Customer Reviews

Walternative

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It may have taken seventeen years, but we finally have a new Walter Egan album, and that could only be a good thing. But wait....there's more! Not only is "Walternative" Walter's first release since 1983's "Wild Expectations", it's his best since his 1977 debut "Fundamental Roll". While I enjoyed all four albums after "Fundamental", there was something missing from each of them. "Fundamental" was like a top-notch, delicious ten course meal; the follow-up four all seemed tasty, but they were missing an entree or sidedish. "Walternative" is a return to the full feast. Walter has never sounded better, and this is a great, diverse batch of songs. My favorites include the rockin', retro "Vergin' On Tears", the happy-go-lucky "Happy Home" and the fun "Waitin' For Fred". Other strong songs include "Let Go", the reggaesque "There Goes My Girl",the thoughtful "Land Of The Living", the almost rockabilly "Beats The Devil" and "Get Out Of The Kitchen". If I have any single complaint about this album it's that it goes on a little too long; one or two songs could have been shaved off. But after seventeen years, hey, he probably had a stockpile, and too many is better than not enough! So....pick up this album; it's one of the best surprises of the new year!

Fundamental Roll and Not Shy were amazing, HiFi, The Last Stroll and Wild Exhibitions were great, but - to my mind anyway - Walternative is Walter Egan's magnum opus. Released in 1999 on WE Records, this album showcases the wealth of influences that have spawned Egan's music. Pop, rock, surf, folk, country and even reggae sounds can be heard throughout and it is a pleasure to the ears. Part of this eclectic sound may be due to the fact that, rather than write everything himself, Egan teamed up with other songwriters on about half of the tracks. He also shares vocal duties on two of the tracks, dueting with Joy Lynn White on "The Truth" and Brian Waldschlager on "Vergin' On Tears."

Further enhancing the experience is the fact that Walternative really shows how much Walter Egan has matured as a songwriter. There is a great deal more depth to his lyrics on this album than on any Egan record before it. There are still a few tracks that are just plain fun and even a little silly- "Happy Home," "Beats the Devil," and "Waitin' for Fred" - but with lyrics like "witness the way in which I swallowed your line, so easily convinced the very first time" from "The Bias of Love" it's clear that this isn't an album by the fun-loving twenty-something that brought us Fundamental Roll and Not Shy. This is an album by a grown, mature man.

With the liner notes to Walternative, Egan also showcases the fact that he is more than just a musician - he's an artist as well (and even holds a BA in Fine Arts). Several examples of his artwork are printed in the notes. More examples of Egan's artwork can be seen in the liner notes to the 1992 Lindsey Buckingham solo album Out of the Cradle.

Favorites on this album include "There Goes My Girl" (a lyrically simplistic but aurally stunning song infused with heavy reggae influence), "Drawn to the Flame," "The Bias of Love," and "Goin' Home," but there isn't any filler to be found here.

For more information on this and ALL OTHER Walter Egan releases, visit my website at Walternative.com!