Souls for Sale

Verbena

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0000019OT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #308,541 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best album of the last five years, November 5, 2000

By	Tim Thompson (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

I first heard about Verbena on M2 watching their "My Baby Got Shot" video. I was knocked out by that video the same way I was knocked out when I saw Sonic Youth do "Kool Thing" years earlier. I immediately went out and bought "Into the Pink", which while having its moments, ultimately was a letdown compared to "Baby Got Shot". After seeing them live and hearing songs off this album ("Souls for Sale"), I got excited again. "Souls for Sale" is a classic - one of those forgotten albums like Big Star's "Radio City" that bubbled under the radar for years before finally receiving the respect it deserved. The guitars have been compared to Keith Richards (one song is called "Me and Keith"), but I would say that would be because both guitarists play with more of a feel than technical dexterity. You can hear the blues in Scott's drawl, and when Anne-Marie adds her X-like harmonies it becomes transcendant. I have "The Desert" permanently encoded in my MP3 player so when I'm running it kicks in right when I need the energy boost. Every song is a highlight. There is no filler. Buy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sale," with plenty of "Soul", May 11, 2004

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Alabama band Verbena made a solid, low-key entrance with "Souls For Sale." Their edgy southern rock (with a hint of grunge and blues), lots of raw riffs and solid lyrics. "Souls" a rare animal now -- rock with no hint of pop, just a stripped-down rock.

"Hot Blood" is the steady, solid rocker that kicks off the album, followed rounds of searing rockers that will make you tingle (the wonderfully catchy "Shaped Like A Gun," roaring "Desert") peppered with the occasional meditative bluesy songs (the wonderfully melancholy "Song That Ended Your Career," "Postcard Blues"), before wrapping up with the roiling riffs of "Kiss Yourself."

Rock is not dead, and Verbena proves it. Their "southern-fried rock" has a sort of hard-edged allure and catchiness, like the the leather-jacket-wearing bad boy that mothers warn daughters against. At the same time, there's a slightly quieter, more melodic side (as displayed in songs like "Song That Ended Your Career" which is slow and sad).

Scott Bondy's rock vocals are given their more bluesy edge with an elongated Southern drawl. During the softer songs, his voice rises a little and becomes sweeter. And he wrings every last drop from these songs: "I know it's hot when someone shouts, "I'm the only rebel"/it's where you wait, to share your fate with eyes the size of never," he announces in a sort of hopeful depression.

Bondy's guitar playing has often been compared to greats like Keith Richards; this is understandable, since Bondy's playing is full of fire and emotion. Sometimes he manages what sounds like a solid wall of sound, then a gentle strumming melody, then a riff that twists in on itself and seems to turn inside out. Bassist Anne-Marie Griffin also added her considerable skills (and some backing vocals).

The brash, whirlwind energy of "Souls For Sale" is a solid rock album that reminds me why I love rock music. Fantastic debut album for Verbena.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far, one of the greatest albums I own., December 18, 2002

By	Sam - See all my reviews

When i first saw Verbena's cd, it was at a record store near my house. They didnt have any Pixies or Pavement so i was looking aound when i saw the odd cover of Verbena's "Souls for Sale." It caught my eye, and just as a test i picked it up and bought it. The first track "Hot Blood" slapped my right in the face. It was exactly the sound i had wanted. The female and male vocals were both amazing. The musicians' product seemed to loll along coherently, while at the same time their music was so jaded. It's not a child of Nirvana, nor a child of Weezer; Verbena is something on it's own. There's really no way to describe it in words, or any other medium i know about for that matter.