Customer Reviews

Sparkle City

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

 

 

Prime Cuts: What'll Do If I Don't Have You, So Long, Tulsa

"Sparkle City" is Ball's sonic travelogue. Like many country albums of yore, travelling seems to be the theme of this disc. On at least two songs, for instance, Ball calls to attention his rambling soul. And at least three of the tracks ("Tulsa," "Alabama" and "Houston") here are geo-tagged. Even songs such as "Along for the Ride," "On Top of the World" and "So Long" speak of journeying and distance. Yet, this eighth album is more than just your mere collection of various itineraries. Rather, these 11 tracks map the human emotions well over terrains of traditional country with splashes of Tex-Mex, jazz, Western swing and contemporary country. With Ball handling all the scribal work (with 3 tracks being co-written with L. Russell Brown), this collection bears Ball unique song writing skills. While many singer-songwriters veer on the obvious boy-girl nondescript lyrics, Ball has a way of telling his stories with interesting use of imagery, word choices and three dimensional characters.

Any fan of Ball would realize that with each CD there's a song that towers over the rest. On 2001's "Amigo" it was the career transforming number 1 "Riding with Private Malone." On his platinum Warner Brothers debut "Thinkin' Problem," it was the hooky title cut. Now with "Sparkle City" the lodestar is none other than "What'll Do If I Don't Have You." Dipping into the lower registers of his voice Ball croons this romantic 70s folk-like ballad that is just simply gorgeous. Of the three songs that are named after place names, "Houston" is truly a winner. An intricate narrative that deals with the complexities of emotions a man is facing, "Houston" tells the story of why the protagonist avoids Houston because there's a paramour ready to rope him in to domesticate him. Similarly, the Tex-Mex Texas Tornadoes influenced "Alabama" continues the theme of flinching romance where a man refuses to put into his dreams of a rural paradise with his girl into reality because of his restless spirit. "Tulsa," the third geo-tagged paean in this trilogy, is a complex song of rival emotions where Ball chronicles his feelings of regrets and hopes as he leaves Tulsa for L.A..

Nevertheless, one of the major weaknesses of this disc is that too many songs deal with the same topic of non-committal love. Though "Smiling in the Morning" has a strong melody it gets a tad repetitive to hear again of the heartbreaking tale of a woman who falls too hard for a cad who hits the road after the thrill is gone. Album closer again has Ball promising his girl that their separation is not permanent on the forlorn ballad "So Long." Yet, there's a tinge of heartbreak as there's a dearth of sincerity on the protagonist part as he has had spent his life severing ties. The western swing of "Maybe Tomorrow" is what sets this track apart from the pack, though lyrically its akin to the other tracks.

Truth be told, there's a real dud here. It's the blatantly risqué "Hot Water Pipe" guised under the sonic cover of a jaunty country-pop song. The lyrics are so distasteful that it's just plain embarrassing. Other than "Hot Water Pipe" and though a few songs seem to overlap lyrically, this is still quite a fetching CD. Ball has a knack for writing tunes with strong melodies and he sings with an ease and affection that is contagious. With this new disc, Ball sparkles with delight.

Always nice to hear new stuff from David. Nothing new for 2-3 years so it's even nicer. Good music, good arranging, good singing. Wish he would appear near here so we could see him in concert.

I have all his CDs. This is not one of his best. Too jazzy. Has a couple of good country songs but the rest are listenable but that's about it.

I have a belief that when reviewing an article, fairness is paramount. And while I try to focus on the product at hand, rather than look at the artist's past products, & then do a comparison, there are times when such comparisons are unavoidable. I found that recently when I reviewed Alan Jackson's latest outing, "Freight Train", & I find myself in the same situation now. I am a great fan of David Ball; have been since the day I heard "Thinkin' Problem" - a great country album, well produced, with a great selection of numbers, & of course, Ball's great voice. He is a natural to sing country music. "Starlite Lounge" may not have been as powerful an album as "Thinkin' Problem", but it was a good follow-up album. "Play", I must admit, was a disappointment, but Ball came thundering back with "Amigo", in my opinion, one of the 5 best country albums of that year. Then came "Heartaches By The Number", a great selection of country classics, & Ball had clearly atoned for "Play". Or so I thought! Now we come to "Sparkle City", and I'm wondering what on earth Ball & his producers/marketers are thinking of. What a trite selection of songs to put on an album! This album lacks just about everything, & seems so amatuerish for such an experienced performer. This album was such a disappointment - having expected a lot, I got nothing! Even Ball's voice seems out of sorts, failing to carry any of the numbers on the album to the heights we have come to expect of him. Like I said of Alan Jackson, Davis you are a great country singer & your fans deserve so much better than this. Even if it means another dose of old classics before you lay down another album of original songs, it will be worth it, just to give yourself some time to pick and choose a better selection of numbers that are appropriately matched to your vocal ability. Sorry David, this is one album I would not recommend to others. The one star I gave it, well that was for your singing voice, which is great. It just needs better songs to sing. And maybe a better production team as well.

Always been a fan of David Ball, also know his young lead guitar player Troy Cook jr, This is a good traditional CD. Troy's guitar playing is real tasteful, i go back with Troy many years, Troy records on his own and used to have his own band, and toured Arkansas. He is great with David Ball whose vocals are great as usual,
The songs are old timey stuff, Nobody records with their road band, I think here, this works, We are so used to hearing Brent Mason, Larry franklin, Bryan Sutton, and all of the first call studio musicians.
So, put up your feet and think of George Strait.

Not as good as some of his previous efforts, but any David Ball is better than the majority of junk being put out.

I have loved all of David's releases prior to this, however, I feel this falls way short of the mark. The material isn't as good nor is the production equal to his past releases. I was anxious to hear some real good country music again. I didn't hear it here. I would hope that should he release another CD that the material will be better as well as the production.