Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Top-notch recording. A must have., March 5, 2008
This CD has been playing at the apartment every day for the past week. Richard Julian is among the best working singer-songwriters today. I'm not blowing hot air up anyone's private areas; I'm serious.
If you're not familiar with RJ's skills, here's a perfect way to delve in. The songs are akin to Campbell's Chunky Soup. They're the songs that sound like a book (rather than soup that eats like a meal). Prediction: His songs will be spoken in the same breath when mentioning dudes like Willie, Neil, Joni, Prine, et al. of equal breadth and sensitivity to the human experience.
The trio is in top form. Timmy Luntzel on the bass, Dan Rieser on the kit, Richard's guitar, with help on keyboard touches from brilliant producer, Mitchell Froom. This is what NYC music is capable of right now, and I can heartily recommend it like a good meal that's good for the brain.
Mr. Julian gets 4 stars, just because he ain't done yet.
-- Donnie
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music for a Sunday Morning, March 2, 2008
With "Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes," Richard Julian firmly establishes himself as folk-country's greatest songwriter. Song after song resonates with exquisite structure, impeccable and passionate guitar playing, and some of the finest rhymes this side of Paul Simon.
This time around, though, there is a fascinating edge to the material. "Slow New York" was a deeply personal set; songs like "Don't Wait Up" felt like a heartfelt 3 AM confession, and when he turned away an old friend on "On Your Own," we felt his pain and guilt. But here, Julian takes on the role of storyteller, of ironic philosopher. The results are beyond intriguing - "Can't Go Back," "God III," "Man in the Hole" all feel like genuine lessons, like screeds from a man who really understands us. And he's a fine satirist, as always - "Syndicated" is a blast, full of wordplay and sweet rhymes, and "Spring is Just Around the Corner" successfully walks the line between hokum and irony (a line Randy Newman could never quite find). But of all his fine, fine albums, "Sunday Morning" is the one least likely to allow us to understand him. While there is surely some personal pain and growth behind these songs, the wall between us and him is a little thicker this time.
Musically, though, he is in a whole new world. Many songs in this set are built on the blues, but his inversions and twists keep us guessing - you can listen a dozen times and not know what's coming next. And his playing, which has always been excellent, soars into the stratosphere on songs like "Brooklyn in the Morning" and "Man in the Hole." His voice is in fine form as well - his smoky baritone is an excellent instrument, even if too many tracks harness it into a double-track. The whole CD is produced in a charmingly low-key fashion, making it sound like Richard and his modest combo are right there in our living room, singing a private concert.
For us fans, "Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes" is an absolute must, a folk-bluesy riff on New York mornings, America, relationships, and even the Almighty. The neophytes will dig it, but they'll love it even more if they wet their whistles on earlier gems like "Slow New York," "Good Life" and "Smash Palace" first. Then they'll understand why Julian's fans are so loyal, and why this album feels like a gift.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richard Julian: Poster Child for All That is Wrong With the 'Biz' , March 14, 2008
With the release of Mr. Julian's fifth solo CD, Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes, one can only hope that the winds of discretion start blowing in his direction. If voodoo dolls were to be taken seriously, one could only imagine a tiny effigy of Mr. Julian perforated with three dozen pins, slouched over some music mogul's cash box.
What does Mr. Julian have to do to reach the escape velocity with which to spin him into the orbit of recognition that he so justly deserves? Why do fastidious music lovers need to hire private detectives to locate stores that sell his CDs? Okay, so he opened for Norah Jones on at least one major tour. He sang and played with her on their 'The Little Willies' release. He records on a label that one could hardly call obscure. His latest release was produced by the acclaimed Mitchell Froom and mastered by Bob Ludwig.
But these are mere peripheral credits when one considers Mr. Julian's natural talents as a songwriter, instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger and performer. This reviewer will not engage in a song by song eulogy of Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes, nor will he point out the obvious comparisons to other songwriters who find it necessary to seek refuge from music critics crawling over each other for an interview.
Suffice it to say that this reviewer maintains an articulated CD collection that numbers about 5,000 units. Within this archival jungle reside all five of Mr. Julian's solo releases. That they spend an inordinate amount of time spinning in my disc carriage is obviously not sufficient cause to elevate him to a status commensurate with his skills. But all anybody with the power to promote needs to do is listen to him, really listen closely.
So, somebody please remove Richard Julian's face from the poster that represents him as an underdog and find a way to bring him to the fore, if not for his benefit, at least for our's.
Harry Hughes, author of THE BAIT SHACK
www.hughesauthor.net
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