Customer Reviews

Train Home

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

 

 

Chris Smither has been consistently good throughout the 90's, and his "Live As I'll Ever Be" was superlatively sensational. For me, "Train Home" is his strongest set amongst consistently excellent material. The title track sounds a bit like some of his other compositions; I keep wanting to hear "I feel so dumb to get so excited." But the lyrical twist is amazing; & it is a smash hit on my personal top ten. Smither's unique finger picking style that started when he first picked up the ukulele instead of guitar shines as his sweetly resonant voice sings, "I don't think I see much of anything for me in visions of the past or the ever-after. Now is what can be, all the rest is wait & see, those prophets never hear that cosmic laughter." "It's when you feel a little low that the entire spinning universe descends to say hello," Chris sings on the mellow "Outside In." Chris adopts Dave Carter's "Crocodile Man," making it sound like it was tailor-made for Chris' style. This is an excellent tribute to Dave. Chris' "Lola" is a hoot for anyone who's paused to wonder if there is a difference between love & abuse. Bonnie Raitt joins Chris on a reverential version of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," complete with Richard Downs' unusual horn section on the track. Another favorite of mine is "Call Time" with an electric guitar snarl as Chris rolls through, "Big-time plans are like a pistol in your hand with a long, slow pull on the trigger." Mississippi John Hurt's classic "Candy Man" is a sweet blues with some loaded double entendre. "Never Needed It More" is another strong original with Chris' acoustic guitar propelling the track. "Let It Go" is one hilarious talk-sing # that's sure to be great in his live show. The CD concludes with Buffalo Springfield's "Kind Woman." In Chris' hands this old classic is remade into a lovely adult lullaby, a guy seeking comfort in a woman's arms. When a musician can take another's material and so thoroughly embody the piece, you know you are listening to a master. For my money, "Train Home" is a classic set, a sure-fire bet for my best of the year list. There are no weak links. Enjoy!

This is a honey of a CD. From the opening notes of the eerily beautiful "Train Home" I was hooked. The covers of "Crocodile Man" and (oh boy) "Desolation Row" are masterful. The account of Chris's woefully unsuccessful attempt at Zen-like detachment as he deals with the theft of his car ("Let It Go") makes me laugh out loud every time I listen to it. "Outside In" is one I return to again and again in appreciation of its wonderful lyrics regarding the futility of worry. Can you tell I can't choose my favorite cut? This is a CD that's going to be in my player for a long, long time.

Roots-blues troubadour Chris Smither has been around so long that his '70s singer-songwriter status has shifted into that of an elder statesman of the alt.country scene. This is a remarkable album -- melliflous, calm and compelling, a very mature work. Some of his albums of the 1990s and early '00s have had their forced moments; here Smither seems entirely at ease, and seems to have nothing to prove. It's a very rich, rewarding album, well worth checking out.

Chris Smither once had his sights set on becoming an anthropologist. It is now a most pleasant irony that musical antropologists will one day discover Chris Smither. "Train Home" couldn't be more aptly titled. This CD is like bringing Chris home with you and having him regale with stories in the kitchen. A raconteur of the first order, he unveils life with no maudlin coatings or sugary tweeks, beginning with the first and title cut describing lean lives of chilly reality. At the other end is a [darn]-it-all recollection of the day "some little bum with a button in his tongue" swipes his car in "Let It Go." Stepping briefly from his own elegant writings briefly, Smither steps vividly in to the seamy world of a carny with Dave Carter's "Crocodile Man." His rendition of creepy old Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" paints a picture of hard-scrabble life worthy of Steinbeck. ... Take this CD home; it's like an old friend.

This is the kind of music that makes you stop and listen. The lyrics are intriguing ("with heavy-handed cheerfulness and a calculated smile, it says 'carry me awhile'") and the delivery arrestingly simple. The title track is like a George MacDonald purgatory transported to New York City. And he goes from channeling Tom Waits in "Crocodile Man" to covering Bob Dylan in "Desolation Row." All without stepping out of his own magnetic style. It's storytelling as much as singing. Buy it. Love it. Tell all your friends about it.

I can listen to this CD everyday and I never seem to get tired of it. It's got a rare quality to it that's hard to define and near impossible to find. If nothing else buy this CD to hear his fantastic take of Dave Carter's song "Crocodile Man". It's worth buying the CD just to get that song.

This entire album is simply excellent. From the chilling cover of Dylan's Desolation Row to the original, and somewhat chilling, title track where "The dead don't get no vacation down it that subway station" this work is crisply original and shows that Smither's work has come to full maturity. It is blues in the delta tradition blended with a folk sensibility and a sense of rhythm that is dynamic. This is Smither's finest work to date and is one of the best albums of 2003 hands down.

Just heard the version of Dylan's Desolation Row. The room stood still for eight minutes. But then what would you expect from someone who can also cover Mississippi John Hurt and make it his own too.

Just heard the version of Dylan's Desolation Row. The room stood still for eight minutes. But then what would you expect from someone who can also cover Mississippi John Hurt and make it his own too.

I bought this CD shortly after it was released, and I don't get tired of listening to it. It's pleasantly folksy, the lyrics and tunes are interesting, and his singing voice is just different enough to keep my attention. It's a very relaxing CD, even though the songs aren't particularly slow. It's a keeper.