Customer Reviews

Sound of Lies

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't throw around five stars either, so Sound Of Lies must be that rare beast...a true classic.

It's definitely got that unrequited Blood On The Tracks vibe and like that album every track is near perfection.

You'll cry, you'll smile, you'll cry some more, and you'll play this one eternally. Best of all are the stirring ballads Trouble and Bottomless Cup (god, that song is good) and the sinister murder ballad Sixteen Down with monsieur Matthew Sweet on backing vocals puts even the great Nick Cave to shame.

ESSENTIAL!

Despite the sceptics and nay-sayers, Sound of Lies has turned out to be the most interesting, most arresting collection of songs the Jayhawks have ever released. This is the kind of album that slowly gets under your skin whether you want it to or not. I bought this album expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't blown away in the beginning but 4 years later, as a big Jayhawks fan, I can say it is certainly one of their strongest and most powerful efforts. It may not have the cohesiveness of Hollywood Town Hall or Tomorrow The Green Grass, but song for song, it is a superior album. Gary Louris's songwriting is top notch and he has gradually grown into what many consider to be an excellent rock and roll singer. Spend a weekend with this or take a long drive. I never wanted to admit it because Mark Olson was a favorite Jayhawks member, but Sound of Lies is gaining ground and has slowly become my favorite. It is also the one album that best represents the band's live sound on the road. The Jayhawks are special - now if radio would only start playing them, everyone could enjoy the magic. Highlights include "Sixteen Down" with Matthew Sweet on backing vocals, "Trouble" which probably would have been a huge hit if we could go back in time 25 years, "Haywire", "Dying On The Vine", and the gorgeous title track.

After producing one of the greatest alternative country albums of all time in 1995, TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS, group founder and co-creative talent Mark Olson decided to call it quits and struck out on his own solo career. This left the leadership of the band primarily on the shoulders of Gary Louris, who had always seemed to be very slightly the junior leader of the band. One would not have been surprised if the Jayhawks had gone into a bit of a dive, and turn out a mildly disappointing follow up. No such thing happened. Though Louris took the band in a slightly different direction, their first post-Mark Olson album was a brilliant success. It was less folksy and country than the previous albums, and more pop rock, but unless you are an alt country purist, there is nothing wrong with that. It is almost unheard of for a band to lose such a crucial member and nonetheless churn out another brilliant album. It is quite comparable to Alex Chilton leading Big Star to RADIO CITY after Chris Bell had to leave after #1 RECORD. Not unprecedented, therefore, but pretty darn close.

If previous Jayhawks albums had seemed more like collaborative efforts, SOUND OF LIES is very much a Gary Louris album. Instead of splitting vocals, primary guitar work, and songwriting, this is pretty much the Gary Louris show. And a very good show it is. The feel is very different from TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS or HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL, but it is still quite brilliant. Every song has an intense hook, fascinating lyrics, and the same musicianship of the previous albums. If sometimes you miss the purer country sound of the early efforts, you end up loving the new melodiousness of the new ones.

There really isn't a cut on this album that I don't like, and there are a number that I utterly love. I don't yet own an Ipod, but when I do a host of tracks from this one go right onto it. Several of the cuts are absolutely spectacular. My favorites will depend upon my mood on a particular listening, though "It's Up to You" is always a joy. "The Man Who Loves Life" starts off the album is another winner. I love the vocals on "Stick in the Mud," a great one to sing along with, and "Big Star" doesn't just reference America's greatest power pop band, but is a great song in its own right. "Sixteen Down" is great, as is the wonderfully nervous "Dying on the Vine." The album only starts to fade near the very end, ironically with the title track one of the weaker cuts on the disc.

Anyone wanting to try out the Jayhawks would do well with this one, but they should be warned that this is perhaps not the Jayhawks at their typically best. For that one needs either TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS or HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL. There is not question that THE SOUND OF LIES is a departure, but it is a very nice one that should not be missed.

I've just recently fallen for the Jayhawks 'Sound Of Lies' and it has proven to be a compulsive listen. This is a fuller, lustier more rocking record than previous efforts and while that has left some fans disillusioned and yearning for the Jayhawks of old it's been effectively getting under my skin. Singer Gary Louris truly is in fine form, his is a voice that echoes rocks headier days and is naturally befitting to a collection steeped in the finer examples of American songwriting (The Byrds, Big Star). In the wake of Mark Olson's departure the band has remained tight, and 'The Sound Of Lies' positively glistens with a determination to offer up more classics for the Jayhawk songbook. Not only does it do that but there is nary a weak track to be heard. For the first five or six songs there is real abundance of melody and tunefulness - 'It's up to You' and 'Stick in the Mud' are both wonderfully crafted and pleasing on the ear, and the latter half of the album still has plenty of surprises. 'Sixteen Down' and the ghostly title track 'Sound Of Lies' are both eery and oddly endearing numbers while 'Bottomless Cup' with it's ringing guitars proves Tim O'Reagan to be a fine songwriter in his own right. This is highly recommended.

I have to admit that this album was my introduction to the Jayhawks, more or less. I took a detour through Golden Smog before I discovered this great band. After listening to Tomorrow the Green Grass, I realized how much the sound had changed, but my appreciation of this album didn't waver. It just put things into perspective. There are some truly great songs here. There seems to be a bit of a harder edge. There is a song about suicide (Think About It) and a song possibly about murder (Sixteen Down). Of course, there are also some great ballads (Trouble, Bottomless Cup). As always, there is great guitar, flawless arrangement and some incredible singing. Anyone who likes music that is both heartfelt and intelligent should buy this.

"Hollywood Town Hall" is an awesome album, no question about it. It's a classic, almost flawless effort that sounded familiar the first time I hear it and which doesn't stray from its core genre. "Sound of Lies", on the other hand, is a much more complex, diverse, challenging and nuanced album that keeps growing more and more interesting with repeated listenings. For me, one hallmark of a great album is how many songs can be your favorite over time. With "Sound of Lies", that's about half of the album. I just don't get tired of listening to this one. The songwriting, the singing, the musicianship, everything is first-rate and it all fits together. Having seen the Jayhawks in concert last year, I should add too that Gary Louris is a phenomenal and vastly underrated guitar player. This is definitely one of my "desert island" albums.

...but you should definitely try the Jayhawks. If your taste leans toward rock, The Sound of Lies is the place to start. If you like a little more folk/country influence, then start with Rainy Day Music or Tomorrow the Green Grass. It seems that Smile was produced more with the radio in mind. As you can tell from the poor reviews of this album, Hollywood Town Hall is much loved as well. They are all favorites of mine. I hope these guys never stop recording.

I would not give too much consideration to comments about what a Jayhawks album is supposed to be. These albums all stand on their on merits. People would be equally unhappy if a band made the same album over and over.

I agree with the praise of this album that you read in the other reviews. Gary Louris is a special talent. Karen Grotberg's contribution is noteworthy both vocally and on keyboards. Tim O'Reagan is excellent and you should listen to his solo album.

There are the albums you say you like, and there are the ones that you play and play and play. After 7 years, I still play this one. I can't say that about many albums.

I am not in the minority when I say that I thought SOL was going to be a better Tomorrow the Green Grass, and was disappointed. Instead, I found a disc that is much better. It is more cohesive sonically and lyrically and is one of the most enveloping listens I own. Trouble is one of the most awe-inspiring "power ballads" (not to be confused with 80's hair band power ballads)I have ever heard. One of the Jayhawks later callsigns shows up on SOL. Most rock songs are "call and response" songs, where there is a lyrical body, then a chorus, which either answers or reflects the body of the song. In Trouble, Louris offers a powerful refrain that is a superb counterpoint for the entire song (We were stranded on the vine/Destitute and shaken/lookin for a sign). This style shows up elsewhere on SOL and is all over the place on Smile, and is found in remarkably few places anywhere else in rock and roll. This disc is easily one the best listens in my collection.

I bought and wore out "Tommorrow the Green Grass" a few years ago. I acquired "Sound of Lies" several months ago and about once a month I listen to it for about a week days straight. It just keeps getting better! My favorite song is Track 11, Bottomless Cup, which seems so sweet, sexy and sad. Thats the thing about this CD, it covers a variety of emotions which makes for a great listening experience. It gets my highest rating.

I don't throw 5 star ratings around like so many reviewers. They are reserved for only the VERY best, like Blood On The Tracks, Dark Side Of The Moon and the like. That said, the Jayhawks have one of the best near-bullseye's I've run across in the past few years. Yes, a notch above the Son Volt/Wilco catalogues. They end up in my CD changer a lot, but Sound Of Lies hardly ever leaves it. After a solid year of listening to it, I can still say that I like everything about it and never tire of it. I hardly miss Mark Olson, because it is that good. They have moved in a little different direction from previous efforts and are more interesting for it. Louris finally shines through as the star. His talent and abilities were diluted on previous Jayhawks CDs and and those Golden Smog goodies. But here he has stepped forward and taken the spotlight. This is a 'Louris and the Jayhawks' CD. In the other efforts by the Hawks and Smog, he has shared duties well, but here he shines. We have intelligent lyrics, interesting melodies and great playing. I can't pick a favorite song from the disc, but I would suggest giving a listen to the following for anyone who wants to listen and decide for themselves: Haywire, Think About It, Dying On The Vine and Sixteen Down. The one song by Tim O'Reagan, Bottomless Cup, hints at what could be a very good future CD for him. So, I put this CD in a class with Lyle Lovett's 'Step Inside This House', John Prine's 'Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings' and Neil Young's 'Tonights The Night'. Yep, it's that good.