6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why I Write, July 24, 2005
This review is from: Why We Fight (Audio CD)
I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet. It's been out for years and years. Well, since nobody else has spoken up, I'll do it. If you like folk/rock/pop, you should pick this album up, especially if you are into good songwriting. The melodies are infectious and the lyrics are top notch. There isn't a bad song on the whole album, but there are a few that really stand out(at least for me, they do.) "Ordinary Weekend" is one of them. The lyrics to this song are like reading a really good novel. Except you get a catchy melody to go with it. "Me Against Me" is another incredible track. It has a great feeling-lonely-late-at-night vibe to it. There are plenty of other tracks I could go on and on about like, "Dead Centre of Town", "The Original Miss Jesus", "Where The Bodies Are", but if I get started I'll go on forever. Let me just say that JWH is such a good writer that I'm not surprised he wrote a book. To wrap this up, if you are a JWH fan and you don't have this, get it. If you are unfamiliar with the man, picture a cross between Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello and you'll have some idea of what you're in for. I hope this helps.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The capricious nature of commercial and critical success, January 18, 2011
This review is from: Why We Fight (Audio CD)
JWH is a highly skilled songwriter. He writes moving songs with smart lyrics and interesting chord progressions. His voice is reminiscent of Elvis Costello and his guitar playing is strong. His career should have achieved at least the same commercial success as M. Ward. In concert, JWH is charismatic, witty, tells great stories and cracks quite a few impromptu jokes. In short, he might have the best between-song-banter I`ve ever heard. I don't understand how he never received the acclaim he rightly deserves. See this guy in concert when he decides he's bored of writing novels.
Can an album be a classic if it's nearly perfect but nobody bothered to buy it? This one is in my top 50 list but the number of people who are exposed to this work are few and far between. Who writes songs like "Hitler's tears"? Answer--no one else.
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