Customer Reviews

Honesty Room

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The thing that makes Dar Williams unique is that we can all identify with what she's singing about. Growing up in the wake of the Baby Boomers, a little too old to really be GenX, her songs about a childhood with a hippy babysitter and cold war fears resonates with a lot of thirty-somethings out there, such as myself. But I'm fairly confident that this accoustical effort will appeal to those outside my demographic as well. And what you get with this album is a first-person confessional, not of pain and sin, but of life in America.

If you're familiar with her later recordings, this album is a nice departure from the full-band folk-rock she's become equally adept at. Most of the music on this album is simple folk guitar and Dar's vocals. The lyrics are nothing short of brilliant; personal and intimate, without ever going over-the-top to hokey. Nearly every song on this album speaks from and to the heart.

Dar has made many more albums since this one, and it's always interesting to see which new direction she's taking with each release. But even as her music gets more complex with the addition of a full band in later albums, she still maintains the pure songwriting gift that this album so spectacularly showcases.

I got this album, it nudged some of the discs back into place. Dar's not a preacher, but "The Honesty Room" is naked, generous, unapologetic and energetic. In a culture where most music is blantantly geared toward mass-appeal consumerism, where the fact that performers can't sing is voiced-over and choreographed away, where "pop" equals "product placement," a singer/songwriter (or anyone else) who isn't afraid to show the world who she sees in the mirror is unbelievably refreshing. This is an aptly named, beautifully layered CD, with many styles for many moods. It makes me want to go hiking through the mountains of Montana.

When The Honesty Room was first released by the Burning Field label, it didn't sell. Then it was picked up by Waterbug Records, and it still didn't sell. Finally, after the album was released by Razor & Tie, it still didn't sell. Well, almost. Without air play, without a video, and without promotion from the CD label, The Honesty Room did pretty well for the unknown artist Dar Williams. The word that Dar was the latest and greatest in the folk world spread by way of this new fangled communication tool called the internet. Seriously, Dar Williams may very well be the first internet singer.

As far as The Honesty Room is concerned, self-examination and self-reflection have been done before. In fact, overdone. But Dar is a gem: instead of performing for the members of an audience, instead of singing into a microphone connected to a tape recorder, Dar sings "to and for you" alone. Her ability to connect is what politicians call "charisma," while knowing music fans prefer to use the term "intimate." Each of her compositions is an engrossing tale, a story of normal everyday life told with poetic finesse. The CD opens with `When I Was A Boy' - a song that questions sexual stereotypes and concludes with a surprise ending. `The Babysitter's Here' paints a nostalgic and heartwarming image of hero worship. Dar's lyrics bring life to the characters, and the last verse is affectingly poignant. You'd be very fortunate if `This Is Not A House That Pain Built' is the house where you grew up. Life passes very gracefully in The Honesty Room. Several times I've questioned just how does Dar Williams sing these songs without sounding "corny." I suppose that each listener will have his own answer.

I've been listening to all of Dar's albums again in celebration of her new release (not that they've ever been far from my CD player), and I felt moved to express my opinion on her first album.

I'm not a huge folk fan, but I think that Dar's music can appeal to everyone. She has a beautiful voice, great musical arrangements, and deep lyrics. While I think "Mortal City" is her best album, this one is a very close second. "Mark Rothko Song" is excellent, and "When I Was A Boy" and "Traveling" are my other two favorites. Still, there isn't one song on this album that I don't know all the words to, and since I've listened to it at least once a month in the five years that I've had it I can definitely vouch for its staying power.

Buy this album; you won't regret it.

I bought this CD at a Dar concert to which I had been dragged by a few friends/Dar fiends. I was impressed by her thought-evoking lyrics and her candid demeanor, so I asked my pals which CD I should start with. So, new purchase in hand, I took it home to give it a listen. From the first song, "When I was a Boy," I was struck with the beauty of the guitar sound and the amazing images that her the songs painted. Yes, I wanted to say after each song-- I've felt like that, I know what you're saying. It was like taking a deep breath and feeling completely understood. Many of the songs are funny, full of crisp witty humor, and most are poignant in a reminiscent sort of way. Dar encounters problems big and small on this CD from gender roles to aging to family to baby-sitters going away, but she does so with honesty and without pretention. I would recommend this CD to anyone who wants their music to be thick with meaning and still a lot of fun.

I love this CD! One easy-to-listen-to track after another. I was down in Austin,TX a couple of years ago when I heard Dar being interviewed on KLBJ. She played cuts from this CD live in the studio and I was blown away... I immediately bought this disc and it was no disappointment.

Thoughtful lyrics, stories you understand and whimsical charm permeate this piece... it's excellent. I love listening to it in my car or at home, it's a refreshing change from the "norm" in music today. If you like Natalie Merchant, Jewel or the Indigo Girls, you'll really dig this great folk-meets-rock-meets-Peter-Pan CD.

I keep this CD with me always. Though I have listened to it many times, I find new meanings and lyrics that reach me more than words. I have listened to Dar when I have been happy and sad. In each frame of mind, she has something to say and meaning to be got slowly. Her words sing into me and through me and this is the greatest compliment I can give. I can remember being over the Atlantic Ocean somewhere late at night, when I truly heard "Aging Well" for the first time. The lyrics of this song are indescribable, for they describe a life so accurately, so completely, so painfully beautiful that it reminds me of how good it is to be in our own lives.

I am not usually one to write reviews of things, I find it kind of conceited to think that my opinion might matter to someone else, but I felt compelled to write a review of "The Honesty Room"...about Dar Williams. For starters, this was her first record label release...how could you expect something different from previous recording?...Dar is amazing. Songs such as "When I Was A Boy," "The Babysitter's Here," and "Arrival" are all amazing testaments not only to the richness of her melodies, but to the universality of many of Dar's lyrics. This is folk music at its best, it doesn't get much better.

I say all of this, not only as a Dar Williams fan, but as a fan of a wide range of music. I'll listen to almost anything, and feel that my opinion might be more qualified then most in judging [junk] from quality. This CD is quality, do not allow other "reviewers" to make it seem like anything less.

But don't take my word for it (as the find people on "Reading Rainbow" used to say), go and check it out today. Buy it from Amazon, go to your local library, borrow it from a friend, but find a way to listen to it, and I guarantee it won't get a 1-star rating in your book.

Dar Williams is that rare breed of songwriter that can balance intelligence with humor. Perhaps no where is that gift more apparent than this, her first release. While this album lacks some of the radio-friendly pop songs that her subsequent albums possess, it more than makes up for it with it's evocative lyrics, intimate production, and simple beauty. Virtually each song on this album will make you laugh AND give you pause for thought. There is little question as to why Dar has gained such a strong following and become such an influence in contemporary folk music. If you have bothered to search the album out and are reading the reviews, do yourself a favor and add this one to your shopping basket. The Honesty Room might not change your life, but it will certainly enrich it.

This is my very favorite Dar Williams album. It is raw and simple, not over-produced, and that makes it all the more beautiful and moving to me. I truly love every single song on this album and it is in my top ten list of my favorite albums of all time. And that's quite an honor from me, as I'm a very eclectic music-lover with countless favorite songs, albums, and artists. If you like folk music at all, this is a must-have.