Customer Reviews

Smash Palace

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Originally, I heard Broken Watches on Austin City Limits when the Nashville writer they were spotlighting was asked what he is listening to. He commented that he thought Richard Julian was one of the best wordsmiths in music and the his music was excellent. After hearing the song, I was intrigued enough to by the CD. I was stunned by the clever lyrics.The arrangements and recording quality made me feel like I just discovered gold! It's rare for me to like every song on a CD, but I enjoy every song on Smash Palace. If you are looking for a fine example of new artistry, superb back up musicians, mesmorizing arrangements and fantastic recording quality, then I urge you to pick up a copy of Smash Palace.

I'll admit it: I originally bought this CD just because I worked with Richard at his day job and he's a very nice guy. I'd never heard him perform, and I had modest expectations. Then I found out that my now-ex-coworker is an awesome musician. The more I listened, the more this album surprised and impressed me. It's delightfully eclectic, the songs are very catchy, and his singing is full of feeling. To top it off, his lyrics are some of the best around. They're startlingly clever and funny, and their rhymes and rhythms add fire and spice to the music. This album is a blast!

Well, I have finally heard something from this album that I don't get to hear much. My cousin rocks with his two albums that are currently on the market. I son't get to hear him much but when I am in stores up north, I always look for the chance to get his music in some form of ausio. Keep up the good work and I liik forward to hearing more from you soon. Great job again, Richard

Richard Julian's brilliant "Smash Palace" rocks with creativity. "Big Big World" sets an energetic groove upon which Richard twists the lyric, "At the filling station standing in line, old lady spills the change out of her purse, starts counting the dimes; My leg is shakin' with a mind of its own; There's no mistake we're makin' close to home." "Broken Watch" is another rhythmic jewel with bongs & whops flaring all over from keyboards and drums that shoot out at a staccato lightning speed, "Honey pack my radio, My Van the Man, my Maceo, Come on girl, you're moving much too slow; Baby, yes, I hear the phone; Honey leave the phone alone; We got to, got to, got to, got to go." "Boca Raton" is a beatnik cousin to rap that sizzles with Julian's nervous anti-sedative delivery, "Well I got kinda scared of this memory drought so I headed downstairs to try & figure it out; It was then I saw the girl with one earring, not two, and she was looking at me like I was someone she knew; Then it all came back to me fast like a hypnotist's spell, I was searching for a phone in the Boca Raton motel." "Roman Polanski" is a bouncy naughty ditty, "So it's back into the whores of France; It's back to cheap red wine; I dream of mother in the camps then I get to work on time." "It Happened to Me" is a delightful track with an expansive melody about an afterlife. Richard Julian is one of those artists who burst with creativity, is loved by other musicians as is evidenced by his appearance on the latest Norah Jones DVD, and remains largely unknown but to a very select crowd. Join the club! Bravo!

Richard Julian is an astoundingly good songwriter, singer, and guitar player. "Smash Palace" is as strong a recording as you're likely to hear from anyone.

"Smash" opens with a few humorous and eclectic funky-cuts, and as entertaining as "Restless Sea" and "Big Big World" are, they don't begin to reflect the deep soul and wisdom of some of Richard's work here. That soul - along with some gorgeous melodies - can be found in the haunting and ironic "As If," the dirty power-poprock of "Love is the Only War" and "The Second Smallest State" (Delaware in da HOWSE!!), the gorgeous "Karen," the heartbreakingly moving "Old Lovers." You're not going to hear a better blend of music and quirky, funny, and poignant lyrics from any singer-songwriter.

The album would be a classic, though, even if it only contained one cut - the beautiful "John and Florine," a ballad that shows a touching wisdom well beyond Richard's years. It became one of my favorite songs ever upon my first listen, and it still brings me to tears.

If you haven't heard Richard Julian yet, go get "Smash Palace" and "Good Life." Listen to them. And join me as one of Julian's true fans, one of those who are deeply conflicted between our desire for him to get the recognition he deserves, and our desire to keep him as our secret superstar.

"Smash Palace" is Beck meets Paul Simon meets Tom Waits meets Price. It's too good. "Pussycat" is the hippest track and soooo sexy!! I love this record! Buy it immediately, turn it up and turn everyone on to it. Play it when your dancing, getting dressed, or doing the dishes. Play it when your driving fast down the freeway with the doors off. Just play it. Lots!

Each time I listen to this CD I get more out of it. At times I can hear Elvis Costello and Warren Zevon and then the next song sounds more like Springstein or the Eagles. More than anything this is one of the most original sounding albums I have heard in a while.

This is a great CD that should be required listening for all fans of great songwriting. Part Warren Zevon, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello and Jackson Browne, Richard Julian is an original and has made an important new album that hopefully will not be drowned out in the sea of mediocrity that has become popular music. Throw your Jewel CD's in the garbage, this is real music!