Customer Reviews

Lifted Off the Ground (CD/DVD) [AMAZON EXCLUSIVE VERSION]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prime Cuts: Broken, Notes to the Coroner, Hang Out in Your Heart

It happened to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shelby Lynne, Ronna Reeves, k d lang and host of many others. After being released from their major label contracts where many of these artists felt artistically contrived, their subsequent records become reactionary to their back catologs. Symptomatically these subsequently records become completely or mostly self-composed, they are quick to abandon strong melodic structures for tuneless sonic indulgences, and they depart stylistically from the Nashville formula. Strangely, the results have worked wonders for some carving for them a whole new niche (with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shelby Lynne and kd lang being perfect examples). While for others, they have been meet with nothing but with oblivion (Ronna Reeves being the tragic example). With her last top 40 country hit "Back of the Bottom Drawer" being more than 6 years ago, Chely Wright has passed her prime as far as the country charts are concerned. By moving away from commercial country seems the logical choice. In fact based on the initial buzz "Lifted Off the Ground" ought to work well for Wright in spreading out her wings to encompass a larger audience than her initial country crowd. Nevertheless, what prevents Wright from sliding into becoming one of those anonymous coffee house singers is that Wright has not completely abandon her jut towards songs with memorable hooks.

Written while she was in a crucible of personal depression, many of these entries reflect her frustrations with her life, sexuality, failures and her thorny relationship with her mother. Easily the first half of the CD is the stronger of the two. Lead single "Broken" hits the high water mark of a great hit with its strong stately drum line, Wright's soft but assertive delivery and a revealing message that begs for openness in a burgeoning relationship. "Notes to the Coroner" showcases Wright's ingenuity as a writer: written from the perspective a woman who was just about to take her own life after a toxic love affair, it's morbid yet revealing. Calling to mind traces of Wright's hit "She Was," "Hang Out in Your Heart" a soft ballad has a loud message of loneliness that is delivered with a penetrating ache. "Snow Globe" is the antithesis of those corny sugar-coated Mother's Day tribute. Continuing the theme she started in her previous "Between Mother and a Child," "Snow Globe" is another attempt in making sense of Wright's estranged relationship with her mother set in a trippy dreamy soundscape.

The second half of the disc is less even. "Like Me," also the title of her autobiography, is a sparse acoustic-like number with Wright's vocals at the cynosure. Nevertheless, despite the song's simplistic melody it hides a dark message of Wright's sexual ambiguity. The guitar only backing of "Wish Me Away" is a tad too amorphous and far too indulgent for wider appeal. While she goes into the opposite direction with "Damn Liar," an angry blast at her no-good lover awash with even profanity. Wright has come a long way since her "Single White Female" days. In fact, she sounded more like Alanis Morissette on the rock entry "Object of Your Rejection." Unfortunately, unlike Alanis Morissette, she does not have the knack to channel her rage into creative measures.

If you are expecting Wright to be the Wright who gave us hits like "It Was" and "Shut Up and Drive," this CD will disappoint. This bears little resemblance to commercial country. Rather, it's a singer-songwriter soft rock to rock album with some country touches here and there. Just like producer Rodney Crowell's recent efforts, "Lifted Up from the Ground" defies genre classification. Yet, there is an immediacy, honest and heartfelt quality to these paeans that make this still a worthy purchase.

Chely Wright
"Lifted Off The Ground"
(Vanguard, 2010)
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Five years ago, singer Chely Wright left the confines of the Top 40 country scene for a more stripped-down sound on an indie label; she goes further on that journey here, a moody, soulful, deeply personal album in which Wright comes out of the closet and, doubtless, burns her last bridge with the socially conservative Nashville establishment. But while she closes one door, she opens others, courting a folkier, more diverse audience and delivering a powerful album that should attract and satisfy these new fans.

Certainly, with the anguish and honesty of this emotionally raw batch of songs, she's a million miles away from the calculated, prefab "earthiness" of today's commercial country scene, entering into the confessional folk-pop terrain pioneered by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rosanne Cash and others. The first sign that this album takes a new direction if the half-giddy, half-morbid suicide novelty song, "Notes To The Coroner," catchy and clever, but a bit disturbing as well. It's soon followed by the album's masterpiece, the mournful, acoustic "Like Me," which is a brilliantly written, utterly aching ballad addressed to a woman that Wright has fallen in love with, but can never attain, because while she wants to come out of the closet, her lover cannot. The rest of the album is mostly an echo of that searing, painful blast -- more regret, anger, recriminations, sorrow. She swears on a couple of tunes (which will probably help this album gain some notoriety) but the words sound natural, an affirmation of her intensity, not a mere gimmick. This album is clearly a work of self-therapy, but not entirely one of self-indulgence... Indeed, it's rare to hear a record that is so palpably relevant and real, so emotionally direct and meaningful. Wright isn't dabbling in style or obscuring her thoughts in wordplay or irony -- all the current conventions of pop and twang are thrown out the window as we hear an artist simply expressing herself, and exploring her own thoughts as she makes one of the biggest decisions of her life. It's a compelling record, and many of us will wish her all the best in days and years to come. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Country Music)

I listened to the album after reading her book, Like Me. What a difference it has made to me, because I can really see why she wrote the songs she did. The words really are so meaningful and personal, it makes me feel like I know her a little bit and I think it is her best album to date! Go Chely!

I bought this record because I've always liked Chely, and when all of the hoop-la hit the media, it seemed like a good way for my wife and I to vote or endorse authenticity. This a great record top-to-bottom. Rodney Crowell does a beautiful job of producing, and the choice of musicians couldn't get any better. Impressive songwriting and very soulful singing from Chely. Real Songs, Real Musicians, Real Singing, Real Recording and Mixing. The first cut, 'Broken', has a Memphis soul touch to it that is killer, and should be a radio hit. In a world that's overrun with absolute garbage, this record reminds me of why I like music in the first place . . . I am blown away at just how much I like this record. Good going Chely and Rodney. This is actually 'Grammy Worthy'.

Someone else described this album as "haunting," and I think that's a pretty appropriate description. The music is beautiful and addictive. It's definitely not as commercial or upbeat as some of her prior work though, if that's what you're looking for. My favorite tracks are "Broken", "Notes to the Coroner", and "Wish Me Away".

It's misleading (and slightly irritating) that amazon has "explicit" stamped across each song - "Damn Liar" and "Object of Your Rejection" are the only songs that could even qualify for that category.

Honestly, I have not listened to country radio since I was a kid in the '80s, so the only Chely Wright song I was familiar with was her ubiquitous hit "Single White Female." But when I read she came out of the closet and wrote a deeper, more introspective country-folk album, I was intrigued enough to buy this CD. Wright is the first homosexual country singer to come out of the closet publicly, so the lady obviously has a ton of courage. And, truthfully, the music on this CD has a lot of courage, too. The recording is in the same vein as recent releases by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams and Rosanne Cash -- a little folk, a little rock, a little country -- and takes the listener on a pleasant, lilting, insightful journey. The music is spiritual, loving and uplifting without being preachy or religious. Wright and wonderful producer Rodney Crowell did an excellent job of putting together a BEAUTIFUL and EXCELLENT album.

Ms. Wright has left her days as a member of the young, and carefree country Pop group. She always stood out as very talented and not a blond clone.
Her music is pared down instrumentally, and her lyrics discuss deeper issues in her life and ours. You cannot live being young, sexy and cute forever unless, like many performers, you prefer not to grow up.

Chely Wright has come out with her most personal and best album to date. In short, the songs, which are all written by Chely, are all top-notch, and the production by Rodney Crowell is flawless apart from some overbearing background vocals at times.

Prime cuts: Notes To The Coroner (Simply Chely's best song to date, apart from "The River"), Damn Liar, Shadows Of Doubt.

Country music is perhaps the only genre I own very little of, however, I do collect the work of singer-songwriters. There is something about hearing a song with the original intonations, pauses and emphasis that gave birth to it that I've always loved. Often songwriters do not have the best voice, that is certainly not lacking here. As others have noted this disk is also an example of an artist finally being able to write her soul after years of repression. Sometimes this results in highly personal songs that are inaccessible to the average listener. That doesn't happen here. She illuminates the subject of each song with clear insights and sometimes black humor, as found in "Notes to the Coroner" about the day she almost took her life. Though you can fully enjoy this CD without knowing much about Chely, I think my enjoyment was heightened after reading her recent autobiography which gives background to many of the songs. The book and the CD share the same honesty, but even without reading it, songs like "Hang Out in Your Heart" will resonate with anyone who remembers those first intense days of being in love with the right person.

Some of the songs speak strongly to her recent decision to come out the closet. "Like Me" sung as a slow, gentle, waltz-like vocal contains the refrain "who's gonna end up holding your hand? A beautiful woman or a handsome man?", while "Damn Liar" reflects a sense of self-condemnation for having lied about herself for so long. Other songs like "Wish Me Away" seem to be yet another sad apology (the book contains several) to one of the men she dated who truly loved her.

The bonus DVD shows some footage of her entertaining the troops and contains a good bit of her hanging and biking with friends at her new home in New York. Perhaps she needed New York to truly come out of her shell and throw off the restraints and rejection of Nashville's narrow fundamentalist Christian world. It will be interesting to see how this singer develops now that she is free to speak her mind and soul. As she said on the Oprah show in May of 2010...I'm only two weeks old. If this is her infancy, there should be great things ahead..

Lifted Off The Ground is Chely Wright's 7th studio album and quite simply her best yet!
With her deeply personal songwriting and Rodney Crowell's superb production,both take Chely's music to a whole new level.
She kicks things off with the first single Broken and the rest of the album flows along nicely.Such as the lovely Heavenly Days,Like Me,Hang Out In Your Heart and Shadows Of Doubt.
Notes To The Coroner,one of the more darker songs lyrically,comes with a surprisingly catchy upbeat sound.Another great uptempo is the anger fuelled Damn Liar.

Chely's sound continues on from The Metropolitan Hotel but with alot more depth and growth.And although these songs where written during her darkest moments,Chely's beautiful voice and Rodney's producing stops Lifted Off The Ground from being a dark and dreary experience.
A stunning album that will just blow you away!

Prime cuts: Notes To The Coroner, Like Me, Damn Liar, Shadows Of Doubt.