Customer Reviews

Til the Wheels Fall Off

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just got Amy Rigby's latest - Til the Wheels fall Off.  A GREAT cd...equal to her first, Diary of a Mod Housewife.  She's absorbed all the great R&R moves into her musical subconscious and everything fuses together wonderfully...Her melodies are lovely; the arrangements go from the delicate to seriously rocking out.  But it's her rueful, often witty lyrics that trump everything..An underlying drone supports the music - organ, mellotron, accordion depending on the song, but it's a neat effect.  The next to last song, Believe in You, is a lovely musical homage to George Harrison... the last, All the Way to Heaven, has a sweet VU sound but almost all the songs (and esp songs 1-5 & 10,13-14) are wonderful. Jump off the Lucinda Williams bandwagon & give Amy Rigby a buy & a listen.

Signature ***1/2)

It's hard to write a funny song that isn't just a novelty, but Amy Rigby is a master. Her comically pessimistic, self-deprecatingly ironic songs are as amusing on the 10th listen as they are on the first, in part because she can be as bitter ("Why Do I") as she is sweet ("Don't Ever Change").

Til The Wheels Fall Off is Rigby's best album since 1996's great Diary of a Mod Housewife. She's randy and rambunctious even as she deals with parenthood and a penchant for unreliable men. In rootsy songs that range from the Tex-Mex title track (a duet with Todd Snider) to the jaunty piano pop of "The Deal" to the twangy anthem "Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?" ("We used to be triple x-rated/look at us now, so domesticated"), Rigby dissects desires and doubts with vivacity and humor.

- Steve Klinge
Philadelphia Inquirer

By all rights, "Til the Wheels Fall Off" should be Amy Rigby's breakthrough album. This is her strongest, most consistent collection of original songs to date, supported by a crack team of musical compatriots including Todd Snider, Will Kimbrough, and Ken Coomer. They don't get much better than this.

This isn't kid stuff. "Wheels" is full of big, hard questions about big, hard life-and-love struggles, with no easy answers. "Why do I pull wings off butterflies...I kiss the boys but I'm the one who cries," she laments in "Why Do I". "What am I looking for?", she asks in "Shopping Around," adding "I'm getting older, I'm getting wiser/But am I getting laid?" "The Deal" picks up the wry relationship-as-transaction theme from her last album's "Cynically Yours". "Forget that couple stuff/Forget about love/That's the deal/It's optional", she proposes. Do you believe that? Neither does Amy. "I wish that I could lose myself inside of love/Instead of always standing on the outside," she sighs on "Believe In You", revealing the capital-R Romantic beneath the cynical facade.

But for all the drama - and there's plenty enough here - "Wheels" is shot through with good humor and musical sophistication. "Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?", a hilarious take on marital fizzle, gets a subtle banjo, pennywhistle, and bodhran Irish treatment. The bright, bouncy pop melody of "The Deal" seems to come right from the Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart/Monkees songbook. "Breakup Boots" gets a full country band treatment here that soars on World Dominator Will Kimbrough's slide work. The title cut is a loping shuffle tugged along by trebly Farfisa organ riffs, a loopy trombone solo, and a drawling Todd Snider duet that redefines "laid back". The Sept. 11-inspired "Don't Ever Change", achingly beautiful and elegant in its simplicity and directness, goes beyond events to give much-needed perspective and uplift in a world of uncertainty and pain. It's one of those songs you could see Dolly Parton taking to Number One.

If there's one thing missing from "Wheels", it's a rocker. As anyone who's heard her tear through "Pump It Up" or her own "If You Won't Hang Around" will tell you, ain't too many people rock harder than Amy. That's as good a reason as any to catch her on tour with her band this spring.

In the meantime, pick up "Til the Wheels Fall Off", and hear one of America's best singer-songwriters show 'em how it's done.

Amy Rigby is such an original voice she needs her own sub-genre. Not pop/rock. Something like Single Mom, Rock 'n Droll (S&M, R&D).

After three poorly-promoted albums for Koch Records, she's landed at Signature Sounds, the boutique Massachusetts label of Richard Shindell, Josh Ritter and the late Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.

Tongue firmly planted, Rigby croons that loneliness feels good to her and that "deep inside I'm awful, colder than a frozen waffle." She's proud to be randy in "Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?" She's sweet about her beer-bellied boy and her tuned-out daughter in "Don't Ever Change." She even ponders the cosmic with "Believe in You."

While most of the tunes are straight-ahead pop, she throws in a few curves. There's girl group pop in "Shopping Around." Country pop in "Breakup Boots," featuring Will Kimbrough's slide guitar. And the title cut, a duet with Todd Snider, has a Farfisa organ that would make Difford and Tilbrook smile. Throughout, Richard Barone, Bill Lloyd and Duane Jarvis lend a hand.

The lyrics on a few cuts, notably "O'Hare" and "Even the Weak Survive," come across as forced. But overall this may be her best album since "Diary of a Mod Housewife," her out-of-print debut, and it's a good companion to "18 Again," the collection of shoulda-been hits from her first three discs.

Amy Rigby is a 44-year-old divorcee with a teenaged daughter. Her mind is sharp, her voice is strong, her hormones are coursing, and her breasts are hanging in there. Her demographic needs all the music it can get, and she's been writing songs from its evolving perspective since 1996's inspired Diary of A Mod Housewife- songs so heartfelt, pointed and shapely that by now her marginality is an ageist outrage. Confessing miserably that she's "colder than a frozen waffle", wondering whether she and her beau are "ever gonna have sex again", announcing that "there's no secret technique to separating me from this dress", finding perfection in a wink and some Chuck Berry, she's writing more consistently than anyone else in Nashville and finding musicians who know it. Her fourth album is her best since her first, and they're all terrific. Only a putz would tell her no.
Robert Christgau, MOJO

Reviewer: John Husson
By all rights, Til the Wheels Fall Off should be Amy Rigbys breakthrough album. This is her strongest, most consistent collection of original songs to date, supported by a crack team of musical compatriots. They dont get much better than this. This isnt kid stuff. Wheels is full of big, hard questions about big, hard life-and-love struggles, with no easy answers. Why do I pull wings off butterflies...I kiss the boys but Im the one who cries, she laments in Why Do I. What am I looking for?, she asks in Shopping Around, adding Im getting older, Im getting wiser/But am I getting laid? The Deal picks up the wry relationship-as-transaction theme from her last albumsCynically Yours. Forget that couple stuff/Forget about love/Thats the deal/Its optional, she proposes. Do you believe that? Neither does Amy. I wish that I could lose myself inside of love/Instead of always standing on the outside, she sighs on Believe In You, revealing the capital-R Romantic beneath the cynical facade. But for all the drama - and theres plenty enough here - Wheels is shot through with good humor and musical sophistication. Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?, a hilarious take on marital fizzle, gets a subtle banjo, pennywhistle, and bodhran Irish treatment. The bright, bouncy pop melody of The Deal seems to come right from the Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart/Monkees songbook. Breakup Boots gets a full country band treatment here that soars on World Dominator Will Kimbroughs slide work. The title cut is a loping shuffle tugged along by trebly Farfisa organ riffs, a loopy trombone solo, and a drawling Todd Snider duet that redefines laid back. The Sept. 11-inspired Dont Ever Change, achingly beautiful and elegant in its simplicity and directness, goes beyond events to give much-needed perspective and uplift in a world of uncertainty and pain. Its one of those songs you could see Dolly Parton taking to Number One. If theres one thing missing from Wheels, its a rocker. As anyone whos heard her tear through Pump It Up or her own If You Wont Hang Around will tell you, aint too many people rock harder than Amy. Thats as good a reason as any to catch her on tour with her band this spring. In the meantime, pick up Til the Wheels Fall Off, and hear one of Americas best singer-songwriters show em how its done.

I checked out this CD after it was featured on NPR's World Cafe. Since that show very rarely repeats music, I wanted to hear more since it was playing her stuff fairly regularly.

Amy Rigby is open and honest with her lyrics without being overly sentimental or trying to be shocking. She asks the same questions that the average woman thinks about in a day. If you're a tough-guy or really young, this album might not appeal to you. But for all else, it's a must have.

And I hope I'm not the only person to cry everytime I hear "Don't ever change."

PasteMusic.com - April 2003
Having released three albums of witty, tuneful root-pop to great critical acclaim and a growing cult audience, Amy Rigby's Signature debut Til The Wheels Fall Off has all the makings of a breakthrough. The album is a masterpiece of adult pop, conjuring up classic 60's pop anthems while remaining completely contemporary and offering the sharpest lyrics this side of Elvis Costello. Rigby's autobiographical tunes, by turns funny and poignant, are the stuff of which careers like Lucinda Williams are made, and Rigby is long overdue for some Williams-like recognition.

As another New Yorker transplanted to Nashville, I have a special little place in my musical heart for Amy Rigby. I can't compare this CD to her other recordings, as it's the only one I've heard, but it's a good listen. There are a couple of great songs, and the rest is, well, just fine. It's too good to be called filler, but it a little lackluster half the time.

The first track uses wordplay seemingly for its own sake. Maybe that's the influence of being around southern songwriters, who do delight in words, as do I. But the protagonist who likes to pull wings off butterflies is unsympathetic. The title track is lyrically uninteresting, and I can't imagine why it's been singled out, but "Shopping Around" is a good relationship song. "Don't Ever Change", on the other hand, is absolutely breathtaking - I can't imagine anyone with a heart being able to listen to it without eyes getting a little moist. "Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again" is hilarious and right on target, but I think the reviewer who said it was hard to write a funny song that isn't just a novelty had it right - this song is a (fun) novelty. I'm going to go out on a limb and make an allusion to another semi-obscure middle-aged Nashville songwriter who may be familiar to some Amy Rigby fans. I'd compare this song to Marshall Chapman's "Alabama Bad", not to her "Call the Lamas". It makes you laugh, but doesn't get to the heart of the matter.

"The Deal" is a nice enough whimsical song about the notion of having a relationship without having to compromise, "O'Hare" is a decent song, and "How People Are" is a low point on the CD. But "Even The Weak Survive" is, to me, a brilliant song, and one of a few reasons to buy this CD. The rest of the songs are fine, some, like "Last Request", are better than others, and some sound tailormade for some country star to re-record them.

Overall, I recommend the CD as a chance to hear a good songwriter with a mature viewpoint, a delightful wry sense of humor, and a sometimes-waifish voice that can express the most profound emotions with pure unadorned achiness. I love her voice. There is some truly great songwriting here, the recording is professional, and the instrumentation tasteful. The only drawback is the uneven quality in the songwriting. It never dips below mediocre, and rarely below pretty good, but several, if not half of these songs could easily have been omitted.

A longtime fixture on the New York indie-altie/power-pop scene, songwriter Amy Rigby has given the world another little gem with this fine, episodic album. It's not an entirely cohesive work, as she shifts from somewhat dense, introspective rock songs to folkie acoustic numbers and back again... Not that I have a problem with artists who won't limit themselves to one style of music, it's just that the the transitions aren't always that smooth. Nonetheless, in this case the parts are more than the sum of the whole, and a handful of songs on here made this one of my favorite records of 2003. The blisteringly hilarious novelty song, "Are We Ever Gonna Have Sex Again?" made me laugh out loud when I first heard it: it's the all-too-familiar tale of the modern-day couple whose erotic life has been curtailed both by busy schedules and everyday routine; the tart, too-true lyrics and Rigby's dead-on delivery make this an instant classic. Other favorites include the opening track, "Why Do I," a power-pop exploration of the neurotic impulse towards self-sabotage, and "Don't Ever Change," a touching embrace of normalcy and imperfection in those we love, and in acceptance of the quirky flaws of the world at large. As with the other two songs, it's Rigby's wry, gentle, deft slice-of life observations that make this tune such a winner. Overall, this album shows its greatest appeal in its sense of maturity and un-corny wisdom; it's nice to see that as Baby Boom indie-rockers age and mellow out that they can still make such great music.