Customer Reviews

Little Village

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fantastic recording by four elite musicians, Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, Nick Lowe and John Hiatt. Like other reviewers, I am struck by the great rhythms on this record. It is funky, bluesy and very much rock & roll. As usual, Nick Lowe proves to be one of the greatest livng masters of rock & roll "style". His songs are full of hooks, memorable guitar-riffs, harmony vocals,etc. That said, everyone shines on this disc, including the not-often-mentioned Jim Keltner who is responsible for the ultra-chunky rhythms.

Reading some of the other reviews makes me wonder what gets these folks excited musically. This cd is one of my favorite all time works. You take the funky, synchopated rhythms of Ry Cooder, the steady pop of Lowe and John Hiatt, mix it all together, and you got something special. Which this is. The first 2 cuts are rhythmic materpieces. For those of you who could'nt get into it, go back and listen to the 3 or 4 different rhythm patterns going on at once. In this you get great vocals by Ry and John and Cooder's ever-spectacular slide guitar. Geesh. Makes me shake my head...........

When this came out, they expected another Bring the Family album. That was an John Hiatt album, this is more of a group album. John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner are amazing musicians and it really shows on this album. I describe this as a fun blues record. Hiatt's singing is top notch, Ry Cooder brings in a deep blues track with The Action and Nick Lowe sings Take Another Look and Fool Who Knows like with a mixture of blues and The Attractions. The two songs they all sing together are cool mixture. I like all the tracks on this album alot. Highly Recommended.

"Little Village", the one-time supergroup consisting of guitarists John Hiatt and Ry Cooder, bassist Nick Lowe and drummer Jim Keltner, took their name from the song "Little Village" by Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II), whose 1950s studio bickering with producer Leonard Chess can be heard during the closing number, "Don't Bug Me When I'm Working".

The style on this album is more John Hiatt than any of the other three (they did, after all, work as Hiatt's backing band on his "Bring The Family" album). Laid-back roots-rock, highlighted by the catchy single "Solar Sex Panel", Nick Lowe's rocker "Take Another Look", the ballads "Do You Want My Job", "Big Love" and "Don't Think About Her When You're Trying To Drive", and the FM radio standart "Don't Go Away Mad" (superb hook on that one!).

If you like John Hiatt and/or Ry Cooder, this is for you. And even if you've never listened to either of them, you might still want to give "Little Village" a try if groovy heartland rock is your thing.
The rhythm section of Keltner and Lowe are terrific, and even though "Little Village" lacks the obvious #1 pop hit, the songs are of consistently high quality.
4½ stars.

I found this CD GREAT, I loved everything about it. I think it shows the individual talents of all the musician in the band. It was gritty, funky, blusy, you name it...

The team of Ry Cooder and John Hiatt has made some of the best music ever recorded (i.e. "Across the Borderline"), and this session shows why I make that claim. "Do you want my job?" should be mandatory listening material for anyone taking a vacation in the islands. "Don't think about her (when you drive)" hit's way too close to home on a personal note, I have to remind myself not to obsess about the Ex-wife now and then. It seems I'm not alone.

Hiatt lyrics & Cooder slide. Whip up a jug of pina coladas and tell the world to call back tomorrow.

The critic doesn't have a clue to good blues music, because these guys play good and bluesy, and they may have a relaxed way of playing it, but it sure sounds incredible. I only wish they would put out another follow-up recording with the same personnel, because we all at work listen to this one as much as we do the late great Stevie Ray Vaughns, "the Sky is Crying"

I've had this album since it came out, and while I'm a fan of all four musicians and heard them play some spectacular stuff, this is not that stuff.

These four guys got together and sound like they had a massive amount of fun creating this record. I can't say it particularly shows off any of the group's skills, but where these four guys prove their musicianship mettle is in the fact their smiles are transparent in the recording.

This is no show-off record, it's four guys who obviously groove with one another playing FUN songs that are a blast to listen to. I smile after listening to this; I can't help it! And that's why I love this record. It's a gas to listen to, and I don't care if it's not their best stuff, it's FUN and that's what matters to me.

Intelligent lyrics and brilliant melodies make all of these songs instantly memorable. The ability of these three guys: Hiatt, Lowe, Cooder to paint pictures with music is incredible.

Buy this one.

Gotta love this album (sorry, I still call 'em albums). The same foursome that brought us Hiatt's "Bring the Family" does it again. A dream line-up. This is fabulous, gutsy music. CHeck it out - you won't be sorry!