Customer Reviews

Lowe Profile: A Tribute to Nick Lowe

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

 

 

As tribute albums go this one is very good. Nick's tunes are all given a new dimension by the very fact that he is not singing them!
This is a must buy for every Nick Lowe fan.

This is a very fine tribute, and I'm not a tribute fan.

The performances are all heartfelt, zippy, and into the core of the songs, which is what you'd want if you were the songwriter. I've always thought that the mark of a truly great songwriter is that, really, nobody can botch a great song. That's not an issue here, because the musicians are all really fine. But I can imagine some schmoe in a bar someplace singing "Peace, Love and Understanding," and the sedentary crowd awakening for just those three blessed minutes.

Highly recommended. And then some. Nick is an international treasure, and I absolutely adore the various facets, many formerly obscure, in his gem-studded catalog that appear on this disk. Just brilliant. Now, Nick, dammit: Write some more.

Nicely done tribute to the Jesus of Cool. Particularly nice are the contributions from Dave Alvin, Duane Jarvis, Foster & Lloyd, and Don Dixon. I think the fact that artists of this stature and talent elected to contribute here serves as testimony to the reverence Mr. Lowe commands. Not so nice is the contribution from Nick's adopted daughter, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe. She apparently didn't get the singing gene from her mom, Carlene Carter. But enough carping - if you are a Nick Lowe fan (and if you aren't, why not?) you will find much to enjoy here.

Amusingly, this disc was recorded for the most part in Costa Mesa, where I live. Would that I was able to witness the proceedings...

You will, of course, realize you are not actually listening to Mr. Lowe. However, the consistency of the approach employed here may make you think you are listening to the same band pretty much throughout the 2 CD's of material. I had a mental image of Nick playing his bass to the side while letting various different folks share the mic. In other words, no really wild stylistic swings (twang here, punk there, rap here..) that you get with many of these tributes from lesser known "tribute-ers". While you will recognize some names among the vocal mix, many you will not. And, where it twangs a bit, it is quite appropriate to the material. Buy it!

vastly exceeded my expectations. some of these tracks are absolutely to die for. Greg Trooper (my favorite american singer-songwriter) supplies a wonderful cover of What's Shaking on the Hill. Foster & Lloyd's Without Love, Rick Shea & Christy McWilson's Never Been in Love, and sparklejets' When I Write the Book cut the originals, which were not exactly shabby. imo these four are worth the price of admission. Dave Alvin's Failed Christian is admittedly a cover of a cover (i.e. it's not a Nick Lowe original) but its sinewy beat is irresistable. Tipsy Jack's loopy Marie Provost is a hoot.

I'd recommend this for the six tracks listed above alone. Not that the rest of the two-disc set is bad, quite the contrary. But these make it a must have, not least b/c they are not available anywhere else.