Sideman Serenade

David Bromberg | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 10, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder
• ASIN: B000000352
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,701 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #98 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Testify" alone is worth the price of the CD, September 8, 1998

By 

Dean Blobaum (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sideman Serenade (Audio CD)

Is there any style Bromberg can't play? Here he does folk-revival, country, gospel, rural-style blues, urban electric blues, and even a samba. The masterpiece of the album, and one of the best pieces of Bromberg's career, is "Testify"--a gospel-singing, shouting, talking story/song that is brilliantly conceived and executed, with gospel choir quaking in the background.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Songs; Uninspired Production, February 16, 2006

By 

Mr. Thirty-three (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sideman Serenade (Audio CD)

Sideman Serenade contains some of Bromberg's best tunes; unfortunately many of these tunes are marred by an uninspired late 1980s production. "Testify," "Top of the Slide," and "Watch Baby Fall," are three of the best songs Bromberg ever wrote and while "Testify" can be a showstopper in live performance, the studio version sounds rushed, particularly David's spoken part. Sadly, that rare combination of sidesplitting humor and gorgeous harmony present in live performances of this track is not readily apparent in the studio version. The highlights of the album, for me are "Top of the Slide," a simple, effective country tune with great hooks, and "Watch Baby Fall," a poignant song about fatherhood. As a songwriter, Bromberg has a unique gift for probing sensitive subject matter and that same heartbreaking reality present in "Sammy's Song" (from Bromberg's self-titled debut) is present in the subtle, but powerful "Watch Baby Fall." This song alone might justify the purchase of this album for those that have most of Bromberg's earlier recordings such as my personal favorite, Midnight on the Water. Regardless of its shortcomings, this album deserves a remastering, as this version of the CD is the exact same version that was available in 1989. A remastering might bring this recording to life a bit, but it certainly won't make it compare to a live performance. If there's an underlying message to this review it's "see David Bromberg live." His live shows are better than ever.