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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Australia's best songwriter, December 13, 2001
This review is from: Songs From the South - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
Paul Kelly says, in one of his songs, that he is a legend and not a star. This statement could not be more true. Virtually unheard-of outside of Oz, Paul Kelly writes strong lyrics that perfectly capture a moment. "Songs from the South" is his greatest-hits compilation, released in 1997. Besides his Australian chart-toppers such as "Dumb Things" and "To Her Door", it includes his songs that have become more popular over time such as "Bradman" and "How to Make Gravy". Spanning Kelly's extensive career, this album provides an excellent introduction to his music. This album is a near-permanent resident in my CD player at work. My officemate, who rarely agrees with my taste in music, has become a fan of the evocative lyrics found on this album. Paul Kelly has perfected the art of capturing a moment in a song. "When I First Met Your Ma" is a most unlikely love song, with a man telling his child how the man met his wife, the boy's mother. "Deeper Water" is a touching vignette of a man growing up, marrying, having children, and losing his wife to cancer. "Everything's Turning to White" is based on the short story "So Much Water So Close to Home" by Raymond Carver. If you are not familiar with his music, this is an excellent introduction. However, since this album is only available as an import, it isn't the cheapest way to learn more about this singer-songwriter. Some of Kelly's work has been released in the US, and is thus easier and cheaper to purchase. If this price is a bit too stiff for you, try the US release of "Deeper Water" from 1995, or the upcoming US release of his most recent album, "Nothing But a Dream" (due in early 2002).
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bright as Sunshine, September 21, 2007
This review is from: Songs From the South - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
Summer of 1993, I'm in an Sydney Record Shop, a Long, Long way from Home on Vacation in the middle of Wintertime (July). I've already found some Good Stuff (Killing Time, Men at Work). I ask one of the Clerks what's good and She tells me: "Paul Kelly, he's as Bright as Sunshine". Man, those words sang outta her mouth! By luck, I chose "Under The Sun" (Sunshine, again) and she said it was a corker. On first play I heard Those Notes to: "Dumb Things"...Hey, I knew this from the "Young Einstein" Movie. This was a very good Sign. The next day I was back at that same Record Store, and I purchased Three more of Paul's CD's!
September 2007, and I'm still listening to Paul Kelly. "Songs from the South, Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits" is playing again. It's culled from 10 of Paul's Records (up til' 1997) and there are 20 Fantastic Tracks on this one. From Songs of just Paul & his Guitar: "Everything's Turning To White" & "When I First Met Your Ma" to Full Band workouts on: "Bradman" & "Careless" this is Timeless Stuff, the Best Music, always is.
All of these Great Tunes are from Paul's Pen and there is not a duffer in the Bunch. I'm not here to compare Paul to ANY American Artist, as that's not fair to the Talent of this man. This is just plain Great Music, and for me it's still; "Bright as Sunshine"...FIVE STARS !!!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Australia's most popular singer-songwriter, February 5, 2002
This review is from: Songs From the South - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
Great singer-songwriters are poets: crafting words, capturing times and places, and evoking a sense of what it's like to be living in their world. Paul Kelly does that as well as anyone does, and perhaps better than most. You always feel as though he wears his heart on his sleeve and as you track through this retrospective album, you get a sense of the passages of his life. But, for American listeners, there is the added dimension that Paul Kelly captures the Australian psyche (such as a self-deprecating sense of humor, a search for national identity, etc), the essence of life in Australia (Aussie Rules football, beaches, mates, etc.), and the issues of a land so very different but so very similar to the US (the plight of the Australian aborigines, the vast landscape, and the search for love in a sometimes loveless society, etc.) There are many reasons why Paul Kelly is Australia's most popular singer-songwriter and that his songs are known by heart by so many. This album will help you understand why. His style moves from blues to folk to rock, and this album features some of his solo work as well as collaborations with his own band The Messengers and folks like Nick Cave, but it is his voice that is so very distinctive. Absolutely recommended.
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