Customer Reviews

Let It Come Down

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As a fan of the much maligned, often disdained Smashing Pumpkins, and a particular admirer of Iha's contributions "Blew Away" and "Summer," I felt it an absolute must to purchase his solo debut. My first impression was not too favorable. What was lacking was the pretentious grit of Corgan that lent a muscular roughness to Iha's softer sensibilities. In short, it lacks electricity. Iha's lyrics and mellow mood, sometimes bordering on giddy, sifted too finely through my ears. I wanted my heart to tear as it does in the heavily Iha influenced "Mayonnaise." But as time passed, Iha's gentleness, mellodic tendencies, and strange chords began to win me over. His songs are simple; the lyrics aren't complicated; the guitars were strummed with ease; but underneath the affable melancholy, there is a passion, not one of angst, rage, or grief, but a passion for the sublime. His emotions are clear in each song. He wishes to feel, rather than think, about love. Iha comes across as the shy guy in the back of class, not hurt about his apparent differences to others, not jaded by thoughtless women, but rather he accepts it all and presents himself as he is, honestly and without pretension. The songs and lyrics in Let It Come Down are simple, but at least they are true.

Let me start by saying I've only rated two albums (not including "Best of..." compilations) to be worthy of 5 stars. This CD is definitely worth the $... I paid for it. Shoot, I'd pay $... for a new copy if this one ever got lost - it's THAT good! Everytime this CD comes into the rotation (where it'll stay 'til the CD-player breaks), I'm transported into a red convertible, driving down some country road with my arm hanging out the side, and my best friends riding along, enjoying the sunshine. This album puts me into the "happy" mode that I know everyone strives for (regardless of what kind of cool image they try to maintain). Buy this album as a cheaper alternative to Prozac. Send a copy to play as background music at your local suicide hotline. It's not the most polished album, nor are the musicians going to blow you away with their skills, but the end result is amazingly good.

Once every 5 blue moons an album comes along that is so positively infused with "feel-good" energy, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Run, do not walk, run and get this album immediately!" Let it Come Down is such and album. This music is like a massage to your soul! The tunes are so positively contagious, the imagery they create so delightful, you just feel thankful for the experience and for the gift of music. I wish I could personally thank James Iha for creating such a masterwork and feel ever so slightly disappointed that this album didn't attain the commercial success it so richly deserves.

This album was the soundtrack of my last summer, but regardless of when you listen to it, it makes you feel warm and at peace inside. Very rarely you can find such fantastic melodies and warm harmonies on a cd nowadays. It is now obvious who contributed to some of the more melodic Smashing Pumpking tunes. James' voice, by the way, is outstanding and reminds me of John Lennon. Hopefully the break from the Pumpkins lasts a little longer so that there will be more to come!

Whilst James' voice may not be the most memorable, it really suits the lovely sound of this album. The lyrics and somewhat country infused (perhaps because of the oft-used slide guitar) pop songs are simply gorgeous. From Be Here Now to No One Is Gonna Hurt You this is an album you can have on in the background, or listen to with a loved one, or just listen to by yourself and enjoy songs of love.
Whilst I would originally agree with people who might suggest that a lot of Pumpkin's fans may not enjoy this album, I also like Pumpkins but I truly enjoy Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, NIN, Tool, Pumpkins and I really enjoy this solo record by James Iha.
It might be a good album to fall asleep to but it can also be a great album to wake up to as well, start your day off in a good mood.

I always liked the material James Iha recorded for the Smashing Pumpkins prior to this album. As a songwriter, James does not adhere to the Billy Corgan ideal of songcraft. Henceforth, do not mistake this as a Smashing Pumpkins project. Otherwise, why would James bother with this album in the first place?!
It takes a little courage to express oneself these days instead of having to please record labels (thus sounding like other current artists). There are no 'wall of sound' distorted guitars. There are no screamed-out lyrics of mental anguish and abuse. This album is about sensitivity and sensibility. Clever hooks and thoughtful recording make this a winner. I can rock as hard as anyone (and so can Iha), but this is what modern musicianship can be about if you can throw away your expecations or assumptions about what kind of music James *should* have went for.

It takes a while for this album to get going, but the second half is worth the price. Tracks 1-4 sound clumsy, so start at track 5 and enjoy some nice, mellow, groovin, country-esque, low-fi sounding Iha specials. This album would be indie pop if Iha wasn't already in SP. I've always enjoyed his contributions to the SP canon, so I hope he puts out more solo albums.

I was kind of scared to get this cd, thinking it would be really weak and slow. Well it is, but in a very good way. Its kinda like going for a nice drive in the country with the top down. I love it. I recommend it to anyone.

I was rather hesitant handing over 4 hours of work at Donut King after reading many evil reviews of this album (Rolling Stone totally sux), and upon first listen i was very dissapointed, but through persistance this album really grew on me. James' song writing and vocal preformances are very honest. Songs like "Be Strong Now", "Silver String" and "Lover, Lover" where the highlights for me in this very well balanced and all round brilliant album that has hogged my stereo for well over a year

It's hard to believe it's been a decade since this album was released. In a time of my life when I went through some tough times. This album was a diamond in the rough that came into my life before I reached adulthood. Especially cheering me up on hard days. I'm a Smashing Pumpkins fun but also enjoy James Iha's solo work to this day. His only solo album to this day still is a personal favorite in my collection. My rankings for each song.

Be Strong Now 5/5 ( great song, and the video for it I enjoyed )
Sound Of Love 3/5
Beauty 5/5
See The Sun 5/5
Country Girl 4/5
Jealousy 5/5
Lover,Lover 3/5
Silver String 5/5
Winter 5/5
One And Two 4/5 ( great song with D'arcy )
No One's Gonna Hurt You 5/5

I hope one day James will come out with a sequel to " Let It Come Down ", this wonderful album.