Customer Reviews

Setters

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

 

 

After each member of this "group" established himself they came together to release this collection, part songs each wrote, part other favorites, all interesting arrangments. This record may not be for the fans of any of the previous bands, but it is for the fans of the songwirters, and more importantly, the fans of the songs.

While working my death sentence in record stores, this was always one that I could refer a few fans of Americana to, and I never had a disappointed customer. Definitely not for the casual listener, this record will appeal to established listener of the country/folk/rock genre (if it even is one?) -- assuming you have the ears to catch the sublties of a few guys just making the best music they can for their own ears, and their own hearts.

It's more than worth the spin, if you think that you're up to the challenge of being a listener instead of a consumer.

This is the kind of cd that takes awhile to sink in because the artists involved don't have big egos like the prior reviewer indicates. Rather than it being a detriment I believe that it makes the music resonant better. Just 3 guys out to make good music that appeals to them. Sounds like a good concept to me.

I bought this because I am a fan of Alejandro Escovedo and try to buy everything he records. And with Gurf Morlix producing it was all the more intriguing. This project,however, with Michael Hall & Walter Salas-Humara, is really for fans only as it probably won't entice anyone to become fans of any of the three... Better versions of most of these songs have been recorded by them (as solo artists or in other groups) previously.

Soulful, wry, heart-tugging. Go get yourself this CD. Weepers and laughs, nimble melodies and strings, it's all here. Why this wasn't huge I will never understand. Perfect hanging-around music from guys who sound like your friends, only ten thousand times better.

The Setters are Walter Salas-Humara, Michael Hall, and Alejandro Escovedo, three better-than-average songwriters who've had long careers in Austin, TX. All three are also afflicted by the "everybody's a front man" syndrome - that is, all three are colorless singers with distinctly un-charismatic presences who'd really benefit from group rather than solo settings. (But, y'know, there's that darned ego thing...) Hall's songs are lyrically quirky, and Salas-Humara and Escovedo are solid and competent, as always, but the Setters have as little personality and color as each of the component parts. Too bad.