Customer Reviews

Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation - The Songs of Vic Chesnutt

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

 

 

This is a great record. Each of the musicians does justice to Vic's music while at the same time expressing their own style. Even though he's not well-known, Vic Chesnutt is highly respected in the music world, which is why musicians like R.E.M., Madonna, and Live wanted to cover his songs. Kristin Hersh does an absolutely beautiful version of "Panic Pure" on this record- as good as Vic's, which makes me suspect that she's actually his female counterpart. R.E.M. said it all in their comment, "Vic is cherry pie." If you want to get a Vic album after hearing this, I recommend "Drunk" or "West of Rome."

I lost this cd recently, and I need to replace it. Quickly. It is one the only times that I have found the cover songs are nearly as good as Vic Chesnutt's own versions. They are artistic entities in their own right. The muscicians on this album do not simply reproduce these songs, they re-create them. And it is a testament to the incredible song writing of Chesnutt.

Perhaps, like me, you'd never heard of Vic Chesnutt before this album was released. It may make you wish you had. The album starts very strong with Garbage's rendition of "Kick My Ass". "Gravity Of The Situation" is country-ish, but actually sounds very good (I'm not a country fan). "When I Ran Off & Left Her" is probably the best song on the album, and should also stand as one of Soul Asylum's best efforts, recalling the solid middle chunk of "Grave Dancers Union". "Supernatural" is not up to Live's usual standards but is nonetheless a good listen. "Withering", performed by Cracker, and the Indigo Girls on "Free of Hope" are also very good. The only disappointment is "Sad Peter Pan". Who knows what happened on that one? I like Smashing Pumpkins and I like most of Vic's songs featured on this album, but that one doesn't work. The rest of the album, however, is very good (and proceeds go to a good cause!).

I suspect that most people are going to discover this album, like I did, trying to complete collections of songs by their favorite artists. I was a Cracker and Sparklehorse fan which led me to this album. Now arguably I am a much bigger Vic Chesnutt fan than I am of either of those bands. In fact the Cracker and Sparklehorse covers on this album aren't all that great. I give this album 4 stars because the songs are all VC classics and should be heard by those unfamiliar with his work, but inevitably the covers are of hit-and-miss quality. On the weak side are the Hootie cover of "Gravity of the Situation", and the Smashing Pumpkins cover of "Sad Peter Pan", which really pale to the original upon repeated listening to both. Those are two VC classics that probably no one could cover successfully. On a positive note, the Dog's Eye View, Live, Joe Henry and Soul Asylum covers are terrific, as good as I've ever heard those artists. In short, if you are unfamiliar with VC, you may, upon gaining greater familiarity and upon repeated listening to this album, soon begin to think at times that VC should be spending more time writing music for others to perform -- it would make the music world a better place.

Had bought this CD years ago, and it disappeared. After replacing it, I realized how much I loved it. Thanks for the great service and shipping it quickly...

Sweet Relief II is worth it just for 2 tracks: Kick My A%% by Garbage and Guilty by Association by Joe Henry and Madonna. That's all I gotta say, amazing!

I had never heard of Vic Chestnutt before this cd. I stumbled upon this cd looking for Madonna material. I bought it and played it over and over(the one track) and loved it. Then I decided to play the rest of it. Garabage's cover is really awesome. Then the rest of the album blew me away. What a great song writer and terrific cd. Every cd collector should have this one