Customer Reviews

The Living Side

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

 

 

On her fourth studio album, Meg Hutchinson's songwriting is lyrically superb as always. And she's sounding very serene these days - there's no mistaking the calming effect of love in her new songs and that after some private psychological war, her feet have come down firmly on the side of the living. She wants to inspire those tiptoeing along the Golden Gate Bridge with eyes skyward to do the same (Gatekeeper). Not to drown out the chirps of sadness of birds perched on your tree, but to listen to their song; not to turn away from darkness, but to become a night traveller using inner flashlights to illuminate the way forward (Full of Light).

She's skillful at threading the social and political into her personal world: the "strange and lovely vision" of passengers huddled on the rescue chutes of the plane which landed in the Hudson (Hopeful Things), the "year of the billion dollar bailout" and driving "past our Lady of Liberty" on Hard to Change. Knitted into this urban scenery is naturalistic imagery of lakes, apple fields, "a flock of white birds tossed into the sky" (a beautiful line!), and the mythic flight of Icarus towards the sun.

What slightly detracted from this atmosphere of poetic and emotional depth and the warmth of her voice was the production, which sometimes veered dangerously close to being too "soft", even a bit sentimental: especially the electric guitar on Yea Tho We Walk and the keyboards on See Me Now and Hard to Change (which left me wondering how much better they might sound without them or with piano accompaniment). I thought that the production sound on her last album Come Up Full, where the use of these "easy listening" keyboards wasn't apparent, fitted her songwriting perfectly.

But it's still a huge pleasure to wander through her visions and see the world through her eyes for eleven songs. How many other singer-songwriters reflect on the tyranny of machines in our modern lives - "I can barely hear you over these machines / Turn 'em all off and tell me about your dreams"? Or express our oppressive dependence on technology: "I bought all these tools to save time / Well, if they save so much, then where's all mine"? This is the sound of a soul wise beyond her years:

"They say perfect the life or perfect the art
A choice like that will only tear you apart
There's room for both of you in my heart."
-- Being Happy

Standouts (IMO): Hard to change, Hopeful things, Every Day, Travel in, Full of light

Another great record from Meg Hutchinson! While I find it slightly more subtle than her two most recent CDs, that just means there's more to find on repeated listening. She's at the top of my list of most deserving artists you probably haven't heard of and need to hear. I love her voice and her harmonies but her poetry is what I live for.

Meg Hutchinson is by far one of my favorite musicians. She blends her lovely voice with masterful lyrics and compelling music, crafting albums that seduce you with one song and cut you to the bone with the next.

It's hard to be sure whether i like this album more than Come Up Full, but i think i do. Ms. Hutchinson is a bit more honest in this album. Anyone who has struggled with mental illness or is close to someone who has will probably hear a few things in these songs that they've always wanted to say but never quite found the words for.

This album has been a staple in my rotation for my daily commute. In a time when most pop music seems to lack context, this music is refreshing in that Meg's lyrics communicate so fully a sense of time and place. There is the political time ("year of the billion dollar bailout"...."It used to snow here, now it only rains" and multiple references to her personal struggles. This is an album that could only have been written and sung by her.

The music is touching and beautiful. It's sad to me that someone gave it a one star review. I think learning of her story allowed me to appreciate the album more fully, but is not a reason to buy this album if you are not into this kind of music.

I bought this CD because it had a positive review in the NAMI (National Assoc. for the Mentally Ill)newsletter and I facilitate a group for folks with bipolar. I was disappointed in the music which is the same feedback I have received from my clients who have listened to it.