Customer Reviews

Over and Under

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over And Under may be my favorite Greg Brown album (and I love'em all). Released by the Iowa City label Trailer Records in 2000, it's a snapshot of life in the rural Midwest. Folk purists may cringe a bit on his one, though, as Greg brings in all of the Iowa City locals to throw down some rock 'n' country vibes...David Zollo (Trailer Records owner and piano-plunking genius), Dave Moore (harmonica), Bo Ramsey (slide guitar and sometime Lucinda Williams sideman) and Steve Hayes (drums) are all popular Eastern Iowa musicians with a flair for the sublimely understated.

As always, Greg's songs are strong as can be, but it's the loose down-home atmosphere that really puts the record over the top on tracks like "Almost Out of Gas" or "InaBell Sale". There really isn't a weak song out of the fourteen tracks, as Greg weaves tales of drinkin', hard times and scootin' across the hills of Johnson County, Iowa (yes, we have hills).

What ends up sounding more like a family reunion than a by-the-books studio release is surely the best thing out in 2000. Brown's voice is in full-on Johnny Cash mode, drawling out the tall tales of country life with this top-notch country band pushing him along. When the last song ends I usually have to start right back at the beginning again.

This is the best music I've heard in quite some time. OVER
AND UNDER is a gem, a treasure. Sparse, but tasty, earthy instrumentation (including banjo, fiddle, lap steel, mandolin)
along with some great guitar work by Bo Ramsey, augment
the gravelly vocals, and on the dot, piercing at times,
gentle at times, lyrics. My favorite song is InaBell
Sale - which is a wacky eulogy/celebration of a mean,
hateful, woman's death, with Bo's spooky solo electric
guitar providing the backround atmosphere. Oh Sweet Jesus,
please give us the strength to carry Inabell's annoying
fat ass to the grave... she had enough knickknacks to sink the Titanic...and 40 pounds of frozen pot pies, come to the sale...
poor Pete, her late husband, she killed him with her yelling
and nagging, so much that he would slap himself at the dinner table... - this tune is hiliarious but stark naked real- I
was once married to a woman like Anabell, but unlike poor Pete,
I shook loose and got away. who will buy her hippo bra, her nylons for pylons???
Greg's lyrics are that strong, they give one a wistful smile and
a needle in the spine at the same time. All the tunes here are
sketches of rural Americana, the type of place where I've longed to live, but I
can only visit via Greg's songs. This is one of Mr. Brown's best, miss it
at your listening peril.

As a fan of his music, I was still a little suspect when I bought this CD directly from the local Iowa label, Trailer 20. I needn't be, it is a wonderfully produced (read simple acoustic)album of great songs. If you like the Poet Game or Slant 6 Mind you'll like this.

The deep voice of Greg Brown just gets deeper with time, but his songwriting hasnt conquered any new territories since his "Dream Cafe" and "Poet Game" CD's, which are his best and by any standards two of the best cd's ever recorded in the folk field.
This cd just adds some more songs about rural America, and they are all well written and well played. If you dont have them yet then buy "Dream Cafe" and "Poet Game" first, then you'll probably want all the others too. The man is addictive.

Glowing accolades as an "acclaimed songwriter" seem almost an insult to a guy whose depth and honesty pulsate with gritty primal beauty from sixteen of the best records ever made. Greg's uncanny gift of writing to the heart & soul is well recognized, but performance and musicianship bring equal weight to his presence. Brown's words reveal us dealing with contemporary reality, yet the musical influences permeating his sound span centuries, while the virtuosity of Greg & friends reflect a heritage passed up through generations. A Greg Brown album is modern storytelling at its best, relevent timely imagery, validated with the earthy loam of experience. His most recent, 'Over and Under', is no exception. From the tender, generous 'Old Wrinkle Face', to the wondrously irreverent 'InaBelle Sale', Brown traverses rough terrain---textured at once with love, loss, anguish, rage, humor, and sadness---softening the bumps with his own brand of lived-in compassion. 'Fairfield' brings to mind a young Johnny Cash, as we hear Greg portray a town rife with new money and all that comes with it. 'Your Town Now' mourns a still hopeful ode to places lost to corporate greed---with part of the melody somewhat reminiscent of The Everly Brother's version of Dylan's 'Abandoned Love'. Vacillating between the traditional folk loveliness of 'Beyond The Sunset', the raucous garage rock of 'Almost Out Of Gas', and the raw nerve of 'InaBelle Sale', this CD is spellbinding. A great collection of songs brought to life in Al Murphy's fiddle & mandolin, Bob Black's Banjo, and, of course, the guitar magic of Greg and Bo. So here's one more 5-Star feather for the prodigious cap of Greg Brown.

Jim Otterstrom

Released at the same time as his "Covenent" cd, this one is a return to the style that we've come to know and love from Greg Brown. While "Covenent" was a blues effort, here Greg shines with his trademark folk music. Filled with witty, often hilarious lyrics, he brings us right into the heart of the small towns and their characters. I swear, it feels like I've known these people all my life! This is what makes this guy special. Down home music from across the country. A gem.

Fantastic songs! "Mattie Price" and "InaBell Sale" are each worth the cost of the CD. The recording quality is a little rougher than I'd like, especially the some of the vocals and the amplifier hum, but the music more than makes up for it.

Greg Brown is perhaps the finest American Songwriter. After 2 lukewarm efforts (Covenant & Slant 6 Mind) Greg scores a major artistic success with Over & Under. From the cutting Fairfield (poking fun at the Transcendental Meditation Commune there) to the meloncholy rite of passage in Your Town Now, Over & Under showcases the best qualities of Greg Brown's writing. If you are a fan of Greg's finest albums, mark this one down as a MUST have. (Other recommended tracks: The River Will Take You, Mattie Price, Almost Out of Gas)

Like most music lovers I have a list of songs I consider to be perfect. 'Summer Evening' is one of them. The first few times I listened to the record I missed it, but it finally got a hold of me one day while I was driving my pickup on Hwy 1 near Kalona. This is a great record.

This album ranks with Poet Game as his very best. I love the thrown-together, back porch feel to it. And his vocal mix is where I like it, scratchy and crisp and out in front.

A minor quibble would be the narrow focus of the songwriting, but within that focus, what fantastic images. There are a lot of dark, Gothic themes here. Even the most upbeat song, Your Town Now, takes on darker and darker shades with each listen. Is it a defiant challenge to young guns? A cautionary tale? Is the singer at peace or disillusioned? Multiple themes crash in my head, which is the best compliment I can give a songwriter. And then there it is, Innabell Sale, a song that completely defies description, demanding relistens, making me want to call up friends and play it over the phone.

You nailed this one, Greg.