Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a mellow folk/rock award winner, April 28, 2005
"A Few Small Repairs" has been Shawn Colvin's most successful album, and won her the coveted Grammy Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1998 with "Sunny Came Home", which was a Top 10 hit for her, and the album also received a Grammy nomination in '97, as well as one for Best Female Pop Vocal for "Get Out of This House".
It's a mellow, easy going collection of songs co-written by Shawn and producer John Leventhal, and the musicianship is excellent, with John also playing most of the instruments.
Shawn's voice is not strong, but has a charming quality to it, with a soft huskiness and warmth that makes this CD very pleasant listening; its main substance is in its lyrics, which have a raw toughness to them...little intimate stories wrapped up in a melody.
Favorites for me are "Get Out of This House", "The Facts About Jimmy", and the dreamy quality of "Wichita Skyline".
It was the fabulous cover art that caught my eye and the reason I picked this CD up...the exquisite painting is by one of America's most inspired artists, Julie Speed.
All the lyrics are printed in the fold-out insert, the sound is nice and clean, and total playing time is 51'24.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An acquired taste, September 23, 1999
By A Customer
Since I adored FAT CITY, I was quick to pick up this new tape, and immediately recognized "Sunny Came Home" from the radio. But the rest of the tape left me blank the first time I listened to it. With the exception of one or two songs it seemed depressing and musically blah. I was disappointed. However, I later found myself haunted by certain musical motifs and plays on words that I hadn't even realized I'd heard. I listened to it again, and then again. Now I listen to it every day, sometimes twice a day.I love the absence of empty optimism-- there's nothing worse than listening to a banal, happy singer in a world where things rarely if ever go well. I also love her guts. This woman is something else-- a singer who knows that love hurts and life isn't sweet, but utterly rejects the comfortable morass of despair into which other singers seem to sink. It's a deeply personal album, so if you don't want to know about Shawn Colvin then don't buy it. But if you're interested in the emotional record of this strong and quirky woman, buy. I guarantee you'll love it.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Excellent Album from a Very Excellent Songwriter, December 12, 2001
Okay, I admit it. I bought this album solely for "Sunny Came Home." After giving the CD a few spins, I can definitely say that A FEW SMALL REPAIRS is one of my favorite albums. In the aforementioned "Sunny Came Home," Shawn sings with pure desperation, but she never sounds indulgent. She also doesn't turn the song into candy tragedy, which frequently happens when songwriters try to capture a traumatic event. It also contains the IMMORTAL lyric "Hold on tight, the world is burning down."
Another standout on this album, in my opinion, is "If I Were Brave," where Shawn sings with the only the paino accompanying her. While not as overtly strong as some of the other tracks ("Get Out of this House" and "Trouble" come to mind), this song's appeal is in its fluidity and smoothness.
Another note is Shawn's lyrics and music in general. Here she pulls no punches- each song has it's own definite meaning to be perceived through the singing and music. Although a listener can potentially rock out to these songs (again "Get Out of this House" comes to mind), I think that "A Few Small Repairs" is a "listening" album that deserves a few listens.
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