Traveling Circus

Phil Vassar | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 15, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal South
• ASIN: B002VXECCQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,638 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vassar's Heart Filled "Circus", December 15, 2009

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traveling Circus (Audio CD)

Prime Cuts: She's on the Way, A Year From Now, John Wayne

Vassar is a man of mettle. Rather than donning a Stetson and strumming along a guitar, Vassar has refused to be moulded into the next typical country male artist. On the other hand, Vassar has chosen as his provender the piano, carving for himself a niche as country music's piano man. Though pop music has its share of ivory ticklers including Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Elton John, Vassar joins Ronnie Milsap as one of the few elites who still uses the piano so prominently. Coupled with this is that Vassar has been an established writer before he even secured a recording contract. Thus, the songs that made it into his recording canon have a more matured texture to them relative to most up and coming singer-songwriters. Such a palatine combination enabled Vassar stand out among the crowds which has resulted in hits like "Just Another Day in Paradise," "Love is a Beautiful Thing," and "Last Day of My Life." Unfortunately, of late Vassar has had been having a more challenging time placing a footing on the high stratum of the charts. Thus, this fifth studio album "Traveling Circus" has been delayed a number of times until sophomore single "Everywhere I Go" began to pick up some steam.

So, after such a long bumps, how does "Traveling Circus" fare? Frankly, it's high up on par with Vassar's pristine standards; not that it's perfect but it's still better than the average country CD out there. This time round, Vassar has a more hands on approach to this project whereby he produced all the tracks here himself. Further, he has relied on his road band rather than the paid by the hour session artist creating a more live feel to it. The killer tracks here are the ballads: the best being the ultra sweet "She's on the Way." A choke to the heart, "She's on the Way" has two dads conversing about the challenges of fatherhood. The emotions are so raw and so immediate while the song's melody is memorable: combinations that make this a big hit to come. Another winner is the melancholic piano driven ballad "A Year From Now"--an ode to the transcendence of time that will heal our deepest pains. "John Wayne" is perhaps one of the most tender love songs Vassar where the protagonist swears by forever love and commitment looking to American's iconic actor for inspiration. "Everywhere I Go," the current single, starts off well soft and tender before being seduced into the current trend where bombastic drums and screeching electric guitars ruined what could have been a heartfelt broken hearted love song.

On the propulsive side, "Tequila Town" with its heavy Motown feel has an infectious groove that will get one moving with delight. "Life," is perhaps the most autobiographical entry here, chronicles Vassar's life of late with its different whirlwinds as our piano-man had just survived a divorce. Interesting ex-wife Julie Wood gets a co-write credit here with "Save Tonight for Me" a sensuous pop country number with some nods to some 60s soul. Kenny Chesney, despite his busy schedule, still finds time to co-write with Vassar the quite forgettable "I Will Remember You." Most out of the ordinary is the lead single "Bobbi With an I;" it is a catchy piece unfortunately letdown by the story's bizarre storyline finding Vassar and his buddy walking in to a bar witnessing their close buddy cross dressing as a woman. Naturally, considering the conservative nature of country radio, the single tanked and thankfully disappeared from the airwaves almost immediately.

Coming from the pens of Vassar's high school teacher and friend Jason Erwin, the cover art gives the impression that somehow this CD is comic in nature. Rather, on the contrary this is Vassar's most serious album whereby he deals with the circus of life's issues with endearment, regrets, and spades full of heart. Despite being a tribute to all the piano-playing performers in music history, "Where Have All the Pianos Gone" also speaks to the lacuna in country music where the ivory loving performers are far and in between. Thank God for Vassar who fills such a gap so proudly and so deservingly!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars!, December 15, 2009

By 

Anne H. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Traveling Circus (Audio CD)

I agree with T. Yap, except that I love the song "Everywhere I Go" and still think it's one of the better songs on this CD. So glad it's finally out!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta love Phil!, January 13, 2010

By 

A. Kline (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traveling Circus (Audio CD)

How can you not love Phil Vassar? That is, unless you don't like country music, in which case you shouldn't be reading this. One of the most underrated and underappriciated country musicians, Phil loves what he does, and it comes through on every song. My problem with this CD is the same as most reviews I've read: it's misleading. The title, the cover art, the lead song, and especially the inclusion of the fan favorite "Bobbi with an 'I'" builds expectation of a upbeat, fun-loving album. This is not that album.

Possibly because of that fact, this just doesn't feel like a cohesive album. The majority of the songs are not exactly light-hearted. I enjoyed every song, but it just felt... heavy, for lack of a better term. As a result, the more upbeat songs feel out of place, instead of easing the mood. Listening to the songs in a Phil Vassar or country playlist would be fine, but the album itself doesn't work well as a whole.

That being said, I can't wait for the next album. I got really exciting hearing some of Phil's piano rifts on "Where Have All the Pianos Gone." I would love to hear him just let loose, as "Six-Pack Summer," "The Hot Tub Song," and "Good Ol' Days" are some of my favorites of Phil's. He does sentimental well, but he has shown he knows how to have a good time too.