Customer Reviews

Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs

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

 

 

As posted by: Brian Baker / edited by: Mark Breen
http://www.citybeat.com/2006-02-08/musicshorttakes.shtml

Ed Hamell plays his black acoustic Gibson with the elemental fury of an approaching storm front, sings like a man possessed by Babylonian demons and writes noirish crime tales, political tracts and morality plays with Elmore Leonard's underbelly perspective and the Weather Underground's righteous, militant indignation.

Hamell's last album, Tough Love, was his fascinating response to his near-fatal hit-and-run accident and his latest is a similar reflection in the wake of the birth of his son. If you're afraid that parenthood might have mellowed Hamell toward syrupy sentimentality or blunted his rage, the title alone should allay your fears.

If anything, Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs may be Hamell's most visceral social and political work to date, as evidenced by the hilariously pornographic anti-right screed of "Coulter's Snatch," the crime-as-political-statement anthem of "Civil Disobedience" or the father/son chat in "Values."

Hamell's fatherhood dilemma comes to the fore in "Inquiring Minds," as he details his sordid past and envisions how he will frame his response when his son asks him about his misdeeds ("I'm gonna lie"). For those who love it when Hamell spins dark yarns from society's fringes, he doesn't disappoint with "Heat" and the revenge fantasy of "Hey Boss." Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs is proof positive that there is absolutely no danger of Ed Hamell ever going gently into that good night. (Brian Baker)

Grade: A

awesome work. one of his best.buy it and play it LOUD.

If you're curious about this guy this is a good CD to check out. This one and "Tough Love" are excellent "first CDs." Catchy tunes, witty lyrics - all the stuff that make Hamell On Trial one of my favorite songwriters.

I had high hopes for this album after seeing it reviewed well in a magazine. However, I'm disappointed in it. I don't feel the songs were 'tuned up'; there are too many places where I feel let down by sections that feel rushed. Do note that I generally don't take my politics through music. I'm only here to be entertained. This was was a detractor for me as well.

I've got every Hammell record besides the spoken word one (even his very unassuming pre-Mercury debut). I think it's a travesty that he's still playing coffeeshops when crumby bands like Franz Ferdinand sell out arenas. But to be quite honest, this album kinda sucks. The songwriting is weak - too many forced rhymes and silly tunes that reek more of novelty than the raw passion of his best work. A love song about monogamous jerk off fantasies is funny for about two minutes and the one on this record clocks in at 3:39.

Ani DiFranco's production has all the hallmarks of her own work, which has been unlistenable since the late 90's. We hardly ever hear Hammel's signature Mack Truck acousic powerchords. Instead we're subjected to lame studio effects. Bottom line, stay away from this one unless you already have everything else in his catolog. I'll be interested to see if any of these tracks come off better live though.

Ed, if you're reading this, don't worry. After a record as solid as Tough Love, it was bound to happen. Everybody has a miss once in a while. I'll eagerly await the next record. Also, lots of these songs sound great live.

Yeah, the lyrics are funny. But they aren't especially insightful or musically inventive. A song about lying to his kids about having taken drugs? A song about winos on the bus, complete with out-of-tune singalong kids?

Even worse, Hamell's voice has a sort of "I don't really mean this" irony that sends me running for something with more heart. I made it through one listen, but I doubt I'll play it again. John Prine covered this territory with a lot more sincerity.