Customer Reviews

Spring Reverb

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Like classic rock? If you answered 'yes', the Wu won't hesitate to tell you that this album is right up your alley. It has a full, well (but not over) produced sound. Anyone familiar with the Big Wu knows that they get thrown into the 'jam band' catagory (one that spans jazz, rock, blues, and even some electronica and rap... any improvised music pretty much nowadays). Don't be quick to dismiss them for this fact--these are great tunes!

The first track, Break of Day, will sound familiar to those who have heard the Wu before; it has that light, fun, ethereal sound that the Wu has captured over the years. SPMC and Make Believer, the album's second and third songs, are very catchy numbers with a great, classic rock sound. They have that 'hook' the Doobie Brothers and Bad Company used to reel us in many years ago. The disk's fourth track, Chateau in the Know, is, in my humble opinion, the weakest song on the disk... not because it is poorly written, but it just doesn't quite mesh as well or catch my liking as much. It is, however, the first song on the disk to incorporate the Wu "flatpicking" guitar work that they use on a regular basis. The next song, Flat Iron Suite, is a decent acoustic ballad. The album's sixth song is one of my favorite Wu songs, Dancing With Lula. It opens with a Dr John/Bernie Worrell style keyboard ditty that is excellent and is structured masterfully. Ben Stein would have trouble not getting excited about it. The same goes for the next track, Rhode Island Red--it grips you at the ear and drags you into the wonderful world of Wu. It has a down on the farm, get down and buck-dance bluegrass twist to it. The eighth track, Irregular Heartbeat, is another decent, ballad type song, but isn't the best that the Big Wu offes. Tequila, the ninth song, is yet another irresistable classic rock song, featuring driving guitar riffs and humorous lyrics about a girl that gets a little crazy when she hangs out with Jose Cuervo. I don't know what to say about the next song, Recipes. Lay off the peyote, fellas. Shoot the Moon, the eleventh track, is more similar to something off of 'Tracking Buffalo' or 'Folktales' in that it has typical Wu sound. It is great live and has proved to be one of my favorites. I can't give enough praise to the song Bird on a Wing. It should be the number one classic rock ballad ever (no, seriously folks). I could look you straight in the eye and tell you that they have taken the best elements from the best ballads of old and made a new one that blows everything else out of the water. Everything about it flows just like you want it to... it is textured so that it is somehow both delicate and consoling... it gives you chills. I'll stop there because you probably don't beleive me anyways, but you really should take my word on that one. Southern Energy, the albums closing track, is another great live song. It has a groovy latin vibe and a catchy chorus, although it somehow conjures up the scene from Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase is day dreaming about his new pool (not a good or bad thing necessarily).

Overall, this is a great disk with few minuses. I'd especially recommend this to a classic rock fan who is trying or might be interested in the 'jam' scene. It's just so damn easy to like.

The Big Wu have taken a huge leap forward. Already a solid live act with some good studio releases under their belt. Spring Reverb establishes the band as one of the top songwriting groups of the "jam band" genre. I would go as far to say the Wu are primed to be one of the most essential bands on this decade. Add this CD to your collection.