Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lyrically and Instrumentally Mesmerizing, July 12, 2004
By A Customer
A fantastic, innovative album. Chris Robinson and Paul Stacey prove to be an extremely formidable songwriting tandem on This Magnificent Distance. The influences of predecessors from CSNY, The Allman Brothers, Dylan and circa '72 era Stones and acoustic Zeppelin, can be felt at different junctures throughout the album, but the material NEVER feels derivative or dated. Robinson's vocals are exceptionally soulful, matching the unequalled inspiration and introspection of his lyrics. This album is so full of vocal inspiration, layered instrumental nuances, and lyrical gems... that you lose track of the particularly inspired moments. There is a great structure to the songs, and they fit together well conceptually as an album. A nice balance exists among the tracks between mellow ponderings and churning rockers, and Stacey's fingerprints are everywhere filling even the more somber tunes with some interesting leads. Between the themes, the phrasing of Robinson's vocals, the lyrical beauty, and the instrumental machinations... the album evolves into a poetic journey for the listener who values Robinson's insights. Particularly noteworthy: Surgical Glove (sounds like a mix of Dylan and Exile era Stones); Train Robbers has been aptly described as a Spaghetti Western put to music; When the Cold Wind Blows... and Girl on the Mountain are both atmospheric treasures; and the trio of Surgical Glove, Sea of Love, Piece of Wind transition the album to a powerful conclusion.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Sophomore Release from CR....., June 29, 2004
By A Customer
All I can say is that both this album and Chris' first are great, but cannot be fully appreciated until seeing the band live! I saw him twice in March of 2003 at the Troubadour in Hollywood (where I was fortunate enough to get to meet Kate Hudson!), and once in early 2004 in San Diego."Mother of Stone", although great in its stripped-down acoustic form on this album, was AMAZING and 10x better live...electric, distorted, and much faster than on the album. The band seems to cover several songs in concert..."Sugaree" by the Dead, "Tough Mama" by Bob Dylan (VERY underrated song!), and the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations", the 2nd song on "Beggars' Banquet", which I wasn't familiar with until the San Diego show and now have great respect for. "40 Days" seems to be the obvious radio single if at all, and was great on Letterman last night. Definitely looking forward to the next tour....
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doin' his own thang ...., June 29, 2004
By A Customer
I pre-ordered this disc and man, I am glad I did. I must have listened to it half dozen times already today. The band is tight and Chris' vocals (and lyrics) are right on. As mentioned in one of the other reviews, The New Earth Mud touches several genres of music here, while at the same time adding their own funky surrealistic flavor to make a style all their own (check out the song "Mother of Stone" ... awesome!). This Magnificent Distance seems like a natural evolution from Chris' days in the Black Crowes. And, as the first New Earth Mud cd demonstrated, Chris is staying true to himself by doing his own thing which makes it virtually impossible to place this music in a neat little box. And for that, I respect him and will continue to buy his music. I just wish they would have maybe thrown in a bonus version of "Sugaree" ... they do an INCREDIBLE version of that live! Oh well, maybe we'll see that on the live disc. Peace.
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