Customer Reviews

Street Symphony

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Subdudes are one of Nawlins' best-kept secrets. They've been making music for the past twenty years. With each CD, I keep expecting a big hit. Perhaps "Street Symphony" is the one.

The music's good solid basic rock with a bluesy jazz flair. This group believes in keeping it light enough to travel and they could just as easily set up on the corner as Carnegie Hall. In live sets, none of the band members will play anything that they cannot carry onto the stage themselves. The drummer plays a tambourine set and the keyboardist totes an accordion. By the way, they're impressive, straightforward, and more fun than I've had at almost any live venue. If you have a chance to see them, don't miss out. Their shows are well worth the time.

Their songs are often stories, like some of the best folk-rockers. I got caught up in the uplifting ones from prior albums, notably "Miracle Mule". This collection in general is a bit less lighthearted than prior ones.

The group opens up with a rocker in "Fountain of Youth," which is offers a pretty succinct description of many of us:

Take your pills
Take your time
You can take your pulse and see if you've died
You can hide your thoughts
You can hide your gold
You can hide your heart
But you can't hide old

There's more reflection than just the opener, though. "Street Symphony" is the first CD the Louisiana natives have produced since Katrina ravaged their homes.

"Poor Man's Paradise" is the publicized single for this CD and details the homelessness and poverty among the people still left there and how the folks are doing their best to make it out all right.

"Thorn in her Side" is probably the strongest protest on the album.

Money and blood spillin' on the sand
Plantin' our flag in someone else's land
What about the people for which it stands
How about takin' care of our own
Like the people down South
Drownin' in their homes?

"Work Clothes On" talks about responsibility. The temptation to play hooky from work and go fishin' leads to unpaid bills and eventually his work clothes are an orange prison jumper.

The remainder of the CD all has messages, beautifully written and performed. If you haven't heard them, give the Subdudes a try. If you liked their prior releases, you will more than likely enjoy this one as well.

Sound and vision mag (used to be Stereo Review way back...) gave this CD a Sound and Vision "Reference CD" stamp which is pretty rare and high praise. But in case that was not enough the reviewer said that for all the reasons listed in his review he thought this was the best CD yet of this century. The review should be listed at their web site in a few weeks so you can check it out yourself.

I will echo the other reviewers who said this is a live show not to be missed. Speaking of reviews, our local paper (Schenectady NY) said their show was the best concert of the year and I agree.

If you know this band, you will love the new album. If you don't know this band, you will love the new album. Yeah, I'm a big fan, but I listen to lots of music and this is some of the best around. Thoughtful lyrics, great tunes, and some of the best harmony goin'. These guys are exceptional in concert and play all over the country. Hopefully, you'll get to hear them. They are gracious enough to talk and sign CDs, clothes, whatever after a show. They are down to earth people, not pretentious "stars". Spread the word. Peace.

Need I say more! Unmatched by any group playing today for sustained soulful excellence. Great songwriting matches up with beautiful musicanship to create a sound I can only describe as heavenly. The boys are truly touched by the Hand of The Almighty! Try listening to any one of their albums and not being moved close to tears. "Symphony" is their best work since "Annunciation" and that was a Masterpiece. Crawl on your hands and knees, if need be, to see them live. You will not believe music like this exists. And boys if you read this, get to St. Louis as soon as you can. We are waiting!!!

I saw the band 4 times this year and at first was a little resistant to the new songs they were playing which were part of the Street Symphony CD. Now that I have listened to the CD for a week, pretty much full time, I can only wonder when these guys will be on stage receiving a well deserved Grammy. I just want to share this with everyone I know. A very powerful work of art.

I had only heard one track off this CD when I bought it. It's a really nice feeling when you play a CD for the first time and EVERY track is as good or better than the one that prompted you to buy it in the first place. The only thing missing was the oyster po boy.

I really enjoyed Behind the Levee and was surprised at how good it was. But this cd is even better. These guys are like a fine wine - they get better with age. I still love their first albums and have great memories with them. The rest of the world needs to know how good this music is. All in all, I highly recommend this cd!

Anything by the subdudes is worth listening to since, like the Band, they synthesize a whole lot of America's musical roots into their work. "Street Symphony" is one of the best albums from the 'dudes in years, and that's saying a lot. If you're not a subdudes' fan -- and, if you're not, get with it -- this is a great place to start. Listening to "Fountain of Youth" or "Work Clothes," two of the best cuts, is a lot like sitting on the back stoop on a warm Louisiana day drinking Dixies and hanging with good old friends.

The Subdudes are a rich gumbo of sound spanning a much larger portion of modern music than almost any other band. These boys are musicians musicians, absolutely passionate and dedicated to their craft and audience. This is a great CD served up from a band that deserves much, much more credit than they have gotten. Street Symphony almost captures the sound that has been missing in past recordings of them, their live concert sound. Fans will tell you that their live shows are uplifting, edge on spritual and "if you ain't up dancing yer dead'. Buy this CD then go see them live. I will still be spinning Annunciation and the early stuff but this is a keeper.

My wife and I have been avid listeners to the subdudes for quite a few years. We've heard their early highs (Annunciation) and lows (Primitive Streak for our tastes).

When these guys reformed after several years apart, we waited to hear what they had to offer after the long hiatus. Miracle Mule (their reunion first) was a fine album, ditto for Behind the Levee.

This CD, THIS CD, goes somewhere else entirely and it's bigger, better and more beautiful than anything so far.

The start is a hard rocker like many they've done before, not a timeless wonder but a good start. Second comes "Poor Man's Paradise" and the fun has truly begun. This is the first of several songs referring to life in their beloved New Orleans - post Katrina, post the disappointment of the failure of America to meet the needs of its own. But it's a song of celebration. "Doing alright, in our poor man's paradise" celebrates both the allusion to the fishing shacks that house many of the poor after the devastation, and the impoverished town itself. And it makes you smile.

As the album progresses, we get to "Thorn In Her Side" the subdudes' most political statement since "One Word (Peace)" and it is a fastball straight down the middle - "What about takin' care of our own, like the people down south, drowning in their homes; guess my God and your God don't see eye to eye".

So much more on this set is surpassing in lyrics, melody or both, but 2 more are at least worth mentioning.

"No Man" is simply one of the most gorgeous love songs, followed by one of the most rippin' solos in recent memory. If you have EVER been truly loved, this song will move you to love yet more deeply. It is a statement of what it means to care.

"Street Symphony" the title cut, is the close to the album and a great song of beauty and joy. There's lots of space in this song, the musicians let the song come to them slowly and let chords and harmonies ring. If you don't find yourself singing this song out loud when you're finished listening to this CD, you've probably had too much to drink (or maybe not enough). Either way, you're missing an incredible celebration.

If you don't know these guys, you NEED to hear this CD. It is a geniune work of art.