Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely gorgeous., September 14, 2002
Neko Case's is one of those very rare voices that sound beautiful singing the phone book. Not even the terrific Alice Peacock, intense songwriting genius Shannon Wright or Case's friend Kelly Hogan can lay claim to this. While Hogan's clarity and technique are superior (she sings backing vocals on Blacklisted), Case's singing has an urgency and utter conviction; when she lets her voice soar, it creates an almost transcendental sense of power. This is damn near the best vocal performance I've heard this year.Her sound is superior, too -- shimmering, dramatic country-rock-torch soundscapes that evoke a dark, hazy but not depressing night in a country cottage, a swinging lantern overhead. Her songwriting is confident and poetic, coupled with terrific performances and recording to present her material in the best light possible. Furnace Room Lullaby, her last album (with her band, as Neko Case and Her Boyfriends), already introduced us to her intoxicating sound, but Blacklisted has even higher-quality material. "Deep Red Bells" is probably her best song yet, tricky time signatures with a big, strong, swelling lead vocal that navigates the twisty melodies deftly; "Lady Pilot" has that driving-along-a-desert-highway grandeur to it, all tremolo guitars, reverbed voices and shuffling beats. "Stinging Velvet"'s chiming acoustic strums literally pulsate with life, while "Pretty Girls" is an enchanting, bluesy lament that creates a mood unlike any other song I've heard in the past while. Highly recommended. Amidst the current, looks-obsessed, assembly-line-manufactured country music, Neko Case is the shining diamond.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neko Case - The Woman with the Haunting Voice, July 30, 2003
Neko Case is perhaps, along with Kellie Hogan, the most interesting and accomplished vocalist to emerge out of the alternative country scene. Her voice is big and soulful, reminiscent of Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette at their best. But she uses this wonderful instrument in service of some really terrific, dark songs, with arrangements by turns traditional and edgy, to create a truly memorable album. Case's lyrics impress with their melancholy and their poetry. Her themes are timeless, love, helplessness, breakup, loss.... the very stuff of country music, but as seen through a modern lens. Case's voice delivers her songs with a lovely full-throated sound, with a hint of blues and just the right amount of "twang"...not so much as to be nasal, but enough to give it the right country sound. The arrangements are spectacular. Things That Scare Me starts with an almost Appalachian mountain sound which lends a sense of dread to the song. Other great songs include Deep Red Bells, which has an almost Ghost-Riders-In-The-Sky style baritone guitar riff...Wish I Was the Moon, with it's folk ballad quality and Look For Me (I'll Be Around) which sounds like a modern update of a 1950s rockabilly ballad. If you have a taste for vocals without the requisite Nashville gloss.... without the over produced arrangement....if you have a taste for sophisticated country music without the pop trappings, Neko Case is for you. She is the best Alternative Country has to offer.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless Country Rock, November 1, 2003
I sure do miss the old days of country and western music. You know, when it was actually called country and western and not "new" country. In fact, I guess I miss a lot about the older days of music, in general. The record industry in the past 10-15 years has been in a downward spiral for the most part, and the fact that independent labels are pushing out artists such as Neko Case has been the saving grace for me. Of these labels, I seem to be listening to a lot of records that move me in profound ways, but nothing that I can instinctively classify as timeless or perfect within a short period of time. I also don't ever find albums that I know within a few listens that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life appreciating. You see, I've found that there are basically three types of artists. Those who try to push the envelope too far, those who do it simply for the paycheck, and those who make music with the purpose of leaving something great behind once they're gone. Neko fits into the third category, and the contribution of Blacklisted is the ultimate proof of this. With that being said, she has easily joined the ranks of some of America's most timeless and appreciated female country singers of all-time; and all in a very short matter of time. It's unfortunate that more people don't know the name Neko Case, but it's obvious that time is the only thing keeping her from being truly appreciated for her ability to belt out some of the most beautiful sounds around. By today's standards, Neko Case is as pure and genuine as any singer/songwriter I've heard from any decade of this genre. Blacklisted, her most recent album, is without a doubt her finest work to date. As a whole, it's very cohesive, precise, rounded, and produced immaculately. Incorporating the expertise of musicians from various dusty-road Americana bands like Calexico, Giant Sand, and The Sadies (of which Neko also contributes to), Blacklisted is the resulting child of a great marriage of musicians. Her ability to glide with the aid of lushly effected microphone reverb, Neko's voice soars over the beautiful imagery created by her backing band mates. There are about twenty different instruments used here, and most are strongly indicative of country and western music, which include: banjo, steel guitar, Hawaiian guitar, bass, cello, and organ. The combination of these instruments vibrantly paints colors of many small towns across this country. With an album like Blacklisted, I could go on for several pages detailing every moment of its beauty. I could talk about how perfectly subtle the steel guitar is placed in a song like "I Wish I Was the Moon." I could go on about how incredibly well put together a song like "Deep Red Bells" is. I could also talk about how the entire album makes me want to buy an old pick-up truck to drive down country roads at dusk on a warm summer evening with only this album and the road in front of me. It'd be pretty pointless, though, as this is quite simply a timeless album that doesn't need over-inspection. I know it may seem like I'm taking the easy way out of this review, but believe me; I've listened to this album so many times since its release that I can only generalize my thoughts as a whole. Hopefully it'll suffice to say that you should just get a copy of this album and decide for yourself just how beautiful it is. Some of the best things in life speak for themselves, and Neko Case's Blacklisted is one of them.
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