Home for Orphans

Reigning Sound | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sympathy 4 the R.I.
• ASIN: B0009Y8N2Y
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,139 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This short (28 minutes) album is primarily made up of outtakes from the sessions for Reigning Sound's 2004 scorcher Too Much Guitar, but if that disc was too much rock and not enough soul for you, then you're in luck. Home for Orphans is dominated by the sort of moody, low-key laments that are Greg Cartwright's real secret weapon when he isn't cranking his amp up to ten, along with a superb cover of Gene Clark's "Here Without You" that fits this set like a glove. While "If You Can't Give Me Everything," "Funny Thing," and "Medication" all appeared on Too Much Guitar, these versions turn down the volume and dig into the lonely heart and soul of these songs, and prove that there are few people who can write and sing modern-day soul with the same passion and skill as Cartwright. His band offers understated but solid support (especially Alex Greene on organ), and it's hard to imagine why songs as good as "Find Me Now" and "What Could I Do" didn't find a lasting place in their repertoire, given how good they sound in this context. Cartwright also gives his fans a bummed-out Christmas classic with "If Christmas Can't Bring You Home" (the A-side from an out of print holiday single), and a roaring live take of "Don't Send Me No Flowers, I Ain't Dead Yet" closes the set with a solid dose of rock action. Reigning Sound's throwaways are better and more satisfying listening than what most bands have to offer as top-shelf merchandise, and Home for Orphans is a fine collection of garage-shot soul that whets the appetite for the next proper Reigning Sound record. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come for the voice. Stay for the songs!, October 20, 2005

By 

Scott E. Krakowski "krakhaus" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home for Orphans (Audio CD)

It's the "all-you-can-eat" buffet that gets better with every trip back. If you like the quieter side of Greg "Oblivian" Cartwrights's musical output then you will dig this very much, but if you come expecting the loud guitars that he is famous for then you will obviously be dissappointed(save for one song). This is an excellent collection of out-takes, and material recorded just prior to the line-up change that precipated the "Too Much Guitar" album. They finished this beautiful piece of work and then lost the organ-fellow so they needed an album that better represented the more guitar-oriented live sound. Greg's getting closer and closer to being the punk Gene Clark.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an important piece in the book of Greg Oblivian, September 27, 2005

By 

adam dammit! "adam dammit!" (Cletusville, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home for Orphans (Audio CD)

You really need to buy this despite what anyone says. Greg Oblivian can do no wrong (well almost), but anyway if you're a fan of lyric based music that can make you giddy or cry, then this is your band. This album follows where the first album ("Break Up, Break Down")left off. It's better than anything your going to find on amazon this year (well if you don't already have "Too Much Guitar"). I personally love the live cover of "Don't Send Me No Floweres, I Ain't Dead Yet." Have fun with this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars He follows no muse but his own, November 3, 2005

By 

Jumpin' Jesus (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home for Orphans (Audio CD)

Buy the new live album Live At Maxwells if you only like Too Much Guitar-style Reigning Sound. I just reckon Greg Cartwright is one of the most important, if criminally neglected, figures in contemporary rock n' roll, and don't give a damn at what tempo he chooses to play. This is not rockin', but it is enjoyable.

I secretly ache for another Time Bomb High School, but really whatever Greg C chooses to do is fine by me, and I'll buy it and learn to love it.