Customer Reviews

Hot Water

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If Mark Twain were to come back as a troubadour, his new pseudonym would be Jimmy Buffett. For Buffett fans who like the standards - Margaritaville, Fins, etc., this CD might not be your first choice. But give it a listen. In fact, give it several. These songs are stories, and the more you hear them, the more they become close friends that you'll find yourself introducing to others. My favorite tune is "That's What Living is to Me" - an homage to America's greatest writer that begins with Jimmy quoting Mark Twain's dedication from "Following the Equator" - "Be good and you will be lonesome." From the rich strums of the guitar in the beginning of the tune to the lonesome refrain, to the cast of characters that wend their way through the story, you'll feel like you've just joined Jimmy (or Twain) on a journey around the equator. My second favorite is a duet with James Taylor, "L'air de la Louisiane" - again, beautiful guitar, engaging, soft melody, and sung in French. If you like "False Echoes" you'll love this. "Great Heart" will get you off the couch and onto your feet no matter how bad of a dancer you are. It's inspirational to the point of becoming a theme song, but luckily that hasn't happened yet (except in private to us discerning dancers). Oh, and "Prince of Tides" must surely make Carl Hiaasen's favorites playlist... it's an environmental anthem worth memorizing. Teachers: pick and choose from these songs to introduce lessons on world cultures, the environment, and literature. No matter what the Parrotheads and party-ers claim, Buffett's music is thinking music. It is also soul-searching music without the preaching. Mark Twain said, "All of us contain Music & Truth, but most of us can't get it out." Jimmy can and does, and I think Mark Twain would agree. This CD was the first time that Jimmy Buffett paid homage to Twain in song, but not the last. Listen to "Take Another Road" on "Off to See the Lizard" and "Remittance Man" on "Barometer Soup" for more great Twain references. He also paraphrases a few Twain quotes along the way... I always say you can never have too much Twain or too much Buffett, and this CD is a great starting place for both.

I've never been a fan of albums. What I mean is I've never heard an album by anyone whose songs made up a cohesive collection.
I listen to albums all the way through and then end up re-playing just the ones that made an impact on me. With Jimmy Buffett's music that could mean six or eight of the ten or twelve songs really stuck with me and I would play those songs over and over. Some songs are mere filler, and even the artist will admit to that. Having said that, let me tell you there are five songs on HOT WATER that appeal to me. They are: "Bring back the magic", L'Air De La Louisiane", "Prince of tides", "Great Heart", and "That's what living is to me". These tunes, in my opinion, are wonderful! Couple these with the five songs from OFF TO SEE THE LIZARD and you got a great Jimmy Buffett album.
HOT WATER was the first sans moustache album for Buffett and that really means nothing. I only said it because I noticed it. Oh well, who cares? Open your mind, all you "Cheeseburger in Margaritaville" fans and give this album a good listen. You, too, may find six or eight songs you like very much. The only time I've ever listened to an album all the way through (excepting, of course, the initial listening) was when I was drunk and didn't feel like getting up to skip around the album.
Jimmy Buffett....good stuff indeed.

It was during this time that MTV ruled the airwaves and the singer/songwriter was left gasping for air. Hence, "Homemade Music". It's not often I'll give a 4 star review because of one great song, but "That's What Living Is To Me" is one of Jimmy's finest moments. Besides, anyone who covers Johnny Clegg ("Great Heart" ) is alright with me.

Ok, so it's not full of the usual suspects at a JB concert. I think anyone reading the reviews can gather that! So, is it worth your money? Absolutely! At my house, we like to listen to music when we sit down to dinner. This disc gets played often. And there's no reaching for the remote to skip the stinkers...there are none! I can honestly say that I enjoy this CD from beginning to end. What more could you expect from a single CD...from any artist? Definitely recommended.

Jimmy Buffett's Hot Water shows his fans how diverse he is. This album contains up-beat songs like "Homemade Music," a multi-lingual song: "L'air de La Louisianne," "Smart Woman" has great harmonies, and "Thats what Living is to Me" is one of my favorites. I highly recomend this album, however, I believe that you must listen to it a number of times to fully appreciate the lyrics.

Don't know for sure if anyone was thinking too hard about the situation at the time but honestly,the mid/late 80's had to be one of the most confusing times for pop musicians in terms of commercial attention. Throughout the 60's and 70's there had been a somewhat unlevel playing field in that area in terms of the black and white audience. By the next decade,despite the lip service to integration most artists black and white were having trouble crossing over unless they had a very strong visual appeal. There were a number of artists in that spectrum who were commenting in different ways on the situation. And Jimmy Buffet ended up doing one of the best concepts on that here,both lyrically and musically. Jimmy,having come up in the multi-cultural musical mix of the 70's had never shyed away from throwing in different rhythmic elements,particulary lite calypso steel drums not only to emphasize his party hearty atmosphere but also to indicate that,while not everyone is the same music from many sources can join up very well if done properly. By this time it's 1988 and.....nothing has really changed. With the advent of the digital age Jimmy Buffet relies strongly on his strenghs with a type of modernization that would prove to age very very gracefully. And with the guest list that includes Marcus Miller,Grover Washington Jr,Anthony Jackson,Steve Winwood,Steve Cropper and the Memphis Horns you know the proceedings are going to have lots of great grooves from every end of the spectrum."Homemade Music" is one of the best songs I ever heard from Buffet.An upbeat blues/funk/soul jam with some classic satirical lyrics it has that "upbeat-but-make-you-think" kind of "people" record that,while firmly rooted in the genre of the times was definately rooted somewhere strong. "Baby's Gone Shopping" and "My Barracuda" are harder blues/rock tunes that both have a crisp little bite to them. "L'Air de la Louisiane",sung in French,the jazzy waltz "Pre-You",Prince Of Tides" and the the Mark Twain sendup "That What Living Is To Me" are the softer egded tunes on the album but even though the might seem a little easy going....there's just that hint of darkness in the vocal delivery and lyrics that makes the lightness of the song stand out with stronger colors.Another great tune here is "King Of Somewhere Hot",a nice jazzy calypso themed tune with some quirky bass playing and an unusual delivery that's both eerie and breezy all that the same time. "Great Heart" and "Smart Women" are pleasant enough pop-rock style tunes that are nice enough but don't exactly match the energy and intent of what came before it. Being only familiar with a couple hits and the Banana Wind CD in terms of Jimmy Buffet music it was pleasant to find that this albu,which I purchased mainly on the strengh of the session personel involved in the musical side of things that everyone involed were very clear on this concept and were able to pull it off with plenty of energy and flair.

Its a shame that all the people who put down this recording offer very little in substance as to why they do not like this CD. Personally the lyrics are extremely touching and the styles varying greatly. Each of the rock n roll numbers stand out because of differing inflections in tone. L'Affaire D'Louisiana(excuse me if I misspelled) is a romantic ballad which offers some delicate guitar and accordion sounds. Great Heart, King Of Somewhere Hot, and Smart Woman have some heavy tropical influences due to some pleasant steel drum sounds. Thats What Living Means To Me is a well written song that would fit in well in any coffee house setting. Overall, this is one of Jimmy's most overlooked recordings.

Not your 'normal' Buffett album, but a great one nonetheless. A diversion CAN be good! Some great tunes here - from Homemade music to Prince of Tides, this album is a treat. While not my favorite Buffett cd, it still puts a smile on your face like no other artist can. A great addition to any JB collection.

The reviews here were right on. This was one of the few Buffet albums I didn't own, so upon reading again his biography of turning 50, which I do every summer to get my in that summer mood, I reread his account of the story of King of Somewhere Hot. I just love the title and the concept. When I heard it I was a bit disappointed and just a bit disappointed with Smart Woman in a Short Skirt, but man do I love those titles. I wish Marshall Chapman would have stayed with him a bit longer.

Musically though I would rate the duet with James Taylor and Bring Back the Magic as a couple of the more endearing tunes of Jimmy's entire catalog.


Matt Byrd
Ft. Walton Beach, Fl

If you're a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Buffett fan who knows the concert basics, "Hot Water" might be a stretch. If you're ready for Buffett songs you'll likely only hear on Radio Margaritaville, go for it, if for nothing other than one of JB's best creations in "That's what Livin' is to Me." You'll rarely hear it sung in concert (I think the last time was in 2001), but Twain, Lewis Carroll and Buffett all at once? Amazing! "Pre-You" is a cheeky little song, as is "Smart Woman." And like another reviewer mentioned, the Buffett cover of "Great Heart" only adds to the good stuff on "Hot Water."