Customer Reviews

Uh-Oh

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Taking the happy Latin rhythms of "Rei Momo" and the pop inventiveness of his Talking Heads days, David Byrne finds the perfect balance between the two and crafts the record that "Naked" should have been. The horns and congas still pop up throughout the tracks, but the rock guitar gets brought back to the front of the mix. The first single, "She's Mad," masterfully sets the menacing feel of "Burning Down The House" next to Mapeyé, and the chorus on "Something Ain't Right" recalls the group sing-along on "Road To Nowhere." Byrne's singing and lyrics on "Girls On My Mind" and "Hanging Upside Down" harken back to the playfulness of classics like "Stay Up Late" and "Wild Wild Life." The wonderful "A Million Miles Away" was used as the theme song for Téa Leoni's short-lived FOX sitcom, "Flying Blind." The band features ex-Meters bassist George Porter Jr., world jazz percussionist Café, horn man Steve Sacks, trumpeter/arranger Angel Fernandez, and background vocalists Nona Hendryx, Dolette McDonald, and Nicky Holland. Tropicália legend Tom Zé even adds some sounds on the third track. This album contains some of Byrne's catchiest post-Heads material, drawing from (but not overdosing on) his world music interests while keeping it in the realm of the clever pop he became known for. This disc is a fine sampler of the various styles of David's solo work, and will prove an easy transition for Talking Heads fans.

David Byrne's albums always seemed to go by unnoticed, and with Uh-Oh, this is truly a crime. This album is so diverse and colorful and it really deserves some recognition. With the help of a lot of different musicians and instruments, this is a very bright and happy album. The comical opener, "Now I'm Your Mom" starts out a bit off-beat (musically and in subject matter), but includes a wondefully rhythmic chorus. Other highlights include "Girls On My Mind", in which Byrne's vocal delivery is extremely reminiscent of the latter days of Talking Heads, which is cool to hear. "Hanging Upside Down" has features enjoyable and fun lyrics with a driving guitar throughout. "The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)" is a very jumpy tune which truly captures the essence of 'Uh-Oh'. The album's closer, "Somebody", is also probably its best track with a very epic and large feeling which ends this album perfectly. Get this album now!

This album is so much fun! Some of his wackiest songs, wildest lyrics and smoothest grooves!

Byrne was still getting flak from some quarters about breaking up the Heads when this came out. Despite the different reasons I've heard as to why this happened, I think you can hear from the recordings that he longed to branch out, work with other musicians and be in complete control. Look how many additional musicians played on the Talking Heads swan-song NAKED. He definately assembled some top notch players for UH-OH, and it really paid off.

Everything is great here; I gotta wonder about David Byrne fans that don't dig this record. Highlights include: "Twistin' in the Wind" with it's bizarre slice of life tales centered around a Washington D.C. family, "A Million Miles Away" with it's soaring chorus and absolutely dope groove and I'll never forget how I laughed when my rather conservative father yanked my tape out of the car stereo when it started playing the sex-change boogie "Now I'm Your Mom." LOL Ah, the memories.

Melding rock with latin sensibilities has always held a danger for all but the most gifted musicians. Byrne himself has produced a few different records in this style - Rei Momo, and a live video and tour - but these didn't really hit the spot, with the studio recording lacking the liveliness of a true latin band, and the tours sounding incoherent and unrehearsed. However "Uh Oh" stands out, as Bryne manages to truly hit the sweet spot, perfectly melding his dry satirical verses with the happy exhuberance of the latin band. The recording is absolutely superb, bursting with life and pointedly tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Not only my favourite recording by Byrne, but one of my all time favourite albums.

This album uses instrumentation to elicit feeling about as well as any pop/rock albums in the last fifteen years has.

In Byrne's worldview, style has triumphed over substance and corruption reigns. Religion tells lies, and so does love. The guitar coils its way through all of this with aggressive rhythms buoying the often pugnacious, usually wry lyrics.

But like a lot of mockers, Byrne is having a good time. So many of these songs are tremedously joyful ("A Million Miles Away," "Hanging Upside Down," "Something Ain't Right") while also being troubled. The gorgeous "Tiny Town" is a rolling, winding song with strings and burbling horns and Byrne's near-falsetto voice. The horn doodles that bob around the "look where you're going" section at the end of "She's Mad" are ecstatic, transformative.

There really aren't any failures on this record--every song is so embued with energy and thoughtfulness. What could it take for someone not to enjoy this album?

This is the best CD I have ever heard in my life. Every single song on this album is a stand-alone smash, yet they all congeal together at the end. Byrne uses latin and funk inspired music to lead you on a cynical, thought-provoking ride through postmodern American ideals and values. The ideas he had in THE FOREST are more accessable here. Byrne is a multimedia supergenius, and I hope he continues pumping out magnificent albums like this one

This is the greatest piece of music I have ever heard. Out of my 300 cds, I listen to it the most. It is great to work out to, to drive to, to do anything to. I've been listening to it for 12 years and still find sneaky little percussion nuances that I didn't realize were there. Everything else by Talking Heads and byrne solo, while still brilliant, is not on the same plane. Hilarious lyrics, irresistable grooves, totally original songwriting, white hot rhythm, a masterpiece. When was the last time a song made you feel angst ridden and ecstatic at the same time? "Something ain't right" does.

I am surprised this album doesn't get more praise. It was glanced over. A shame because songs like "Something Ain't Right" and "Twistin In The Wind" are the best he's ever written. Maybe it is because side two only contains two immediate standout winners. The rest does grow on you though and overall this is a masterpiece. If you buy one David Byrne record this is an easy choice.

A brilliant mix of Latin Rhythms and David's pop sensibilities, in my humble opinion, I think this is one of the best albums of this decade...

The Talking Heads were a fantastic band, but with 'Uh-oh' it's easy to hear why David Byrne needed different musicians to bring his ideas to life. Each cut is amazing, creative, complex, inspired, thoughtful and evocative. I don't want to go on babbling about its greatness. Trust me. Buy a used copy of this and feel lucky. I'm 51 years old. I am an eclectic music lover and this, upon first listening, became one of my top 5 albums of all-time. I'm addicted.