Customer Reviews

I'm Good Now

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found Bob Schneider just after he released the album "Lonelyland." My friend from TX recommended I catch his Chicago show and I was very impressed. Lonelyland didn't leave my stereo for the next 2 months, and I've been long waiting for the follow-up. Again, I saw the live show before purchasing "I'm Good Now" and the new album actually steps it up another notch. The tracks speak for themselves by demonstrating the talent and variety that Bob provides on this album:

Come With Me, Long Way to Get, God is My Friend = fresh singer/songwriter acoustic melodies
Medicine, I'm Good Now = alt-country rock with a touch of twang
The Way Life's Supposed to Be, Cap'n Kirk, Getting Better = catchy pop tunes that make you sing along
C'mon Baby = hard rocking power chords
Piggyback = electropop anti-cookie-cutter pop (i.e. wilco-like stuff)

I think what impresses me most about Bob, is his lyrical abilities. This guy will make you think, taking you from "the middle of the Mexico in my mind" to "a little place called heaven that I'll probably never see." Bottom line here - if you like Wilco's musical style, and Pete Yorn's lyrical creativity, chances are Bob Schneider will become your new favorite artist. (And don't miss a live show when he's on tour in your town). The #1 overlooked BEST album of 2004.

If you like Bob Schneider and have not seen one of his side projects the Scabs, you absolutley must do this. My fiance from Texas turned me on to Bob and it was one of the best discoveries of my musical life. He is one of the most talented musicians that I have ever seen. He can play, sing and write almost any style of music and do it very well. I know other people have said this about Bob, but he is way better live than recorded. If you ever get a chance to see him live you must do so. Every time I go to Texas to see the future in-laws I am always checking to see if Bob is going to play at Antone's so I can see him live there where the Scabs Freebird CD was recorded. Amazing.

It is a shame that artists that are running around in the popular music scene get so much recognition and Bob does not. He deserves more attention.

How is this guy not a household name yet?

I'll start with a quote my wife said yesterday after buying this album "Bob is a musical Genius". This is not the first time these words have been spoken about Bob within my circle of friends. I discovered Bob about two years ago. After I heard Lonelyland (Bob's other major solo effort) I was hooked. Now, after backfilling my "Bob" collection with his other albums, I was really looking forward to spinning his latest.

It is amazing! This album will make you grin (Captain Kirk), groan with empathy (Bridge Builders), rock (Come On), move your body (All The Gold In The Sunset, Getting Better) and think (I'm Good Now... well really all of the songs). Not to mention that the song "Come With Me Tonight" has hit written all over it. The one thing all of these songs have in common is that they will make you feel something, this is rare.

Treat yourself, buy this album and check out Bob live sometime. His live shows kick some serious a*s. Other Bob projects include his bands Ugly Americans, The Scabs and The Galaxy Kings. They are all worth buying (especially The Scabs and Galaxy Kings) it will be like purchasing your own mine. Discover Bob and you too will strike gold.

It is, based on this record, a very difficult task to nail down a list of musical influences present in Bob Schneider's music. You can hear a touch of Pete Yorn in the lovelorn lyrics, a bit of Wilco in the production, a touch of Texas Country in the melody, and it's hard to skip the similarity of the vocal presentation between Bob and Conner Oberst in some of Bright Eyes' more produced recordings. Moreover, you can hear some reggae and blues grafted in to situations where they are wholly unexpected.

All that to say that it's really hard to compare Schneider to anyone. He brings in some of the best elements of many genres to create something truly unique and special. The honesty betrayed in the immediate nature of the vocal production belies a truly personal recording, with the added orchestration of this album when compared to Lonelyland make this album an interesting hybrid, and I doubt a lesser artist could pull it off.

As it stands, it is hard to find much of a flaw in this album. As with all records, there are standout tracks ("Come With Me Tonight," "A Long Way to Get," Gold in the Sunset, and "Piggyback"), and some relatively weak spots ("C'mon Baby" and "Cap'n Kirk"), but even these weaker songs contribute to the overall fell of the record in an indispensable way. Though I don't regularly listen to them while listening to the record, I would not have them taken off.

This is one of the best releases of 2004, hands down. Schneider has indeed come a long way since The Ugly Americans, and I for one am truly excited to see where this talented singer/songwriter goes next.

(Side note: If you ever have a chance to see Bob live, don't pass it up. He puts on a particularly engaging live show that it would be a shame to miss.)

I just saw Bob Schneider in New Orleans, and he is even better in person than he is on his CDs - if you can believe that. He is absolutely my favorite musician. This CD has a little bit of everything, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a kind of laid-back alternative sound. Buy it! You'll love it! If you ever get a chance to see him live - do it!

Well... what can i say? - got the album today and its amazing! i loved the first record but this is just something else. This record just takes everything to the next level! The first track on here is my favourite - its truly special! go get it now!

Kevin

I've recently discovered Bob this year and I am completely enamoured. I listened to his former band, The Ugly Americans, but never realized he had such talent as a solo artist. I first heard his song Come With Me Tonight on a Paste magazine sampler cd and then heard both Capn Kirk and I'm Good Now on KCUV, a local AM radio station here in Denver. I then had to have the entire CD, and every song has its own charms. Great creative lyrics and a terrific sense of vocal rhythms. He kind of reminds me of Jack Johnson with an edge. He's quite an artist, too. Check out his website www.bobschneider.com. Bob's creative, artistic, and nice to look at. All in all, quite fine.

While Bob Schneider's latest CD, the sublime I'M GOOD NOW, isn't as instantly appealing as his last release (2001's exueberant LONLEYLAND), it is nevertheless a strong piece of music from a man who continues to groove to his own beat (moving from mega-label Universal to the more indie-orientated Vanguard probably helped in keeping said beat alive). Opening up the disc is "Come With Me Tonight", a charming love song that is both playful and heart-rendering. We've all been there...seeing someone you're nuts about wasting their time on everyone but you...when you know that you're absolutely right for them! The mix of mirth and melancholy continues with "Medicine"...longing lyrics are perfectly blended with a soaring arrangement. "A Long Way To Go" is a thoughtful, stripped-down acoustic piece about all the (contradictory) things we have to do in life before we end up at that one spot we're supposed to be at, while "The Way Life Is Supposed To Be" is a bit of a musical mystery...both happy and sad, with a shimmering arrangement and wry lyrics ("There are good days/And they come and go and never seem to last/And the bad days/When they come around always kick the good days a** into the ground"). The disc's title track is a frantic story-song that leaves you wondering if it ever really happened. Schneider sings the song in a lilting voice that wraps around each word, then spits them out. VERY powerful! Up next is the wicked "God Is My Friend", a song that some might consider blasphemous, but in truth is one of the best songs about faith (and what it can accomplish) to come down the pike in a long time. Read the lyrics two or three times and you'll agree! "C'mon Baby" is kind of noisy and thrashy, while the bare-boned "The Bridge Builders" is steeped in hurt and anguish. Things do a 180 degree turn with the jaunty, yet soothing, "Capn Kirk." More in line with LONLEYLAND than the rest of I'M GOOD NOW, the song is a true stand-out, due in large part to the track's tasty keyboard fills. "Gold In The Sunset" is part beat poetry, part alt rap, all Bob Schneider. The free-form lyrics just roll off his tongue, and he infuses each word with a punchy vibe that's delivered from the core of Schneider's being. As I said before, classic Bob! Then there's the gorgeous "Piggyback." With it's minimal instrumentation (haunting piano, rat-a-tat-tat percussion, sweet guitar), somber vocal, layered/repeated lyrics and swirling finish, the song is simply captivating, and proves you don't have to spend six months layering things on a track to come up with a masterpiece. Another one of IGN's true gems! The same could be said about "Getting Better", a goofy, fun song that could have easily been lifted from the LONLEYLAND sessions. With it's "la,la,la" chorus and sultry-yet-ragged vocal - picture a cross between Tom Waits and...well, a more romantic Tom Waits! - the song draws you in, forcing you to shake your groove thang and smile a big old grin by song's end. A real high point in Schneider's songbook! Closing things out is the hidden track "Love Is Everywhere." While nothing special, it does close the disc on a gently hopeful note, and that can never be a bad thing. Finally, as per all my reviews for 2004 releases, the disc gets an extra half a star for including the lyrics. So...do yourself a favor - pick up I'M GOOD NOW and see why Bob Schneider is fast becoming one of America's strongest, most eclectic, songwriters around. The best part of all this? I think it's just the beginning!

This guy is going to be BIG!(or, at least, should be.) I don't say that too often. I'm a musician and I take music very seriously. It's rare that I give an across the board, flat out endorsement. Bob gets one from me.

It's odd, but I find that some of the most enduring CDs in my collection are ones that didn't jump out and bite me from the first listen. Probably because they're not filled with gimmicky sounds and obvious hooks that grow old. Bob Schneider's work doesn't pander... it is solid "song writing" at it's best that gets better with each listening.

You may notice that I've only given "I'm good now" four stars. That is simply because I would give his first album (Lonelyland) five stars... and (if I'm being totally honest) I like that album better. It's just one of those rare albums that I can't seem to tire of. That's not to say that "I'm good now" isn't a great album, but how can I give five stars to two albums when I definitely prefer one over the other. If I could I would give this one a five and "Lonelyland" a six (out of five), but it just doesn't work that way.

Bob's songs are (for lack of a better term) "pop"-alternative-funky-rock, (sometimes) with just a pinch of country/blues. That's just a long winded way of saying that he is a very diverse writer. Now, before you gag on that "P" word, you must understand "my" definition of pop. It's not Michael Jackson, nor is it Nsync, nor is it one of several bands that have "mud" or a number as part of their name (or the dozens of sound-a-likes). It's thoughtful lyrics and imaginative, creative, from the soul, music that can (or should) appeal to a wide audience. Not trendy and full of gimmicks that only can attract a narrow or immature listener. Lyrics that are either deep and meaningful... or freshly poetic in their construction (not necessarily deep, but just roll well). Bob does both masterfully.

Musically, he's not afraid to have high quality musicians to back him up and play like they mean it. It doesn't seem like an ego game to him... "hey, all attention on me, so the listener will love ME only!". Having said that, don't think that his music is all chops and flash. It's not. The music is obviously heart felt, fresh and played well. Any decent musician would be able to recognize a good musician playing "for the music". Not necessarily "less is more" but (also) not "more is more". The balance is perfect for what I consider "great pop", which is almost (ironically) nonexistent, in top forty radio, today.
...and for all of you "radio listeners" who need some sort of comparisons to judge an artist's worthiness, you're not going to get one here! Bob Schneider stands alone. Sure, comparisons can be drawn from a little of this person or a little of that band. Isn't that what makes a unique, original artist? Influences drawn from so many places that it makes a new sound. Just listen to him. You will soon understand that Bob Schneider sounds like "Bob Schneider".

His sound and style comes (largely) from his unique voice. He has a compelling combination of smoothness yet raspy quality to his voice that has tons of character. It's the type of voice that, once you get to know it, is instantly recognizable and unmistakable. This is the foundation of any rock legend.

Lastly, if you get the chance to see him live.... DO IT! His live performances are fantastic. No choreography, just a solid musical performance. I've seen him twice (in Pittsburgh) and, both times, I would've happily paid twice as much for the ticket (though, glad I didn't have to). I'm saying this from the standpoint that I would rarely pay half the price, if even that much, for most bands that are out there today. His live performances are similar to his albums in the way that he kind of starts out subtle and unassuming, but by the end of the show he has the whole crowd on their feet and not wanting the show to end.

Do yourself a favor and check this guy out!

Often compared to Pete Yorn it's a wonder he's not more main stream. I've seen Bob at Saxon Pub and Antones dozens of times and I always left with a smile on my face no matter how my day went leading up to the show. I just wish he'd hit it BIG.

My recommendation is to head over to the McCombs School of Business and get some marketing help. A half-dozen of the peeps at each show were MBAers who'd be thrilled to work on a project of the entertainment variety. Get the label to throw a few bucks behind the school and you'll get some quality (yet inexpensive) work that could take you places I hope you've dreamt about. Good luck Bob, and looking forward to your next Minneapolis show!