Customer Reviews

Nights at the Chez

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

 

 

Harry Chapin was a composer who dared make us look inside, David does that so well. These are songs of life, ones to think by, and dream by.

This album is full of heatfelt music that at times really touches me, and at other times delights me with its humor. Highly recommended!

This was the first DR CD that I purchased in Nov 98 after hearing him play in Ft.Lauderdale,FL. I was so impresseed with the man and his music; I now own everything he's recorded!But this still remains one of my favorites. What a treat for the soul.

I DO understand why some hipsters detest contemporary folk music. Yes, much of it is deadly earnest, and the humor that is meant to leaven it is often a bit leaden in and of itself. Or at least, it may just be a bit too whimsical for sharp, urban tastes (and tastemakers).

Maybe it was ever thus. I remember back in the late 60s even, friends telling me that they liked Dylan and maybe a few others (the more acerbic performers maybe), but forget all that Hootenanny Hoot stuff. Not just too earnest, but too tasteful and pretty.

I was more of a closet folkie than I would have cared to admit at the time, however. And there was plenty of room in my musical pantheon for the tasteful and pretty--and the skillfully executed. As much as I liked raw r'n'r, I still had a soft spot for beautiful songs beautifully sung.

And that's what David Roth specializes in. He is that rare being, a truly gentle soul, and an unaffected gentle soul at that. And one with a gorgeous voice to boot. I could listen to him sing the phonebook, so how can I complain if some of the material he DOES do is a little on the earnest side. Anyone who records an environmentally conscious ditty like "I Do Not Need A Bag," is obviously not aiming to connect with the hipper-than-thou audience. No, the humor on this record is gentle, not acerbic. The ecumenical whimsy of "Heaven On Earth" is a prime of example of Roth's approach. It's sort of a IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE set to music--replete with a charmingly stumbly probationary angel (named Murray no less). You either buy into this stuff or you don't. These days, I do--unabashedly.

David Roth is just a genuinely sweet soul. If you have any doubts, see him live. This is not an act. (Or rather, of course it's an ACT, but it's also very genuine.) And beneath the sunny surface, there are hints of real, complex human emotions. Case in point, the title song about growing up in a kind of show biz family (Dad a Maitre D in a swanky Chicago hot spot and mom a big band singer) that touches on the break-ups and dislocations that ensued that particular golden era. Lovely song, subtly constructed and beautifully performed.

There are few performers out there today who are as warm and engaging as David Roth. So he's not what you would call edgy. The world needs a few gentle souls out there too. David Roth is the genuine article. I rank him with Kenny Rankin in the Gentleman Who Is Also a Gentle Man Department.

PS--I'm not really sure why the "Browse Similar Items" link on this page includes a reference to "Contemporary Christian Music." As mentioned above, David is pretty darn ecumenical (maybe even a tad New Agey, but not overwhelmingly so) in his worldview. And from his humor, his name, and a few of his references ("gentle, gentile eyes") I'm guessing that he was raised more Jewish than Christian. But somehow, I don't think he would take offense at being included in the Christian category. As long as the regular buyers of that genre don't mind either.

This CD is delightful. I first heard the title cut on XM radio and knew I needed to hear the whole CD. The first cut is whimsical and silly but everything that follows is great! My second favorite cut (after Nights at the Chez) is the second cut about "Heaven on Earth". Cannot wait to get more of David Roth's CDs.