Customer Reviews

Last Man Standing

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

 

 

Last Man Standing will be an instant favorite for long time Ryan Shupe fans, it will be loved by musicians who will appreciate the complexity of the music as well as the musicianship of the performances.

The problem may be in finding new everyday fans, as for me this CD isn't quite as radio friendly as I would have liked, and even being a long time fan myself, I wasn't sold right away, but I played it non-stop in my office all Memorial Weekend long , and liked it more and more as the hours went by.

Also for those who love the famous Shupe Novelty songs, to end this CD is a hilarious ode to the Corn Dog

"They're good when they're hot
They're good when they're cold,
They're good when they're new,
They're good when they're old."

I hope you buy this great CD and let it grow on you like it did me, and keep the Rubber Band making more amazing music.

This CD was hard to locate, but its the band's best CD. I couldn't find these tracks as MP3s on Amazon or iTunes.

My family LOVES the album "Dream Big", so we had high hopes for this album, but I'm very sorry to say this one is merely "decent". The group seems to have made a transition from "Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband" to "**RYAN SHUPE** (and the rubberband)". In "Dream Big", Ryan's voice was just another instrument - one point in a fantastic constellation of rocking instruments played by world-class musicians. Maybe egos clashed, maybe people moved on, or maybe they all just agreed to change their focus to be more about Ryan's voice and lyrics. Whatever happened, we are left with a more contemplative tone, where the banjo and fiddle are pushed to the background so that Ryan can sing about whatever is on his mind. He's a good singer, but in my humble opinion, the true magic is gone.

The worst moment in this album for me was the song "My Life", which sounds good on the surface, but I can't help wondering if the anger in the song is directed at bandmates (or former bandmates?) who wanted less of a Ryan-focused album. If you listen to it with that angle in mind, it is an ugly big-ego song.

Skip this album, and buy "Dream Big" - possibly the best album ever made if you like light-hearted music heavy on the fiddle and banjo. I also recommend the older albums by this band, which are typically even MORE about the instruments, and have a similar joyous carefree tone.

Sometimes you buy a cd just because you like an artist. That was this purchase for me. I like Ryan Shupe generally because he has clean music and he is fun. I love the upbeat bluegrass feel. The only problem is that most of the songs are not that memorable on this disc. My favorite from Ryan Shupe is Dream Big. I'm also a little surprised how much I like the live album. This one. Only three stars.

They make music for the love of it, and it shows. No third party songwriters, no instrumental dubs, no big record labels, just pure music and a (blue)grass roots fan base.

Ryan Shupe is a talented musician, and once again he has come out with a great CD with quality songs.

I love this band! Today at lunch my 7 year-old ordered a corn dog and we both started singing Shupe's corn dog song. I like it, she likes it, and my mom likes their music. Fun for all ages!

I ENJOY THIS "HIGH ENERGY" CD VERY MUCH, PLUS MY NEPHEW IS ONE OF THE BAND MEMBERS. I JUST WISH, THOUGH, THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SONG SIMILAR TO "DREAM BIG" ON IT.....

I just received and listened to this new album during my lunch break and it's TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Great summer music to rock out in the car! Ryan and his Rubber Band just keep getting better and better and they totally ROCK OUT on this new CD! FIVE STARS!!! These guys are really talented!!!

Entering their second decade, Shupe and the Rubberband continue to specialize in a hybrid sound that combines string band acoustics, bluegrass harmonies, rock bass and drums, and the complex changes of progressive rock and funk. And though their songs are filled with easily accessible melodic hooks, their instrumental chops are substantial. After a brief dalliance with the majors for the DRM-infested "Dream Big" in 2005 (on which Shupe described himself with tongue-in-cheek as a banjo player that's "a cross between Béla Fleck and Eddie Vedder, but better"), they've moved on to the Montage Music Group for this latest release.

The opening of the first track, "Don't Leave Me Lonely," sounds as if it was plucked from Nils Lofgren's 1975 solo debut, and with fiddle and country vocal harmonies, the arrangement suggests "melodic country-rock ahead." That notion is quickly sidetracked by the funky fiddle, drums and banjo (yes, funky banjo) that open "Last Man Standing (Number One)," leaving the listener to wonder what this band is about. The off-balancing act continues through the rest of the disc as foot-stomping guitar-and-fiddle gives way to pop, bluegrass, flamenco, hick-funk and progressive folk. Shupe writes frequently of protagonists longing for love, including "Don't Leave Me Lonely," "Please Be Mine," "All I Need" and "Be the One," but strikes his deepest chord with the indelible portrait of "Lonely Person." The missed opportunities of "So" speaks of missed opportunities, "If You Could Live a Different Life" ponders just-in-time escapes, and the album's funniest work, the talking blues "Corndogs," is a love song to everyone's favorite carnival food.

Shupe's songs are more memorable than his voice, which is serviceable but not particularly distinctive; the group's harmony singing fills things out nicely, however. Fans will enjoy this latest chapter in the band's catalog, bluegrass loyalists may find this happy hybrid insufficiently traditional, and rock fans may think this too pop. All will agree that the band's mix is original, and their musicianship is top-notch. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]