Horse Latitudes

Jeffrey Foucault | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: May 3, 2011
• Label: Signature Sounds Recording Company
• Copyright: (C) 2011 Signature Sounds
• Total Length: 38:39
• Genres:
  • Rock
• ASIN: B004XLZEG2
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,009 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back Foucault, his best since Ghost Repeater May 6, 2011

By Greg Fuqua

Format:MP3 Music

After two releases inspired by others(lisa Olstein, John Prine) and a collaboration with Mark Erelli, we finally get Foucault's own personal and poignant songwriting back. This is his best release since Ghost Repeater. Only now his writing and lyrics are even more seasoned, stronger and more poetic. The horse latitudes is an old seafaring term that refers to the latitudes of 30-35 where the winds can become light and swirling, sometimes stranding boats for weeks out to sea. It was said that horses would have to be throw overboard to save their drinking water. The theme of Horse Latitudes pervades this album. There is a this feeling of a drifting of consciousness, longing and melancholy throughout the album. Some of these songs were said to be inspired by Foucault's own dreams and remembrances. Foucault's strong suit is this ability to recreate a particular moment and feeling with his songs. Credit must also be given to his band and particularly Eric Heywood whose incredible steel pedal work just deepens and solidifies Foucault's sound.

Some of the songs push slightly more country sounding like "Pretty Girl in a Small Town", and "Idaho", but still stellar songs. The title track is definitely one of the best songs on the album, but there are no weaker songs here to mention. The whole album, top to bottom is really strong, really cohesive and really Jeffrey at his best!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and desolate dreamscapes May 14, 2011

By Colin Spence

Format:Audio CD

Up to and including 'Ghost Repeater', I was pretty well sold on Jeffrey Foucault. There then followed two albums of covers plus one where his own songs (melodies/arrangements) are adapted to the poetry of Lisa Olstein (or is it the other way round?). Anyway, I was beginning to wonder if Jeffrey Foucault would ever make another album featuring his own lyrics; well he has, and 'Horse Latitudes' is it - for the most part, a potent cocktail of atmospheric folk-Americana and slow-burning rock.

Eric Heywood returns to put in some outstanding playing on pedal steel and electric guitars - his style has more edge than the mellower sounds often heard on country/Americana albums. Jeffrey is also joined by Jennifer Condos (electric bass), Billy Conway (drums) and Van Dyke Parks (keyboards); Jeffrey plays acoustic guitar, and his better half, Kris Delmhorst, provides harmony vocals and she also plays cello on one song. Although the album is nicely put together, I do think that there is a tad too much reverberation here and there, and the vocal/instrumental mix on 'Pretty Girl In A Small Town' doesn't sound quite right to me.

Jeffrey's lyrics are enigmatic and project powerful imagery - they don't tell a story in the more conventional sense, or convey some unequivocal meaning. He has a rough-hewn voice, yet he often sings with intensity - although initially, I had to read the lyrics at the same time as listening because I had some occasional difficulty catching on to them (maybe I'm just going deaf).

With the exception of 'Pretty Girl In A Small Town', all songs are slow to medium tempo. Whilst there are a couple of songs that I'm not too keen on, there are many where the lyrics, vocals and playing all come together with a common focus to provide an enjoyable listening experience - the following in particular :

'HORSE LATITUDES' and 'LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF TELEVISION' - Both songs share similar qualities - surreal, dark and slightly disorientating. The former features eerie pedal steel and ominous bass drum, the latter includes an edgy electric guitar solo.

GONERS MOST - A lovely song with a softer sound, it sends shivers up my spine - melancholic and poignant. No drums/percussion, just acoustic guitar and subdued pedal steel. Great vocals from Jeffrey plus very subtle backing vocals from Kris.

EVERYBODY'S FAMOUS - The song starts off in a fairly pedestrian manner with vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar and organ. But it gradually builds as drums kick in and Jeffrey ups the strength of his vocals. The song culminates with a 1 minute organ solo supported by pedal steel.

'Horse Latitudes' wasn't the easiest of albums for me to get into, and it is one which demands attentive listening - but, not to coin a phrase, 'it's a grower'. You have to hand it to Jeffrey Foucault, he has never been one to rest on his laurels and churn out the same old stuff with each successive album - 'Horse Latitudes' typifies that approach to his music. For newcomers to his music, this album is possibly not the best place to start; instead, I would suggest 'Ghost Repeater' or, if you prefer a more acoustic sound, 'Stripping Cane' or 'Miles From The Lightning' - in common with 'Horse Latitudes, all 3 albums feature top-notch song-writing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Original songs showcase vagabond's tallent February 29, 2012

By Jim Clark

Format:Audio CD

By Jim Clark, publisher Lee County Courier, Tupelo, MS

Jeffrey Foucault hangs around with a couple of guys I met along my musical journey, Bo Ramsey and Peter Mulvey. Bo produced his third album, Ghost Repeater and Peter worked with Jeffrey and the two released Redbird in 2003.
On Horse Latitudes, his newest CD Jeffrey ponders life in brief-visions layed down over a funky country folk that causes the listener to ponder but perhaps never understand his allusive lyrics. It plays like the songs might be used during the closing credits of a show like Breaking Bad or Justified (two of my favorite shows). So Horse Latitudes is obviosly moved to the top of my ever growing stack. Most of the songs reach out to the lonesome.
I saw you out there
In the starlight and static
Singing like a spark
On a mile of coiled wire
His sidemen are great too -- Eric Heywood, pedal steel (from the Pretenders); Billy Conway, drums (of Morphine); Jennifer Condos, electric bass (who played with Sam Phillips); Van Dyke Parks, keyboards (who played with Ry Cooder) and Kris Delmhorst, cello.
On the road Jeffrey has shared the stage with Greg Brown, Gillian Welch, Todd Snider, Chris Smither, and Rosanne Cash. I always say you can guess a musician's sound by who they hang with and Jeffrey fits that mold.
The Wisconsin native began his journey with Miles From the Lightning (2001). He currently hangs below the radar, but is loved by critics and musicians alike. He is married to fellow singer/songwriter Kris Delmhorst, who helps with background on some songs.
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