Customer Reviews

Outside Inside

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The String Cheese Incident is an excellent band and Outside Inside is an excellent album. The key to this excellence is the musical talent in the band, both in the playing and the songwriting catagories. The music is what it's really all about, Charlie Brown. The scene is fun, the crowd rocks at the shows, the fans wear funny clothes, and, yes, that is marijuana you smell, but when push comes to shove, it's the music that matters.

I saw the show at the Greek Theater in LA last night [straight, as always] and listened to the new album for the first time last night [straight, as always] and I think that puts me in a position to offer some pithy insights. The show and the album are different animals, but definitely of related species. As has been pointed out about studio albums by many a jam band, the songs just aren't the same on the album as they are in concert. Duh! It's a jam band. But as someone once said about the Grateful Dead [while expressing disappoinment about the lack of a final studio album], the studio album represents a starting point, the core of each song from which the jam starts, an original document. Without that core song, there would be no jam. That said, this studio album stands on its own without the anticipation of jams to come. Your local DJ could play these tunes on the radio without embarassing herself or inflaming the PTA. I dare you to play Rollover and not dance [or think heavily about the lyrics]. You don't have to be a neo-hippie to like the tunes on this disc. The Grateful Dead/Allman Brothers/Phish influences are there for all to hear [gee, I wonder what these guys listened to as youngsters?], but SCI isn't into mere imitation of their myriad influences. This album is a monument to SCI's unique musical mix. As a fan of Los Lobos, I must mention Steve Berlin's contribution as producer. I think this is SCI's best studio album and I think Berlin should get his share of the credit.

Get Outside Inside AND go to A String Cheese Incident show. Enjoy both. And dance!

I must say that I am a tad bit subjective in rating this album because I am a certifiable FOC (Friend of Cheese). That aside this album is a perfect introduction to the depth and breadth of String Cheese Incident's (SCI) unique musical offerings. In the confines of one single disc they offer the listener a glimpse of exactly what a band should be. Not that I'm saying all bands should sound exactly like SCI, rather all bands should experiment with their sound as much as SCI does. On this one disc, the listener is bombarded with a myriad of different types of sound, from latin, to Carribean, to reggae, to straight-up rock, to Grateful Dead-esque psychdelic jamming, to a techno infused rendition of a SCI favorite (courtesy of DJ Logic), and finally to a sweet bluegrass tune. Very few bands are capable of such extreme shifts in musical focus all on one CD, yet SCI does it with ease.

I guess that's enough reviewing for right now, I have two suggestions though: 1) Buy this CD, and 2) See SCI live! It's imperative that you do this for it will change the way you think about music. Please do this and you'll thank me later.

Keep on hoopin'

Somewhere between Phish's avant-arena highwire act and the Dave Matthews Band's coliseum Keg party lies The String Cheese Incident. A tripper-friendly improv-rock quintet with bluegrass roots, the Incident goes concise and crafty on their third studio album. Highlights range from the title track's southern-fried acid funk to electric-mandolin whiz Michael Kang's 10-minute prog-reggae ode to Gaia, "Rollover". Stylistically, the group adheres to an anything-goes policy, indulging in everything from r&b to afropop, but in the end, acoustic flat picker Bill Nershi brings it all back home. -Richard Gehr

These jams make you feel like you're at a concert... until you actually go to a SCI live show and get completely blown away. This CD flows from track to track seemlessly, and displays the very diverse range of musical style that the String Cheese Incident performs so well. There's a jam in every song, and once the band breaks into it, you can't help but tap your foot or slap your knee (or, in my case, bang on the steering wheel while driving). The jams are so convincing that you just don't want them to end... and that's when you know you're ready to see SCI live, because it's simply a dream come true.

Well, with this release the SCI boys prove they can come to the game and play. This finely produced work is equal to the mid period of Lowell George's Little Feat or The Band's post Americana of Stage Fright/Cahoots. Carnival music and funky sounds texture involved lyrical themes of racism(Black and White) ecology(Rollover) and wasted lives(Lost). Impossible to believe, but this extraordinary live act actually improves on their concert performance with the tune Sing a New Song. Great trippy production adds to the moody performance. The 4 different singers within the band have stepped up from previous discs and bodes well for the future of this incredibly talented band. ......Agreed that the batik stained bluegrass touch is sadly lacking(except on the final cut, Up the Canyon)and this is the cause for the CD to lose 1 star...perhaps that twinkle of innocence is hopefully not gone forever. Definitely a worthy purchase.

If you're a bit put off by the jam scene, Outside Inside is a good way to ease you in, as it bears the strongest resemblance to mainstream rock. The rock 'n' roll is a springboard to the introduction of the other genres SCI is famous for skipping around to, though - jazz, funk, fusion, New Age-istic movements, and bluegrass. Though the final of those is not as prevalent here as on their previous two releases, the whole album is quite solid and has a nice flow, relying less on full instrumentals than ever and taking time to focus on the sound and meaning of the words in addition to the cores of the songs that serve as the skeleton for their brilliant live improvisation.

"Outside and Inside" and "Joyful Sound" are as pure as SCI-brand rock gets, and while "Close Your Eyes" and "Search" represent a slight lull in the intensity, "Drifting" won't so much like a lull as a sleep inducing aid (in the good kind of way). "Black and White" and "Lost" represent the jazz side of the album, while "Sing a New Song" reminds of me of something out of a commercial advertising canned chili that's set out on the Western desert frontier. It transitions nicely into "Rollover", which has a beat that is nothing short of addictive. Capping off the 55-minute album is the CD's only bluegrass tune, "Up the Canyon," which has amazingly and successfully been converted to funk for recent live performances.

The funny thing about this CD, and the others in general, is the fact that each of the band's songwriters seem to possess a theme in their songs. Want a song about a guy down on his luck trying to find his personal silver lining? Kyle (the keyboardist) is your man. Want a reaching song with overtones of the tenuous relationships between the many peoples of the earth? Try mandolinist Michael Kang. And for songs of wonderment at the majesty of nature and life in general, it's a coin toss between acoustic guitarist Billy Nershi and bassist Keith Moseley.

Hardcore SCI fans might find this one a tad simplistic by live standards, but you can't go far wrong with it if you're someone being pressured into experimenting with their sound. It is a far cry from the sounds of Born On the Wrong Planet and Round the Wheel, but for people who prefer a rocksy sound, this is the one to get first.

Well, first off, it is worth buying. I gave it three stars only because it lacked some strong jams. Rollover and Joyful Sound are great. And all the songs are strong studio tracks. The album is worth buying for it is a good string cheese album. However, it doesn't even come close to a live bootleg. If you are a first time String Cheese listener, I don't suggest you buy this album to start with. Try the live album, however if you listen to Cheese alot it does make a nice addition to the collection.

This is easily one of the best jamband CD's I have ever heard. WHile most great live bands are not able to maintain their core sound in the studio, SCI seems to have been able to do this on Outside Inside. The sounds are absolutely incredible. Just listen to the drums on Joyful Sound and Drifting. Very powerful. The vocals sound especially great on Close Your Eyes, Joyful Sound and Sing a New SOng. Sing a New Song is the best track on the album. I would recommend this CD to everyone, jamband lover or just music lover in general. This is a band that is going to be around for a very long time.

Juicy! I picked my first String Cheese Incident cd from a girl that thought that it would be "my type" of music. She was damn correct! These guys have produced some of the most fun and professional music I've ever listened to. Outside Inside is another great studio cd, such like 'Round the Wheel. The whole cd is packed full with excellent tunes. You get everything from a beautiful groove of latin, to a nice bluegrass feel, and fun funk. Other bands have trouble doing what this group has mastered. A personal favorites is "Close Your Eyes", which is a simple yet powerful funk song. I've also fallen in love with "Roll Over", which can be described as a type of new age jam song, with a electronic twist to it......something that the String Cheese Incident first tried on this cd. Rollover, alone is an experience...never the less, the entire cd. Sit down, get up, drive around, walk about......whatever you're doing, you'll enjoy listening to this cd over and over.

This is defintely the band's best album to date. In my opinion, these are the best SCI songs that they have written. Production is great and the vocals sound awesome. Favorite tracks include Joyful Sound, Sing a New Song and Rollover. Definitely purchase this CD.