Customer Reviews

One All

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4 star:		(11)
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In a perfect world, Neil Finn's _One Nil_ that was released in 2001 everywhere *but* the US would've gotten the international release it deserved. _One Nil_ was simply a brilliant album - twelve excellent songs focused for the most part on Neil Finn's love for his wife and family. _One All_ is the 'American' version of that album, if you will, that replaces two songs and remixes several of the ones that was on _One Nil_. The only gripe I have with _One All_ is that it's unreal to think that an album as wonderful as _One Nil_ had to be tampered with at all. But Finn wanted to change things on the album so more power to him. Gone are the funky "Don't Ask Why" and ambient "Elastic Heart", replaced with the best song John Lennon never wrote, "Lullaby Requiem", and "Human Kindness."

In my opinion, Neil Finn is probably the best pop songwriter of the last 25 years. His songs (solo or with Crowded House and Split Enz) range from excellent to very good - he simply doesn't seem to write bad songs. Again and again he writes one gem after another. Not only are the songs great, but the production is immensely enjoyable. _One All_ and _One Nil_ are treats to listen to - interesting instrumentation, songs are given space to breathe, and Finn's voice soars. In addition to being an amazing vocalist with subtly impressive range, there's a vulnerability in Finn's voice that makes his songs incredibly appealing. "Into The Sunset" is one of the best songs ever written about 'being on the road': "And I'm away from home/and it's a way of life/and I'm flying high/and I'm a wheeling gull." Other excellent tracks include "Anytime", where Finn expresses the common fear of never knowing when his time is going to come, and "Turn and Run", a duet with Sheryl Crow. Other guests on the album include Lisa Germano, Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman (from Prince's Revolution), Sebastian Steinberg, and Mitchell Froom.

I recommend _One All_ to music fans who like their pop/rock smart, catchy, and heartfelt. My utmost suggestion would be to buy both _One Nil_ (as an import) as well as _One All_ - the songs on these albums are *that* good.

Cynics may be tempted to think that the remixing, resequencing and addition of two new songs on "One All" are little more than a sordid attempt to woo US fans who bought "One Nil" last year into buying what is essentially the same album twice. Fortunately, this proves not to be the case, as the changes are substantial and actually manage to improve upon what was already a very good album. The tinkering merely confirms what a craftsman Neil Finn is, and lucky for us, because this may be the best album of his career.

For "One All," his second studio album as a solo artist, Finn does what he's been doing routinely for the past 20 years: he conjures up a sparkling collection of elemental pop melodies and dresses them in earnest, plaintive lyrics that affect the listener in a way rarely experienced with pop songs. Never before, however, has it sounded so effortless. The two duds of "One Nil" have been replaced with two excellent new songs; the soothing arrangement and sing-song melody of "Lullaby Requiem" belie the deeply affecting lyrics, and "Human Kindness" manages to shuffle, shimmer and soar all at once.

Four songs received complete, if sometimes subtle, remixes. The two most affected are "Turn and Run" and "Hole In the Ice." The former has transformed from snappy pop ballad to majestic, atmospheric dirge, while the swirling nightmarish verses of "Hole" have received a healthy dose of clarity, courtesy of Bob Clearmountain.

The production in general is inventive but rarely intrusive. In a much more subtle way than on his debut solo album "Try Whistling This," Finn continues to explore the superimposition of drum samples, Mellotron and treated guitars upon traditional acoustic instrumentation. Some critics might call this an attempt to add a "techno-savvy" quality to the album, but that judgement owes more to Finn's image than his music. A happily married father of two at 43, Finn shouldn't be able to sound as current as he does, but he pulls it off with grace.

One is hard-pressed to single out favorites on this album. Neil Finn has, perhaps for the first time, assembled an album of uniformly excellent songs, ditching the self-indulgence that sometimes bogged down his earlier releases. Lyrically "One All" leans toward self-doubt, mortality and mourning, but the last two songs, "Rest of the Day Off" and "Into the Sunset," introduce an altogether new theme for Finn: hope. Still, the optimism of "Sunset" is laced with doubt: "Faster into the weakness, off the wall into blackness--gifted."

Such refusal to lapse into simple emotional sentiments is what makes Neil Finn so compelling as a songwriter. A line from Crowded House's "Four Seasons In One Day" aptly sums this up: "Sleeping on an unmade bed/finding out wherever there is comfort there is pain." "One All" is Finn's most focused attempt at exploring this yet, and is recommended for his fans or anyone curious about good, thoughtful pop.

Neil Finn, the mastermind behind the late, lamented Crowded House, has again delivered an engaging, animated collection of tunes. No matter what you think of Neil's efforts, there is no denying he is a great and prolific song writer.

"One All"---which is a remixed and reworked version of the more cleverly named import One Nil---features Neil's trademark vocals and arrangements interspersed with some odd, even jolting, contributions from his sidewomen, Lisa and Wendy who are best known for keeping Prince in check with their great bass and drum work on Purple Rain. But the best tracks, in opinion, are those where Sheryl Crow melds her vocal with Neil's. Driving Me Mad is one of those songs that keeps haunting you hours after you have heard this CD. Another one that will haunt you is "Anytime."

Though I prefer the earlier "Try Whistling This" just a bit to this CD---in part because some of the innovations there seem less obtrusive than they do here---"One All" is sure to make my favorites list for this year.

I'm not sure if this CD will make many converts but it will surely satisfy the legions of Neil Finn/Crowded House/Split Enz fans around the globe. And the fact that Neil gets nil play on American radio further underscores just how moribund and stale a state the music industry here has lapsed into.

Neil Finn knows how to write a song. As an up-and-comer in The Split Enz, he spearheaded their success with I Got You, and continued the streak with his craftsmanship for Crowded House and The Finn Brothers. Neil's first solo effort, Try Whistling This, I had thought, was the pinnacle of his career. Until "One All." "One All," a reworked version of his "One Nil," which was released in 2001 to the world outside the US, is one of my favorite albums of 2002.

Neil's songwriting has reached masterful proportions. One All starts out with a nice touch: " The Climber", a slow-tempo song filled with loneliness, builds and leads perfectly into "Driving Me Mad." Standout cuts are "Driving Me Mad," "Wherever You Are," "Human Kindness," and "Turn and Run." I tried not to like "Hole in the Ice," but after a few listens, I appreciated the John Lennon-like vocal and the lovely, airy chorus. And just when I was all set to write off "Secret God," as rather pedestrian, he finishes off the song with a killer acid-electric guitar solo and a rather free-form sounding cacophony at the end. Amazing.

The backing line-up includes Sheryl Crow, Sharon Finn, Wendy Melvoin (yeah, THAT Wendy from Prince's Revolution), Lisa (yeah, the OTHER half of Wendy & Lisa), Jim Keltner, Lisa Germano, and ace-producer Mitchell Froom (who produces one track in addition to his piano/Wurlitzer playing). The female backing vocals found on One All are a perfect fit with Neil's light, airy touch. Neil's guitar work is nothing short of fantastic. Neil fans should love this one. I highly recommend this to Neil novices as well.

Someone PLEASE post a meaningful alternate review to the lexiconic traffic jam "proffered" by Sarah Dempster! I am sincerely interested in this album, but was confounded by this altar of words the reviewer has apparently built to herself.

Mr. Finn has always been an artist worth keeping track of, but some of us haven't been faithful since the Crowded House days. I really wanna know... How's this album and what types of listeners will it appeal to? Thanks in advance!

Released abroad last year as "One Nil" and now out domestically with a more upbeat title and altered track lineup, Finn's latest is yet another outstanding collection of songs that are as nakedly emotional as they are experimental. Never your average popster, the former Crowded House man, with the help of co-producer Tchad Blake, continues on "One All" to frame his plaintive voice in eccentric soundscapes that evoke an appropriate melancholic air. "I could go anytime / there's nothing safe about this life," a wised-up Finn divulges on "Anytime," a tune so winsome that one might forget he's talking about death. Not everything sounds as sweet. "Hole in the Ice" - which evokes Rilke's admonition, "You must change your life" - begins as brute force before segueing into a heart-wrenchingly dulcet refrain. But on the whole, this is an album filled with deeply rich melodies ("The Climber," "Wherever You Are" and "Rest of the Day Off") in which the cloudy-day sentiments have no silver lining. Finn has long since begun to ratchet downward his estimates of just how much joy he can extract from the world. It's a marvel then that he's able to express his fears, apprehensions and demons with such brilliance and beauty.

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I bought this album back when it was released in Australia as One Nil. Excellent CD. Great songs. Compared to the Crowded House work, I would say that this CD is more varied. The joke was that in response to critical claims that the Crowded House was too whistleable (or some such nonsense), the title of the other solo disc is Try Whistling This. Musically, it was a much more complicated album and that worked in some places and didn't in others. This album has no fewer than 8 or 9 great songs (which I found to be typical on the Crowded House discs) and I would place "Anytime" as one of his best songs. However, sadly, I find that this particular mix of the song is the weakest of the three I have (One Nil, One All, and 7 Worlds Collide). Nevertheless, with the exclusion of this (and it is still an excellent song), I find that this version of the album is better. In addition, Neil ever so kindly cut the two songs I didn't like on One Nil and replaced them with two new tracks. "Lullaby Requiem" ranks as a strong track alongside such great songs as "Turn and Run", "Rest of the Day Off", and the new single, "Driving Me Mad". To make a very long story short, if you like Neil, buy it. What do you have to lose? If you are not familiar with him, but like well-crafted, Beatles-y, sensitive music, check it out and see what you have been missing. And get 7 Worlds Collide while you are at it. Just remember to skip the Lisa Germano track. YUCK!!!

It's a pity that it took over a year to get this released in the US. One All (aka One Nil down under)is an intelligent, well crafted set of songs. It's certainly no accident that Neil Finn has excelled at writing material like this. While it sounds worlds away from the quirkier arrangements of Split Endz, One All would have fit in very well with the Crowded House catalog.

So what's the difference between One All and One Nil? One All actually sounds more consistent. The two new songs are a mixed bag. Lullaby Requiem is certainly well crafted but the chorus puts it a bit over the top while Human Kindness stands as one of Finn's best ballads. THe album feels more complete with these although adding them (Vs. subtracting the two tracks Don't Ask Why and Elastic Heart are both admirable efforts equal to anything else here. It seems that Finn and Netwerk should have enhanced the original experience by including them as bonus tracks.

The four remixed tracks vary in quality. There's not a huge improvement although all seem a little slicker and more streamlined. One All certainly has an advantage over the earlier edition but is it worth paying the extra money for? If you've already purchased One Nil it all depends on how big a fan of Finn you are. Are the new tracks essential? Probably not but most fans will want them anyway.

Although not as experimental as Try Whistling This, One All has it's moments that equal (and in some cases surpass) his debut solo album. Now that this has finally been released in the US, we'll be able to see Finn tour America again. Although not quite up to the stanard of his best two Crowded House albums (Woodface and the darker, subtle Together Alone), One All is every bit the equal of the CH debut album and (the criminally underrated) Temple Of Low Men.

If you're a fan of XTC, The Beatles or Eels, you'll enjoy this finely crafted work. The melodies are rich, the lyrics thoughtful and well written and the performances are all outstanding.

Neil Finn first broke onto the music scene in the 70's as one of the founding members of Split Enz, one of New Zealand's most successful pop/rock/punk bands, and garnered worldwide attention with minor hits "I Got You" and "I See Red." Split Enz, as their name suggests, eventually split ends and Neil went on to form Crowded House in the 80's. Neil enjoyed more success with Crowded House and the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over," "Something So Strong," and "Weather With You." Crowded House eventually became a little too cramped as Neil and his brother Tim disbanded the group to focus more on their solo work and brotherly collaborations. Try Whistling This, Neil's first proper solo album, shyed away from the Split Enz and Crowded House material as Finn began to take a darker edge with his songwriting in tunes like "She Will Have Her Way," "Sinner," and "Addicted." Despite much critical success, as is par for the Finn family, Whistling failed to take off commercially in the states. Never one to take a day off, Neil promptly went back to work on crafting One Nil, his sophomore solo release. Once again released to critical acclaim in Europe, Australia, and Asia, American record execs at Sony/Work didn't hear another "Don't Dream It's Over" on there. As the Work label was collapsing and Sony was cleaning it's roster of established acts, Neil went back into the studio to re-work One Nil into One All - partly due to label pressures, partly due to his perfectionistic tendencies. The traditional record label stories follow leaving Neil with a refurbished version of an album which was already fine to begin with, but without a company to release it in the States. In steps Nettwerk, a Canadian-based artist-friendly label that was for all intensive purposes founded on the international success of Sarah McLachlan, to release One All. Always the showman, Neil continued to tour throughout all this to sold-out audiences across the world culminating in 7 Worlds Collide, an experiment as he says to form a band of his friends and some of the greatest musicians today, play a week of shows, and disband before things start going bad.

One All is a return to more typical Neil fare with folk-rock fare with memorable, jangly melodies and intelligent lyrics. The reworking of One Nil to One All allowed Neil to recruit Sheryl Crow, whom he opened for as part of his Whistling tour, to sing harmonies on two tracks, "Driving Me Mad" and "Turn And Run," and contribute accordion to another, "Into The Sunset." "Turn And Run" is one of the album's most haunting tracks detailing a failed relationship: "I won't give you up / Till silverware's covered in dust / And my shoes fall apart / And the tumbleweed runs / Over my desert heart." Produced by Finn and Tchad Blake, he was able to recruit some of pop's most revered to help him - Crow, Lisa and Wendy (of Prince fame, yes, that Prince), the ever-haunting Lisa Germano, Sebastian Steinberg of the recently disbanded Soul Coughing, Los Angeles's Shon Sullivan (aka Goldenboy), session-drummer Jim Keltner, and producer-extraordinare Mitchell Froom - and brought along his wife, Sharon, and son, Liam, to contribute vocals. On first listen, it's the ballads that stand out, "Turn and Run," "Wherever You Are," and "Lullaby Requiem," but repeated listens prove the catchiness of the more upbeat pop tracks, "Driving Me Mad," "Human Kindness," and "Anytime." Briefly put, One All is an understated masterpiece that works its way into your heart with its beauty and simplicity.

In a nutshell, this album is a compelling and mature effort from Neil Finn. The One All album is much more focused than his last admirable effort, Try Whistling This. Neil seems to feel at ease with Crowded House comfortably (but sadly) behind him. While the songwriting and musicianship on this album don't represent a complete departure from Crowded House, it should be noted that his songcraft and musical experimentation are much more complex. In short, buy this record. It's great to watch an artist mature and progress rather than deconstruct into a pool of disappointment. Look for the standout tracks Wherever You Are, Turn and Run, Anytime and Rest of the Day Off. Also, consider the Seven World Collide disc which places Split Enz, Crowded House, Finn and Neil Finn songs in the context of a wild array of guest stars like Eddie Vedder, Johnny Marr plus Ed and Phil from Radiohead. Oh, and of course, Neil's brother Tim.