Customer Reviews

Had to Laugh Like Hell

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A real shame that Collier's old band (Best Kissers in the World) didn't get the attention it deserved, as this solo debut should have come out to more fanfare. It's a truly impressive collection of quiet acoustic rock (with strong country and folk touches), expanding on various songwriting themes he wasn't able to fully jump into with an electric rock band. With the Kissers, his 'broken heart' songs tended to be a collection of non-sequitors; in his solo work, the lyrics are much more focused, confessional, and, well, BLEAK. He writes about loneliness, overdrinking, and fear in a way that sort of reads like a less tongue-in-cheek modern Hank Williams, or a less apocalyptic Leonard Cohen. The playing itself is all very strong, very simple, very direct. Guitar, violin, drums, voice on most tracks, all allowing the listener to really focus on the sadness in the vocals and lyrics. It's an incredibly cathartic 'breakup' album, certainly, and an impressive display of musicianship beyond that.

Every song on this record contains at least one line (more often at least one full verse) that will put a lump in your throat and a knot in your stomach. I sincerely hope that Collier is in a better state than he was when this album was written and recorded; he deserves great things.

This 1996 CD is great - acoustic (largely nylon string guitar plus pedal steel on some tracks). There are mellow, acoustic versions of Whored Out Again, God Never Lived in My Neighborhood, and To Break the Ice. It isn't all the same material as the self-titled CD -- there are other great songs here [Bender (I'm On One), Third Rock from the Sun, Boozin' Time, I'm not coming Back...] It is definitely worth buying -- and like the self-titled album, it grows on you the more you listen to it.