Customer Reviews

Little

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`Little` is Vic's first album. He's referred to his early songs as "art-therapy", an exorcism of the demons of his middle-Georgia upbringing through his adopted art. Safe in his wheelchair, and in his new Athens G.A. bohemia, Vic was free to vent the bristling inner torment, long suppressed. "I am not victim/I am an atheist" he sings in `Speed Racer` with his devoutly Christian parents now distanced. The resulting catharsis is harrowing, erratic and suitably bare-boned and minimal. It is a relief that it is also offset by Vic's wit (`Soft Picasso` is about a modern love affair, "completely cool and casual/they hardly knew each other was there") and idiosyncratic wordplay, and complemented by his non-repetitive story-telling technique. This is Vic before his voice was tempered, before the tunes were polished, before arrangements were made and before he started writing with an attentive audience in mind. This is the purists' record, and brilliant and unique it is.

Warnings are in order for the uninitiated - this album is addictive! Raw and unrefined, *Little* may very well be the essential Vic. I first heard this work on vinyl many years ago; I finally wore the grooves off the old LP and decided to break down and buy the CD. It is a piece of art that I have continued to enjoy over many years, and through many changes in musical taste.

This listener finds Vic's edgy lyricism to be a beautiful thing. However, if you are a fan of slick, highly produced recordings, this may NOT be the album for you. Also, if you are one of those who do not enjoy hearing the accents of the rural South, you may want to give it a pass. Everybody else, dig in!

An all-time favorite.

The blueprint for Vic Chesnutt. Give it a listen

I wound up getting desperate to find Chesnutts first album Little....so I ordered it.And a week went by but it finally came!All I had by him was About To Choke so it just seemed important to get Little. Well I like it better than About To Choke. Seems so much more Not-Produced.But thats a plus. This is a mostly acoustic cd with hints of keyboards. If you have any of his cds then you know all about his car crash and the wheelchair...and his battles with drinking.Like the songs on About To Choke there is this dark/folk storytelling going on. He sings a bit rusty, weary and shaky. But it gets addictive.He seems to be thinking of the past alot on Little.If Dylan Thomas had lived now and wound up growing up in the south...and had picked up the guitar and sang his poems of sorrow he would have been Vic Chesnutt. Sometimes to weep over something is poetic and down right magical.....amen.

Just a guitar and wonderful lyrics. The few added tonal arrangements that are on the album seem like an intrusion on a quiet prayer session. The lyrics are quite unique I think. Not about fire and love and loss or anger, but simply describing the little things in the world. This effecting album reminds me of t.s. eliot's description of the end of the world--as a whimper, rather than a loud bang. I wish vic chestnutt would make some other simple albums like this one.

This album is from beginning to end beautiful in its simplicity. The lyrics evoke a sense of kids growing up, of lovers fumbling through uncertainty, of self doubt and questions of faith. Chesnutt's guitar work is rough but effective. If you like say Tom Waites I reckon you would like this.

The lyrics are great too, but it's Vic Chesnutt's way of singing that gets me broke down crying in the kitchen every time. He's got a particular way with the /t/ sound between vowels in words like "attitude" and "little." I can't explain it, but it's funny and heartbreaking at the same time. And this is definitely his best album. Thanks, Vic.

I am a big fan of Vic Chesnutt and this is my favorite of his albums. It's mostly acoustic and under-produced which suits his unique voice and personal lyrics. Soft Picasso, Rabbit Box and Independence Day are among the best tracks, though they are all great. If you like Vic Chestnutt (or Victoria Williams, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., or any other bands featuring unusual singers), definitely check out Little.

This album was recorded way back in 1988, before Chesnutt knew he was going to be a rock star and had no career to worry about, and it has a wonderful, disarming innocence. Some songs are great. Some are embarrassing. Some are both great and embarrassing. The recording, by Michael Stipe when he was still only a plain old superstar, is simple, just Vic and his guitar, węth the occasional dab of keyboards. They sound like they were done in one take. Chesnutt isn`t a great singer, and sometimes here he`s barely trying, but every so often he gets really passionate, and you can hear he means it. Lyrically it`s often clumsy ("The laws of action and reaction are the closest things to truth in the universe") but when Chesnutt keeps things simple, it works. Most of the songs have some connection to childhood, but there`s also a fair whack of stuff celebrating his atheism. For me, the best tracks are the opener "Isadora Duncan", "Danny Carlisle" (he don`t give a _____ about the Contras) and the haunting "Independence Day." The album ends with a setting of Stevie Smith`s poem "Not waving, but drowning" seemingly recorded by technology that would have been familiar to Eddison. END