Customer Reviews

Sister Sweetly

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anybody who appreciates great songwriting should have this cd. We never take a car trip without it; like "Dark Side of the Moon," for example, it fits all moods and is playable every day. BHTM classics like the poignant "Broken Hearted Savior," the sad-but-amusing "Turn the Light Out," "Soul for Every Cowboy," the lyrics to which are reverently quoted on every Todd Tribute website; the reassuring "It's Alright," the more produced version of Midnight Radio's "Bittersweet," and crowd-singalong favorites "Circle" and "Brother John" make this one of the best albums in existence. BHTM should be millionaires by virtue of this album alone, not to mention their impressive body of work as a whole.

This was the first BHTM CD I bought. I heard "It's Alright" on the radio and had to have it based on that one song and never regretted it. I own all their stuff and have seen them live four times. They're at their best live. This CD is definitely their best. The title song has great rhythm and riffs. Each CD is fantastic but "Sister Sweetly" has a special place in my collection. It's among the 5 CD's I would need if stranded on a desert island. Can't wait for their next CD. Hurry up, guys!

This is the "breakthrough" album of BHTM, and what a breakthrough it is. Starting with Broken Hearted Savior, the power and heartbreak is expressed in the words and music that hit me hard. The texture of the songs and the moods strike me unlike any cd I've heard up to that point. The highlight is definitely their "hit" Bittersweet. They refused to shoot a video for it, even though it would've pushed the song to greater commercial success, thus preserving it's integrity and beauty. Other highlights include: It's Alright, Tomorrow Never Comes, and the last 2 tracks, Cirle and Brother John, demonstrating their crunch and folk ability. I consider BHTM akin to a kept secret, which eventually will get out. In the meantime, I will enjoy their music. If you like mindless, party music, you probably won't like this cd. But if you like gut wrenching music with matching lyrics, check this album out.

I've been listening to "Sister Sweetly" for the past few days, and have yet to grow tired of it. You'll love this album if you are at all into rock/blues/soul. Passionate emotions are combined with catchy, sometimes hypnotizing melodies. "Bittersweet," probably the most well-known song by this little-known band, is as the title suggests, and powerfully emotional. "Circle" is both a passionate plea ("I'm asking you to turn around"), and a thought-provoking statement about life in general ("Rise and fall, turn the wheel, cause all life is is really just a circle"). "Ellis Island" surprises you with its melodic twists and turns. "Tomorrow Never Comes" may be my favorite. It is quiet, haunting, beautiful even, with its soft percussion, quiet piano riff, and masterful and emotional vocals. Passionate and soulful, this is Big Head Todd at their best. I very much recommend it.

This album is still in my rotation after 14 yrs. It is timeless. Bittersweet was popular during a particularly bittersweet time of my life. The song rang true for me then and still makes me vividly remember that time and relationship. When he sings "I'm older now. I work in the city. We live together. But it's different than my dream.....Are we everything we wanted?" This song is timeless because I still wonder these same things.

The best song is actually Tomorrow Never Comes. It's lyrics are even more pointed and questioning. "He worked so hard so he'd be something. Just what it was he never knew.....So we'll just learn to love our sorrow." Ouch.

ON a high note, I have seen them about three times and they put on a FABULOUS live show. Todd Park Mohr is a phenomenal guitarist. They absolutely rock live and not that it's heavy, it's just really pure. They tour a lot and I venture, to them it's just about the music. It shows. Not a lot of happiness on this album, but we can all relate to it. And that's what good music does to me.

Part of me believes that Todd Park Mohr and his buddies deserve to be horrifically rich and famous, and then part of me thinks that perhaps I oughta keep my trap shut, so's I still have a chance of getting tickets when they come to town. : )

I am in total agreement that this is a "desert island" album. I have listened to "Sister Sweetly" at least a zillion times, and it never fades, every song remaining as solid as it was the first time I heard it. From the gentle folk of "Brother John" to the bluesy slink of the title track, to the hard-rock crunch of "Circle," there's a little bit of everything, all of it done amazingly well. "Sister Sweetly" reads like a catalogue of influences of blues/rock masters, from Clapton to Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Todd Park Mohr's vocals are alternately lilting and sweet, then roaring and angst-ridden, intermingled with his outstanding guitar work and great drum and bass work from his bandmates. It's odd to contemplate that a three-piece band like BHTM could produce such a wall of sound, but they do it, and spectacularly well at that.

An example of the lasting worth of "Sister Sweetly" can be found at the band's shows. Eight of eleven tracks on the album were played at a BHTM show I saw a few weeks back. That from an album that was released nearly 10 years ago, on a tour promoting a NEW album (which is also very very good).

My only grump with this album is that the production is sometimes a bit muddy. That's really all I can find to complain about with "Sister Sweetly," which has earned itself the #1 spot on my list of Top 90s Albums.

I've been listening to this CD for years, and I never get tired of it. It's soulful, mellow, and COOL. Every song is good. It's not particularly happy music, but it sure makes me feel good.

One of my top 10 albums, without a doubt (though I listened to it so many times the first couple years after it came out that I hardly listen to it much anymore). Their other albums, before and after, are nothing compared to this one (only Strategem approaches this one). This is one of those albums where EVERY single song is excellent. If you like rock with a little funk and soul and a powerful voice, check this album out before any of the others.

Yes, this release was much more than I expected. About 12 years ago, a fellow musician loaned me this(a hard-rock/metal guitarist at that)and I've been hooked ever since.To be honest, I'm quite "choosey" when it comes to buying albums, so the chances of me picking up a CD by a band called Big Head Todd was very unlikely. Had this friend not turned me onto 'Sister Sweetly', it would have definitely been MY LOSS! After a few listens, I was truly immersed in this modern 'classic'. There were no 'groundbreaking' sounds,vocals,musical ideas,etc...but something about this album and band seemed 'New' and 'Different' to me. The overall "vibe" of the songs give this CD its wonderful 'Flow' (other than maybe "Groove Thing"). And this is NOT your everyday "run-of-the-mill" pop/rock album. No, this has much more than just catchy melodies and vocals---its packed with thoughtful lyrics, super-tasteful playing and mood-inducing, introspective sounds---many of the qualities that keeps me coming back to certain albums. As for the individual songs on 'SS', I can honestly say there are NO bad/filler tunes to be heard here. They are all very good songs, and even great in a couple of cases. Without going into a song analysis, I would pick "Tommorrow Never Comes", "Broken Hearted Savior", "Bittersweet" and "It's Alright" as personal favorites (though I always listen to the album as a whole). Actually, the last 2 mentioned songs ring most True with my wife and me, as these were our favorites when we first started dating...many memories of special times/moments are conjured-up everytime we hear one of these great songs(so much so, that we BOTH own a copy). Again, even though I haven't mentioned all the songs...they are all well-written,well-played,catchy tunes that work well within the structure of the whole album. So there you have it...one of the few pop/rock, 5-star album reviews your likely to find from this reviewer---Strongly Recommended!

As a couple of side-notes; In the years that have passed, I have returned the "favor" and turned several friends onto this album who, like me, may have never been exposed to this wonderful music...the consensus?---they love it too! Also, after the 12 years since first hearing BHT, I recently decided to try a few of their other releases---"Strategem", "Beautiful World" and "Midnight Radio"...and while I don't expect the greatness of 'Sister', I am nonetheless looking forward to checking them out.

Okay my absolute favorite of all the BHTM CDs I own. I am now buying a *replacement* copy. The last one went through so much it was destined to die a slow but fantastic death.

If you have any like or love (I love them) for BHTM, this is a complete must have. But what can I say, they are BHTM, which is not rock, it's not blue's, BHTM is a band that has their own style that is above and beyond normal artists. I love these guys, rumor has it I bought an advance copy of their new CD "Riviera" that is coming out in March....go figure, if you love them or you want to know more about them, Sister Sweetly will give you the best of their style. Sister Sweetly can not be passed up. It's what hooked me to all their music and will keep you and you will wear out your SS by BHTM CD I know....I am on my second helping after 7 years of constant play.

Sister Sweetly was my basic entry into this awesome band.

Oh and if you get the chance to see them live, I will tell you that you will have the best time of most any concert you can see. And if you can, see them in Denver, they are so at home there, they SO come alive there. But this CD is the best of their collection, if you don't fall in love with them from this CD you are completely missing something.

Yeah, I dig these guys, can't tell can you? Try it I know you will like it. I am in love with a band that is basically good. I want to thank Mark for introducing me to this band...they rock and so do you Mark!