Customer Reviews

Milk of the Moon

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Greg Brown's new album comes up from the dirt and resonates in everyday life. He creates songs that bring you to a fireside with "Telling Stories" or he ponders the never-ending question of how love works with "Ashamed of our Love" and "Steady Love". It is kind of funny to say the Greg Brown has gone back to his roots because he is an artist that has always stuck to a pure form of songwriting but this album does reflect his earlier works. Greg Brown seems to effortlessly give his listeners outstanding songwriting time and time again.

Veteran folkbard Greg Brown knows the dark and muddy places of the heart. On his latest Redhouse Recording, he sings of love found, lost, and better left alone. With ethereal vocal backup from Karen Savoca, and the sometimes structured, sometimes writhing backup from axe-ter Pete Heitzman, Greg's smoky voice alternately comforts, confronts, and condemns.
The recording visits dark blues ("The Moon is Nearly Full"), primitive country (a lilting "Lull it Bye", featuring just Greg and his banjo), even 60's Hammond Organ funk ("Steady Love"). In "Smell of Coffee", Greg paints a vivid minimalist picture, with just a few sharply defined strokes. In "Telling Stories", Greg does what Greg does best: conjures up a time, place and feel so real we can all drop by for a rest. For that, we thank him.

I got this album today and can't stop listening to it. "Telling Stories" and "Oh You" are two of the best songs I've heard in a long long time. Greg Brown's baritone, unlike some who have ended up that way after years of vocal abuse, seems natural and unforced. This album just flows, and is one of the best folk albums of the year.

Can you say "Chris Rea, The Road to Hell, 1989"? Love Chris, love Greg. If you like a gritty voice with plenty of emotion & something to say, you'll like this one.

I had expected to just hear a typical Greg Brown album. ALWAYS PROFILIC. I was jamming to this new CD with a passion. This album could go down to be very well be one of the first new Folk "masterpiece" of the new century. Greg once again is true to his roots, as he does perform in a personal and warm premise. One of my favorite tracks would be "A Little Excited" (I hope when he performs in concert at McCabe's Guitar Shop in L.A. next time, he will perform that track) Heck, with an album of exceptional quality as this, who wouldn't be a "little excited" over ??? Peace - JG "The Bear"

Greg Brown is probably the only musician of whom I would say I am a fan. Generally, I feel affinity for albums rather than musicians. But I look forward to each release of Greg's because his music connects with me so frequently. Not every album does that, but more than is true of most musicians. For example, I thought his last album, "Covenant," was not up to his usual standards of songwriting and it didn't really connect with me.

"Milk of the Moon," on the other hand, is a step back toward "Poet Game" and "Further In" and "Slant 6 Mind," which are the albums I regard as his strongest and some of the best albums ever recorded by anyone. This one has a different sound and feel, which is not surprising since he is working with different musicians, a different producer, and in a different studio. But there is no mistaking it is still a Greg Brown record, and, for my money, it is an excellent one.

The first two paragraphs have been used in other reviews of folk musician/singer/songwriter Greg Brown's work.

Greg Brown is a particular kind of folk singer who before I listened to his "Greg Brown-The Live One " album reviewed elsewhere in this space I had not really paid attention to since the days of my early youth when I listened intently to Woody Guthrie whose songs were seemingly forged from the very heart of Americana. As a child of the urban folk revival of the 1960's I got caught up in listening to the more political message songs provided by the likes of Bob Dylan or Phil Ochs. As a poet/singer/songwriter Greg has come out of the heartland of America, like Woody, in a fury to write and sing his tales of love, remembrance, tragedy, desperation and, on occasion, just pure whimsy. He is thus in very good company, and belongs there.

His songs evoke, under more modern conditions to be sure, the days gone by when the community spirit of small town life meant something. A strong bass voice grainy with the trials and tribulations of life lend authenticity to his words, as does strong guitar playing when necessary. Needless to say the variety of topics covered in his songs speak for themselves from Grandma's food cellars to vanishing Iowa family farms to sweaty nights of lovemaking entwined with the up and down battles of love and, of course, the ubiquitous bouts of fishing that gain more than a nod in his albums.

Outstanding here are "Smell Of Coffee", the title track "Milk Of The Moon", "Ashamed Of Our Love", "Oh You". As always Greg is on top when singing about the seamy side of life, love and the mysteries of human existence out in the heartland.

Once again Greg Brown covers the full spectrum of emotions with fine lyrics and beautiful music ranging from a solo banjo to some sweet blues guitar. I recommend this album for the long time Greg Brown listener as well as for a first time Greg Brown purchase. I've been a fan of Greg Brown since the 80's when I heard him on PHC and purchased 44&66 on vinyl. Milk of the Moon is fine album.

there is one redeeming tune on greg's newest album, "milk of the moon" that reflects greg's creative genus and that's the first cut. the rest of the tunes are not up to greg's standard of excellence. i may return it to red house records and wait for something better from greg. i love his albums, slant 6 mind, dream cafe, covenant, over and under.

i am not a muxic critic, but i have listened to plenty of tunes and this album does nothing for me; except the first cut.