Customer Reviews

Vanishing America

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanna be flying on dragonfly wings."

I've been a fan of Joshua Kadison since his first release, "Painted Desert Serenade". I've been fortunate enough to have found his independent releases ("Saturday Night in Storyville" and "Troubador in a Timequake") as well as his wonderful book "Seventeen Ways to Eat a Mango". I've bought several copies of his first cd and his book for friends - I simply cannot praise the talent of Joshua Kadison enough! I was so thrilled to find that he had a new release with "Vanishing America" and, with many thanks to a wonderful friend in Germany, I acquired this cd a few weeks ago. It hasn't left my cd player since it arrived! Joshua has retained his standards for wonderful story songs with this cd. I immediately fell in love with "Carolina's Eyes" and was thrilled to hear songs from his independent cd's included ("My Father's Son", "I Believe In You", and "Cherry Bowl Drive-in") with new musical arrangements. This cd will not let you down. And if you don't find magic in "Begging For Grace" or "Shine" then maybe you'll find it in "Molly In the Mirror", "Desert Flower" or "Song For a Grounded Angel". Every song has a wonderful story and message. We'll probably never hear Joshua on mainstream radio again, as we did on "Painted Desert Serenade" but as long as he continues to release his wonderful cd's I'll continue to buy them over and over!

Fly On!

I first heard Joshua when he released his well-received "Painted Desert Serenade," which was an excellent debut. When "Delilah Blue" was release as its follow-up, I was so excited about it; boy, was I disappointed. "Delilah" pales in comparison and it seems like Kadison was focusing his lyrics on transvestites and people of the night. Little depth or emotion in that release.
Fortunately, "Vanishing America" returns Joshua to the territory he captured so well in "Painted". This is an awesome collection; there isn't one misfire on the entire CD. Kadison's lyrics are his best yet and convey a tremendous sense of compassion, understanding, and bittersweet eloquence. Opening with the simple, yet plaintive, "Carolina Eyes," the CD moves on with amazing emotional impact. "Desert Flower" focuses on a single mother in New Mexico, and Joshua's attraction to her. His desire to "turn himself into rain" is a beautiful analogy of how he feels about this woman. "Dragonfly Wings" is a beautiful narrative reflecting on mental illness and the hopes and despairs that accompany it. "I wanna be blues, greens, wanna be flyin on dragonfly wings" is gorgeous imagery. In "Cherry Bowl Drive In," the razing of an old drive-in movie theatre evokes the pain of Kadison's misfired relationship and the two children he left behind. Extremely touching. A tempo change occurs with "El Diablo Amor," a haunting essay on the devil, love. "I Believe in You" may surpass "Beautiful in My Eyes" as Joshua's best romantic ballad. The poetry and musicality of this song are simply brilliant. "Shine" reflects Kadison's love for his younger brother, Sebastian, and offers him (and us) the chance to look into ourselves and see how we shine. "Greyhound Bound for Anywhere" would fit any country play list, even though we know it never will. This is another heartbreaker with the searing question, "Tell me, is he good to you?" Growing old and the unfulfillment of lost dreams is beautifully expressed in "Molly in the Mirror." Joshua's obvious maturing is evidenced in the uplifting tribute to his dad, "My Father's Son." The CD closes with the simply beautiful "Song for a Grounded Angel." Fly on, indeed.
This is truly a wonderful effort by Joshua Kadison. His ability to tell stories without forced rhyme is amazing. His musical simplicity only adds to the quick attraction to these songs.
An outstanding CD, one of the best of 2001! Get it. You won't be sorry.

An excellent follow-up to "Painted Desert Serenade", this album was well worth the wait. The songs are similar in sound, just different chords, lyrics and stories. The songs are very well-arranged and Kadison wrote them himself. The album is very enjoyable from track 1 to 11. No fillers on this album! Kadison is such an underrated talent, and it's a crying shame this album has not been released in the U.S. yet. If you love good soft rock music, you must get this album!

Joshua shows on Vanishing America that the new miles he has put on him since his last studio recording have not jaded his view of the everyday experience - colors, textures & fantastic songwriting showcase throughout this long awaited follow up cd. Molly in the Mirror, Begging for Grace & Carolina's eyes are crafted gems that speak of true longing & life reflection - haunting the listener and taking them to the scene of the song's story..... Masterful & full of human spirit - this CD will sooth the soul & warm the heart...

I was thrilled when I received this cd yesterday! Whenever I feel like relaxing or want to listen to something comforting, I always listen to Painted Desert Serenade. Now after having received Vanishing America, I feel the same way about this cd! I have listened to the song "I Believe in You" over and over again, and I might even like it better than "Beautiful in My Eyes". I am so happy that I bought this cd and I hope he keeps making more!

I'm a big fan of Joshua Kadison's previous releases and he doesn't disappoint with this one. Great stories, great song writing and that voice sounds just like a friend.

This album can be compared to his first album Painted Desert Seranade.It has a few songs from his earlier piano only albums.Cherry Bowl Drive In is one of my favorites and it sounds even better here.Also remade were My Fathers Son and I Believe in You.My other two favorites are Dragonfly Wings and El Diablo Amor.There is not a bad song on this album.Hopefully this will be released in the U.S. so anyone could pick it up in a local record store.It would be dumb not to. Great album 5 stars

As I have stated in a previous review of the "Premium Gold" collection, Joshua Kadison is an artist who isn't satisfied to stay the same. He is constantly reinventing himself with each CD he releases, and this especially true with "Vanishing America" ... this collection is pure country. His rich vocals and lush orchestrations only seem to enhance the beauty of the melodies. While I am by no means a fan of country music, THIS CD will go down as one of my favorites.

. . . is absolutely wonderful. I'd loved Painted Desert Serenade, so was very curious about his one. I even waited a month to get it! Liked it when I first heard it, but after a month it has really grown on me. From the beautiful music box type melody of "Molly In The Mirror" (my current favorite), to the heartfelt "I Believe In You", this is a terrific collection of music. If you're wondering if you should buy it, stop wondering and do it! You won't regret it.

After the great, if somewhat different, "Delilah Blue" JK has put out an album filled with 11 great songs. The album is much more like "Painted desert.." than "DB", so it should attract a much wider audience. It is an album you can play from start to finish, without having to skip a track you don't like, because they are all great. My personal favourites are "Begging for grace", "Cherry bowl drive-in" and "Molly in the mirror". His songs are 4 minutes long, and in that short space of time, he takes you to a place, inroduces you to characters, and makes you fall in love with them. The album in general doesn't seem to be a happy one, It's full of tales about lost love, with "Molly in the mirror" being the saddest. Its about an elderly woman looking back on her life, and the missed oportunities, wondering "what have you done with your days"? You wonder what has happened to Josh to give him these thoughts, but they are still truly great songs.