Customer Reviews

Verse

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've been in the past intrigued by Barber's work even though it hadn't always clicked for me, & I hadn't been strongly impressed by the two last discs, _Companion_ & _Nightclub_ (the latter a set of standards so low-key as to be ultimately rather dull). So _Verse_ came as something of a surprise, one of her most fully satisfying albums. Read on the page her lyrics can be a bit arch and over-literary (her enthusiasm for ee cummings is an ominous sign), but as a singer she manages to give them a slightly veiled delivery which puts them over very nicely. She's got a terrific band here--Dave Douglas & Joey Baron are the stars of course, & there's her regular bassist Michael Arnapol, but the real standout is guitarist Neal Alger, whom I've not come across before. He's really the main person responsible for the textures & coloration here much of the time, since Barber herself only plays piano on a few tracks.

There are some stunningly strange moments on the album--the weightless opening of "The Moon", the mournful echoing guitar & tiny shards of a distant string orchestra on "Clues"--as well as some attractive grooves, often in Barber's favourite off-kilter time-signatures (5 and 7). The one dud for me is "The Fire", which seems to me an attempt to work in the territory of short-story writers like Raymond Carver--it's a bit too cliched in its portrayal of a suburban housewife's ennui to work, I think, & the music is nearly static. But the other 9 tracks are often superb, & always take a few risks--the conceits of "I Could Eat Your Words" & "If I Were Blue" could be merely precious (respectively, a students' erotic obsession with her teacher & with philosophy, expressed in culinary conceits; & a dark-toned elegy which draws its comparisons from various artists' characteristic palettes--"David Hockney's pool" "an Edward Hopper afternoon" &c.). But these actually work out well because of the spareness of the settings & because the conceits work to remove the music from a sense of embarrassing or overweening confessionalism. Perhaps Thomas Campion or John Dowland are closer to the mark than ee cummings?

Very much recommended. Like most of Barber's work it'll probably divide people into virulently opposed camps: it was quite instructive to see that in _Downbeat_ they handed this to four critics & ended up, not with consensus, but with two extremely enthusiastic reviews & two bitter pans. I'm on the side of the enthusiasts: how about you?

Clearly, I will be in the minority on this, but I do not like this disc. It pains me to admit that, since I count myself as a confirmed Patricia Barber fan. In fact, I like it so little that I considered a two star rating, opting in the end for three based on my overall faith in Ms. Barber's talent. I just don't think she consistently shows that talent here. If you are pretty much a mainstream jazz listener who found Pat Barber fascinating in the past for her edgy, minimalist , ironic writing and playing, I think you would be well served to be a bit cautious about this effort.

This is the first disc where Ms. Barber wrote all the music. What that means is that you get precious little melody. Even in her best work: "Touch of Trash", "What a Shame", "Let it Rain", there is not a strong melodic presence. On past albums that have featured her songs, though, this was balanced by her inventive, idiosyncratic adaptations of others' melodies like "Use Me Up", "Ode to Billy Joe", or "You, the Night, and the Music". The steady diet of atonality here is hard to like. You can respect it for its intellectual bite, but it's hard to like it. Even harder to like are the unwelcome excesses of trumpeter Douglas.

Under these circumstances, the "verse" of the title carries a heavy load. Sadly, in my view, it's not consistently up to the task. Mostly, it lacks the concrete, edgy irony and sharp wit of her best work. It seems, at times, almost like earlier, less mature work that she's gotten brave enough to put out. At its worst it degenerates into sophomoric, beat era coffee shop listing. Witness the entire content of "Lost in Love" which consists of 32 lines of "where is this or that" coupled with "I'm lost in this love", or "Clues" with its laundry list of 27 of them like "the edge of the knife", "the black of the night", etc., etc. This from the same pen that wrote: "can't you make those downtown hopping/ grocery shoping/ perky, plodding, cheerful folk/ go away"... "c'mon bring down the sky/ let the clouds and me have a good cry/ let it rain." Hard to believe!

Is it all bad? Absolutely not. Ms. Barber's too talented for that. "Pieces", despite losing it way at the very end, is quite good; as is, generally, "I Could Eat Your Words". Better yet is "If I Were Blue" which is just Pat and guitarist Neal Alger (a bright spot throughout) with its painterly references, spanish sounding guitar, and gentle (for Barber) poignancy. But the star of this disc is the delightfully smash mouth "You Gotta Go Home". It's the most concrete, direct, ironic, and witty song of the group and features the beautifully layered drums of Eric Montzka (sadly, absent otherwise) and the ever present drive of Arnopol's bass. Dynamite!

But those few are not enough, for me, to redeem the whole. After a string of successes for Pat and her band(s), I rate this one as a reverse. Borrow somebody else's copy before you buy it.

Patricia Barber is a verse. She is a woman who happens to melt with words. And, fortunately, our souls can experience this wonderful event when Patricia softly rhymes. Her music is sophisticated and gentle and surprising and intelligent. It's doubtlessly new. Nevertheless, one can find an astonishing glimpse of regular things of one's everyday life: "the same cup of coffee, the same dog, the same wife." So she decided enchanting us calling along four stupendous musicians: Michael Arnopol, Neal Alger, Joey Baron and Dave Douglas. Dig Patricia's verse and you will learn how's that she's blue, or a piece of peace, or a clue.

Wow! What a wonderful experience. Patricia Barber has taken her art to a higher level on "Verse". Being a fan of her previous work, I was excited to learn that this project would contain all original songs. Previous recordings, "Cafe Blue" and "Modern Cool" gave us plenty of glimpses into Barber's song writing capabilities. These songs have some of the most interesting lyrics I have heard in a long time. They are brought to life by music that uses space and odd timbre to lift the vocals to an almost visual level. You can see the paintings that each song sketches. This is high-end art. This music comes at you from several different directions. At one moment you are trapped in the wonderfully twisted lyrics and the next minute you are completely intrigued by the excellent music. It doesn't hurt that the musicians used on "Verse" are first rate exploratory Jazz artist. Barber's piano is as warm and vibrant as ever, but her singing is absolutely beautiful. The contrast between her voice and Dave Douglas' trumpet will give you goose bumps. There is a dark and introspective quality to this music that brings to mind Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" recording from the late 70's. All ten of these songs are wonderful - so it is not possible to pick a favorite. Each composition contains its own halo of beauty. If you are tired of warmed over standards and need a new vibe - pick up "Verse." This music is refreshing, stimulating and beautiful. Great job Patricia - you have created a modern classic.

Best ever lyrics. Best ever JAZZ. Best ever performance! Period! Perfect excuse for 2000 "Night Club" which was aimed at larger audience but was not up to the standards ,she already set with "Modern Cool","Companion". "Night Club " was too mainstream ,too sweet ,D.Krall alike background music. This ingenious album sets new heights for the contemporary jazz! As French don't deserve their Paris, Americans don't deserve such a talent as Patricia Barber .

Many people will dismiss this effort as pretentious and wordy. Too diffucult, not a swinger, etc., etc. To do so is to miss the point by a mile. Great artists take risks, and they should be applauded for their efforts. "Verse" requires the listener to free himself of pre-conceived ideas. To open up and to let the words and music sink in. With each playing, it will become more and more obvious, that Patricia Barber has dug deep inside her self, and come up with a totally unique idea coupled with interpretations that only she could have pulled off.

Listen to Mahler's 6th, or 9th, for the first time. Tell me it was an "easy" experience! Keep listening again and again, and you will hear the essence of genius. THAT is what "verse" is like.

I do not want to single any one track out. Form your own opinions as to which ones affect you the most. Keep your mind and your ears open, and you will be transported into the psyche of a true original: Patricia Barber.

A better musician by far than Diana Krall, Patricia Barber has until now unjustly received much less attention than the pretty face on the commercial side of things. "Verse" should change all that. Always a fine songwriter and lyricist in her own write, Barber has just released her first album of totally original material (with a nod to the French poet Paul Verlaine on "Dansons La Gigue").

Since her stunning first album, "Split," Barber has almost dared her listeners to be open to ever more intriguingly different kinds of sounds. With "Verse" she proves just how original her talent really is. The smokey charm of "Regular Pleasures" mingles with the sophisticated sexiness of "I Could Eat Your Words," and the sly lines in "Clues" may be surpassed only by the witty list of "Pieces." Although the opening track of "The Moon" left me sort of cold, and "The Fire" seemed more like filler, I loved the bouncy, upbeat "Lost In This Love" and the ragged political commentary of "You Gotta Go Home." As a parting shot, "If I Were Blue" is a wonderful combination of a great performance and a pointed review of our popular culture here at the end of the old century and the start of a new one.

For too long, Ms. Barber's impressive body of work has been perhaps somewhat overshadowed by talk of her sexual orientation. With this record, she proves that the most primal and important emotions are universal to all types of relationships. The "New York Times" recently quoted her as saying that she did not feel particularly discriminated against, and even the mob guys seemed to like her romantic and yet straightforward approach to the music. In "Verse," each tune is full of quirky wordplay and incredibly smooth instrumental accompaniments from Michael Arnopol, Neal Alger, Dave Douglas, Joey Baron, and Eric Montzka, some of whom she has worked with for many years now.

Although Ms. Barber began studying the classical and jazz songbooks of America even before she started recording albums, and her liberal education in the humanities is obviously as strong as her highly literate style of writing, she seems to owe a special debt to the style of Cole Porter. Maybe not since his era, ...years ago, has anyone come along who could turn a phrase with quite the knack that this artist has now. Hoagy Carmichael may come close. But today, for this moment in her career at least, Patricia Barbar has achieved the excellence that she has sought with such dedication since her debut on the national scene over the past ...years. By all means, do yourself a favor and give this record a listen. You will hear no better composer in popular music today. Long after current fads have been forgotten, people will by playing "Verse" for a glimpse of true beauty. With this huge step forward in her discography, Ms. Barber is finally poised to get the mass audience (and receive the appreciation) that she deserves. I can't wait for her next release. ...

I had the privlige of hearing most of the songs on this CD in concert in June. After hearing "I Could Eat Your Words" and "If I Were Blue," I realized that I was listening to compositions that are surely destined to become classics. The emotional depth and bristling intelligence of Patricia Barber put her in a league of her own among singer-songwriters. Instead of covering Rodgers and Hart or Cole Porter as today's most popular singers do, she is writing songs that are fully the equal of these great songwriters. The last time I remember being so impressed with a singer was when Joni Mitchell's "Blue' came out in the mid-seventies, and it seems to me that Ms. Barber is equally innovative. What a privlige to listen, be challenged, and learn. Head and heart food of the highest caliber.

I am surprised and disapponted by any negative review related to this album. Critics claim pretention on her part but I find this inconceivable. Patrica Barbaer is the real thing. She has cultivated her style, feeling and sense of music for years in Chicago's Green Mill. She is approachable, interesting and a very serious musician; in other words, pretention is the last thing one can say about her. If you have trouble with the lyrics, get a dictionary and learn some vocabulary. If you find the music stand-offish, buy a better stereo or better yet take some time to hear her. You will discover a very engaged artist who communicates well to her audience.

As far as I am concerned this is an essential jazz recording and deserves every bit of critical support it has received. Congradulations Miss Barber and I hope to hear you again soon in Chicago.

When I listen to Patricia Barber, the way her voice and the piano intertwine is intense and emotionally alive for me. Her technique is immensely expressive by its minimalistic selectivity. With that said, over the last 18 months, I've seen her live in concert about eight times. During those concerts, I remember her trying out some of the songs on this new album("The Moon" & "I Could Eat Your Words"). They were poignant and magical in their simplicity (just piano, bass, & guitar). But they haven't translated well. On this album, I was disappointed to hear them cluttered by trumpet solos and string sections that overpower her piano work and the subtlety of her words-as-gesture. Whereas on Nightclub, I was wooed by her lavish piano work and Arnopol's bass, on Verse I could barely focus and enjoy her piano for the other instruments. The other performers have gotten too much ear time.

The biggest disappointment for me was that this album was sensually evasive; clinging onto intellectual descriptions of emotional experiences that conjure defensive visual constructs to hide you from the subjective emotional experience...but that's what words do when they are used to commit experience to text, or verse. For instance, "Clues" didn't make me feel jilted or hurt, it made me think and observe like a flaneur aloofly watching the moments of someone experiencing the pain of infidelity...but I wasn't there with her because the performance didn't "bring me in", so to speak. In the past, Patricia has expressed drama so artfully using sound and cadence to assert her intentions.

I'm glad she made this album...it's a culmination of previous expressive stylistic attempts ("Touch of Trash", "Postmodern Blues"), but I hope she moves on to express in other ways our human experience...perhaps a song about "The Sun" to complement "The Moon"? I don't want Patricia to turn into Diana Krall, but on her next album I hope she, Arnopol, and Alger go it alone.

The danger of words, text, or verse in music is that consuming their reflexive thoughts gets us interwined in ourselves...just like writing this review. It leads to provoking questions, but also to the matter of how to pull out of ourselves and enjoy the experience without reducing it by constructing it in words for others to consume...