Customer Reviews

If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the Nields at their most mature and most playful selves. The songs on this album invade your brain and make themselves home. You'll find yourself waking up in the morning with the melody of "100 Names" on your tongue, singing "Mr. Right Now" in the shower and going to bed humming "I'm So Lonesone I Could Cry." The Nields fashion layer upon layer of meaning and depth to their latest effort, and you'll find that more than just the theme of "home" resonates throughout the beautiful and lively songs. The voices of Katryna and Nerissa are perfect complements -- oh so sultry and powerful! -- and the addition of horns and piano to their newest album is an unexpected treat for longtime fans. The Nields have always written intelligent songs, and one has to look at the album in its entirety to really understand what this group is saying about "home." Buy this album and be seduced by the music world's best kept secret!

this album will produce similarly giddy feelings. the opening song, "jeremy newborn street", almost makes me want to don a sundress and dance in a field, and the patent absurdity of that image is a testament to the song itself. "mr. right now" amuses with its sunny, open lustiness; you will let out a surprised laugh when you hear the chorus, i promise.

the more ethereal songs on this album really let loose the nields' talent for lush yet raw harmony. "wanting" and "100 names" are particular favorites, and while i previously would shun the title of hank williams fan, their cover of "i'm so lonesome i could cry" makes me slightly more willing to look into it.

this album does wander astray at times, but it's really more of a meander. remember, not all who wander are lost. the nields always come back when they're done.

I didn't think it was possible for the Nields to top my previous favorite ("Mousse"), but they've done it with "Home". They've always dabbled in different genres, folk, country, rock, pop, etc. But this time they've gone through the looking glass and come out the other side with their most ambitious CD yet. "Jeremy Newborn Street" has rightly been called "Beatles-esque", "Keys to the Kingdom" is a folk/gospel type piece, "Mr. Right Now" sounds like a lost Bonnie Raitt classic, and covering Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome..." is of course Country. The key to their versatility is that none of this sounds forced. They are equally at home everywhere. Add to that their wholly original songs like "This Town is Wrong" and "Caroline Dreams" and you have a potent, powerful album. Gorgeous harmonies are always a given with sisters Katryna and Nerissa, and the musicianship of the band has long been solid. What often goes unappreciated is their masterful sense of storytelling. This isn't just verse-chorus-verse. They set scenes, create characters, and let them loose on the world. They tell great stories which happen to be wonderful songs as well with economy and flair. I've liked the Nields since I've first heard them live, but on this disk it all comes together.

I sang with Nerissa in college and she always dreamed of singing in a band, touring the country. Well, she's done it, along with her sister & husband, and I hope this album finally makes it big. "Jeremy Newborn Street" is somehow immediately recognizable, and sets the tone of the whole album with a Beatles-meets-Hank Williams-meets-The-Nields flavor. "One Hundred Miles" has to stand out as my favorite so far, hauntingly beatiful. This album and "Gotta Get Over Greta" are must-haves for Nields fans. If you buy this album, you'd own it by now.

This album, to me, is a Great Leap Forward for The Nields. It is a step up from their previous greatness to something even higher. Dave Chalfant's producing skills shine here; the album has a much fuller sound than the band's previous albums.The compelling harmonies of sisters Nerissa and Katryna will entice you to push the Endless Repeat button on your CD player. The sterling musicanship of the other band members backs up the vocals perfectly. The guest artists are perfectly matched to the material. The album is great - don't delay in buying it!

This CD is by far the Nields best yet! "Maybe Its Love" with the strings and "Mr. Right Now" with the horns blew me away. I have played it non-stop since it arrived yesterday. I love the artwork too.

"If You Lived Here..." is a great addition to anyone's folk, bluegrass, or gospel collection. It's a CD in my collection that I come back to again and again. The disc has some great driving tunes--"Jeremy Newborn St." and "Keys to the Kingdom" are my two favorites.

The thing about this CD (the reason for the 4 stars and not 5) is that I often find myself skipping around on the disc, and end up listening to about three-quarters of it. I find that I enjoy their upbeat songs, and that the slower ones are too weird and alternative for me. As other reviewers have mentioned, the disc has a wandering quality to it, where it doesn't always connect. I think this is what bothers me about it.

That said, it is a wonderful CD. The mix of bluegrass, folk, country and rock keeps it in my CD player on a regular basis. The tracks that I do listen to are so good that they make the CD worth owning.

If you're like me, you eat those cartons of three-flavor ice cream one flavor at a time. You go straight for your favorite ("One Hundred Names," "This Town Is Wrong," "Caroline Dreams," "Jack the Giant Killer"), then eventually get to your second favorite ("Jeremy Newborn Street," "Mr. Right Now"), and then just try to pretend that last flavor isn't in the box ("Poem," "Forever," "I Still Believe in My Friends").

I bought this CD because Amazon told me to. The recommendations engine told me I'd like it because I like Moxy Früvous and Dar Williams (who have guest spots on this album). The wisdom of Amazon was mostly on target. The sisters Nields (Nerissa and Katryna) are both possessed of lovely, distinctive voices that sound especially striking twined together in close harmony. The music itself is a kind of quirky folk-rock that often simply supports the vocals -- and the fact that it sounds "simple" is a sign of the good musicianship here. There are some nice instrumental flourishes and frills. I *do* like the soaring guitar solo in "Wanting."

The lyrics can be quite witty and observant, as in "Mr. Right Now" and "This Town Is Wrong." Or they can just think they are, as in the Barbie poem. They can be poignant, as in "Caroline Dreams," or they can skirt the edge of syrupy, as in "One Hundred Names," which, to be fair, I am quite fond of...chocolate syrup is good on ice cream! Or the lyrics can achieve a near-perfect balance of familiar and unique, as "Jack the Giant Killer" manages -- between the lyrics and the sophisticated layering of sound, I count this as the album's standout track.

The main reason I give "If You Lived Here..." only three stars is because the two songs I feel are the weakest are put together to close out the album. "Forever" leans heavily on Sgt-Pepper-era Beatles and doesn't really bring anything new to the formula. As for "I Still Believe in My Friends," none of the strengths obvious in the other songs are highlighted in this one.

All in all, this is a good album that could have been a truly satisfying treat.

The Nields said all along that this album would be "different", and that's exactly what it is. They brought in every musician they have ever met to play on this album. They added everything from accordian to fiddle to trumpet. There was no way that this album could NOT be different! But even those people that are a little put off by the differences must find some of the old Nields, that we all love, withen this CD! There's still that great mix of happy, sad, frustrated, and fun which is what always made Nields music so real to us. And this time they've made the charecters even MORE real than before. Many of the songs on the other albums focused on one aspect or one day of the charecter's life, whereas this one gets into their personality and let's us really *know* them. It's like I have been friends with Angela from "this town is wrong" all my life. I feel like I should be the one consoling the narrarator in "wanting", because I really just want to go up to her and pat her on the head and tell her she's beautiful. "One Hunred Names" makes me want to cry, and I know I'm not the only one that feels that way! I think that it is one of the most beautiful songs that The Nields have ever written, and the extra instruments make it twice as wonderful. This album is very different, and the differences keep things fresh. I can listen to all of The Nields' CDs and get a different feeling from every single one. In my opinion, this is the "hopeful" album, because in this town, no matter how bad things seem there is always a way out, and always a way home. I also really like the artwork for the CD. It's fun to pick out the song images in the coverart. And doesn't Nerissa look a little mischeivious in the picture on the back of the booklet! And in the picture on the back of the CD crystal, towards the far right, are those nuns hanging out by the lampost! Maybe not. Tomorrow I'm packing my bags and moving into the CD, all mail can be forwarded to: "rhiannon@Home" I'll see some of the rest of you there!

If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now is the Nields at their best. What it lacks in the quirky, off-beat flavor of past Nields albums, it more than makes up for with an optimism and catchy exuberance reminiscent of songs like Easy People from Play and their cover of the Beatles' Lovely Rita from Gotta Get Over Greta. The album also explores new ground both instrumentally and vocally. Along with the gorgeous and distinctive voices of Katryna and Narissa Nields come backup singers that range from Dar Williams to Moxy Fruvous and a variety of instruments that include violins, horns, an accordion and even a tin whistle. This album is a must for anyone who has not yet experienced smart, talented, unique phenomenon that is The Nields.