Customer Reviews

Wonder Bar

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The only people who know who Martin Sexton is are absolute groupies. I've followed him around on his tours as much as I can provided I'm a poor college student- and I'm sorry to say that none of his albums will come close to his live power. So if you can't go to a concert and you're looking for a great album, one of those to listen to in the dark while sitting on the porch, this is a good one. Good blend of peppy, melancholy, and singable melodies. However, it just doesn't live up to its potential. It pales in comparison to "Black Sheep." And while I'm glad Atlantic Records signed him on and he'll have a wider audience, I think they have done nothing good for his sound. Why can't major record labels just accept folkies as they are and not try to recreate them for the masses? Buy Black Sheep first, then In the Journey, then the American, then this one....

To date, I have not reviewed any albums on this site - however, when I read some of the comments about Marty Sexton's latest effort, I felt compelled.

Musicians cannot (and in many cases Choose not to) live off a career of acoustic live albums that showcase their talents in the rawest of settings. Although these efforts may highlight some of their finest talents, fortunately, many of them choose to expand their creative threshholds and embrace new sounds, influences and production environments.

As many have noted, Martin Sexton is a rare, unique talent and for those of you who haven't seen him live - do yourself a favor - he is still at the stage of his career that you can pay 15 bucks and actually see him without looking at a jumbotron in some stadium with 50,000 others.

This record is one that takes him in a new direction - one that is different from his previous work, but no less intriguing. He taps his influences from gospel, blues, rock and others to push forward a diverse, soulful effort that many of todays bands who just focus on volume should take notice of.

If this is your first Martin Sexton purchase, compliment it with a copy of Black Sheep and a live show and you will surely be hooked for life.

Good work Marty ! Keep it up.

Okay, I have to admit that when I stuck Wonder Bar in my CD player for the first time and "Angeline" starting belting out of the speakers, I wasn't quite prepared. But by the time the CD was over, I was hooked, especially by "Faith on the Table". This is a wonderfully rich CD. What some folks considered over-produced, I look at as being beautifully layered. I'm struck by Sexton's eclectic use of instruments, especially his own voice. As I listened more and more, I noticed that Sexton would ocassionally use his own breath to punctuate a point in the music. What I found interesting is that I come to expect that breath when I'm listening now.

Beyond the instruments and Sexton's incredible voice, I found the lyrics to be quite moving. "Real Man" is one of my favorite songs because of the lyrics. The lines: "For so many years I believed I was broken. So medicine sweet and the leaves I was smoking. Told me I was strong, righteous and firm. But only if I comply and stay in the terms. With the deal made between weakness and shame. To shelter me from the price of my pain. I'm real I'm a real man yes I am" struck me the first time I heard the song. The same is true from some of the lyrics from "Free World".

I've never seen Sexton in concert, though I've heard (and read in these reviews) that he puts on an incredible show. I only have his CDs to go by and that's plenty. This CD is not "Black Sheep". In some ways, I hate to say that it is better, because it's really apples and oranges. But Wonder Bar has a different kind of richness to it. It's definitely more of a rockin' CD and it has replaced Black Sheep as my favorite Martin Sexton CD.

This album is absolutely wonderful. Contrary to Mr. Stewart's opinion, the first song, Angeline, is a foot-tapping extravaganza. Yes, there are no other songs like it on the rest of the album, however, it is not devoid of similarity to other tunes on the CD. "Free world" has a nice bounce in its step. The mellower songs are fantastic as well. This was my introduction to Mr. Sexton's work and I think he is an amazingly talented individual. I look forward to buying and listening to more of his works. I recommend it to anyone.

Martin Sexton is so wonderfully talented and clearly has such a good time singing and playing that you forget just how difficult it is to do what he does. Ever expressive vocals, beautifully crafted songs and quirkily original lyrics make for a potent and completely entertaining album. You may not be able to place him in a specific musical slot, but why try? Just sit back and enjoy a singular talent that is a true force of nature. If only more singer/songwriters had this much to offer.

If you have previous experience with Martin Sexton you'll find this album to be the most produced yet. Frequently high-production doesn't work well with accoustic singer-songwriter/folk artists but this one was done right. You will not be dissappointed!

If you are new to Martin Sexton and are into singer/songwriter artists then you will enjoy this album immensely. You could say that this is Sexton's cross over into radio friendly pop.

Familliar or not, you will love the general funk that pervades most of the songs on this disc and your head will inadvertantly start bobbing to the underlying funky beat.

This was the first stuff from Martin I heard, and I just fell in love with his sound. I think it's a great introduction, a little more mainstream than his other albums -- if you like it, you must go pick up Live Wide Open. I recently saw him live, and I can't even explain how incredible his voice is -- what a talent.

Soaring one minute sultry the next, Martin Sexton never fails to transcend the monotonous stream of overproduced pap with his jaguar-velvet voice, luminous pouncing presence, astonishing talent and energy. Famous for leaving his live audiences slack- jawed with awe, Marty bottles a little of this live magic on this beautifully balanced chiaroscuran production. Unlike The touted "American" which is more a sampler of what this agile artist can do --all the stylistic plates he can have in the air at one time from gospel to Led Zep-- Wonder Bar is a more subtle, unified, introspective, journey. With Marty on all vocals and guitars, razor sharp sidekick Joe Bonadio on percussion, Tony Levin (of Peter Gabriel and King Crimson) on Bass, David Sancious on keyboards, it should come as no surprise that Wonderbar is interestingly layered and whorled . Many of the tracks haunt and reverberate with their interesting bass lines, juxtapositions, and tonal colours... at times celebratory at others darkly ironic. The "sing along" Casiono Foundation is the only apparently airy track on the CD --but its message is starkly satiric. The sweeping sensualty of "Where Did I Go Wrong" exhibits Martin's prodigious vocal elasticity and the haunting, emotionally raw "Elephant's Memory" about growing up an artist in an authoritarian family is simply a jaw dropper. Don't let the vocal "Ariel" act fool you, this musician has something serious to say and the medicine goes down easily. Sexton is a wonder.. and Wonder Bar shows that he continues to reach and soar.

O.K. So it's not as lush as the real deal, as in LIVE. Artists with natural talents like Sexton's rarely release full-length, commotion free LP's. Yet I refuse to condemn his "commercialness" on the basis that Martin Sexton is one of the most talented guitar players/vocalsts around. Thus I highly recommend seeing him live for the full effect....as I intend to do very soon. Despite the candy-coating on some of these recordings, they still reasonate with the same soulful core found on previous releases like Black Sheep or In the Journey. The CD is not as catchy as The American, but I think it succeeds in conveying the spirit of his music. I would certainly encourage new listeners to check out the older stuff first. With a bit of history and a good ear, this CD will grow on others as it is surely growing on me.

Ok, ok ,ok. so this isn't Black Sheep. Thank God! Black Sheep is a Masterpiece, but come on people, the man is an artist and has to move on. This is Martin's finest recording in my opinion, featuring his best songwriting. Just listen to "Elephant's Memory" and I'm sure you'll agree. This album is different in feel than anything else he's done, but it's also a fully realized, brilliant moment in a brilliant career. As far as the last reviewer's choice to say that some of these lyrics are "lacking" maturity, Martin has always had a fun side and the songs that the reviewer mentioned are not unlike the other similar moments on other albums. Give this album a few spins before judging it, it is more complex in many ways and the sound is much more dense or "fatter" than Marty's other albums. This is a freakin' Masterpiece.