to say that this is the place to start. But if you just want a comfortable cd with some 50's sounding surf tunes then go ahead, become addicted to some fun with Jonathan.

Not sure what Diskojames up there was listening to, but "I'm So Confused" was a great album? Based on what?? It was a great song but a lousy album on the whole. Apart from "19 in Naples," I can't even recall another song there without looking, whereas "Her Mystery..." has instantly recognizable, unmistakably Jojo-esque tunes like "Springtime in New York" and "Me and Her Got a Good Thing Goin' Baby." The overall sound finds him somewhere between, say, the eponymous album or "I, Jonathan" and "Surrender to Jonathan" but without the "big band" sound there (which I liked anyway (think "The Little Sleeper Car")). My only beef with this album is that it follows the now-standard formula of a bunch of good new tunes, a cover from the "Jonathan Sings!"/"Rockin' & Romance" era and then some Spanish songs. It's a bit tiresome now, though this "Give Paris One More Chance" is a fun stomper.

I'd listened to some of JR's sillier songs on another album and semi-dismissed him even though I love The Modern Lovers and Jens Lekman said he was a major influence. So dumb, why do I do stuff like that? Anyhow my ipod shuffled up one of the non-Spanish tracks and I was immediately in love. It's really one of my favorite albums that I've come across in the last couple years. Jonathan Goes Country is pretty solid also and I've since come around to his sillier songs.

Well, I've got to agree, for the most part, with Jeff's assessment. This is a welcome return to form from "I'm So Confused," though for me the standout of that collection was "I Can Hear Her Fighting with Herself" with "19 in Naples" a close second.

Oddly, "Me and Her Got a Good Thing Goin', Baby" is the one track on this album that leaves me cold. Couldn't say why, though I can speculate. When Jojo's involved I can listen to repetitive lyrics all day and don't even need all that many chords to be happy; somehow, though, this song just doesn't go anywhere for me. Maybe I'm just secretly jealous of the mystery woman, she not of the high heels...

But this collection brings to mind a much earlier Jonathan. After all, isn't "Her Mystery" a millennium update of "Everyday Clothes?" I'm glad to see this; it's reassuring to see an emotional recovery from the days of "You Must Ask the Heart," when I'd leave Jonathan's shows glad for having heard him, but somehow worried ABOUT him...

Overall, the sound is different that anything we've heard before, especially the mellow woodwind drone underlying most tracks. Much of the album merits a listen for the introspective lyrics alone, for instance, "Springtime in New York," describing how the demolition of a building (hope I'm not misquoting) "brings the smell of 1890 to the breeze." Takes me right down to the Bowery on a day in June... And the lyrics of "I Took A Chance On Her," too, are Jonathan at his most reasonable, vulnerable best.

Ironically, last month I was in London, flirting with danger and like Jonathan, hoping my adventure wouldn't go all wrong, when I agreed one Sunday evening to see Nick Lowe instead of Jonathan. Sad as I was to have missed a rockin' night such as when I last saw Jojo in New Brunswick, NJ last summer, I'm glad to have had a chance to get comfortable with these songs before seeing him in person again.

All in all, there's plenty here--the only thing I can imagine being offputting to some people is that, by and large, this is Jonathan talking about relating to one person as opposed to Jonathan relating to the universe. But regardless of whether you're on the up or the down side of love, I'm inclined to think there's still something here for everyone.

A brief disclaimer: I confess that this might be a bit heavy on Spanish tracks for me (the "Vampire Girl" cover's fun, though). And though this version of "Paris" is terrific, rehashing old tunes does get tiresome after a while. My first thought after reading the song list was "Thank God, no Egyptian Reggae..."

Now, please don't hate me, but it has to be said, this album is simply neither particularly good nor memorable.

Sadly, at the age of 50, Jonathan has finally grown up, and in doing so, has lost his childlike, kidult appeal. Maturity has been creeping up on him since the mid-nineties, and has finally hit, much to the dismay of many.

That being said, he does some great instrumentals and "Springtime in New York" is...decent. I like the spanish feel, and his god-awful accent on the last tracks, but it just seems like a rehash from earlier days.

If you're a massive Jonathan fan like myself, you may as well buy it, but I would suggest if you're new to his work, go for some earlier stuff or a compilation (23 Great Recordings is good, as is Action Packed).

The whole album really begs the question, what on earth has he been doing for the past three years? (Clearly not using his biggest asset, his heart)

Stark and simple resignation of love and commitment, the new Jonathan Richman album may never grow to adoring heights as his last album, "I'm So Confused" did after repeated listens. Where "I'm So Confused" dragged love so seriously to a cold stone grave and preserved it, "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow" dances on that same grave with an abandoning sneer and indifferent glance with songs that are such simple impersonal sleights of hand, they're over just as soon as you ponder them. Tracks like the title song, "Springtime in New York", "Me and Her Got A Good Thing Going", and "My Love For Her Ain't Sad" speak not of the beginning of a relationship, nor the end, but one that is firmly there in a possessive stronghold, like a fondness for a pet. Richman's handsome crooning voice is wonderful, like common conversation sung, and his acoustic guitar plucks can invoke the most exotic of atmospheres, particularly a 1950s Latino nightclub on a warm Summer night. "Vampiresa Mujer" (Vampire Girl), sung in Spanish, as are three others, is dark, catchy and amusing, or so I suspect as I possess no espanol.