Cripple Crow

Devendra Banhart

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xl Recordings
• ASIN: B000A78Z82
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,695 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Devendra Banhart's fourth album is his most pretty and accessible. It's lush, warm, and inviting. It's likely to make the uber-talented singer-songwriter new fans; unfortunately, it's just as likely to cost him a few old ones. The man is clearly a complex individual capable of visionary music that causes the listener to question many things, including whether or not the artist is putting him or her "on." As the moment-defining, awesome, and potentially self-parodic cover image implies, Mr. Banhart went to great lengths to enshroud himself with some of his most talented friends: Adam Forkner of White Rainbow, Andy Cabic of Vetiver, the free-folk band Feathers, and producer Thom Monahan among them. But this is no freak-fest; the album is subdued, and very much on an early ‘70s tip. Recorded at Bearsville near Woodstock, NY, there are touches of Gilberto Gil,! George Harrison, Donovan, T. Rex, Randy Newman and Bobby Charles.

The only thing missing is Devendra himself, to be perfectly honest. The man's a fabulous mimic, as is amply demonstrated throughout this expensive retro exercise. But Devendra's trilled and affected vocal delivery, gorgeously minimalist accompaniment and eccentric recording methods have all been toned down, or jettisoned entirely. As anyone who's seen him live is full aware, the man's capable of much more than his albums reveal, including Afro-funk jams. The finest songs on the sprawling Cripple–which is a fine album, to be sure--are the most simple and direct; "Hey Mama Wolf," for instance, is gorgeous, as are all the songs sung in Spanish. More than one song here is explicitly anti-war, making more than musical connections to the Vietnam era, as well as the present, of course: "I heard somebody say that the war ended today/ It's simple, we don't want to kill."Amen to that. –- James Conde

Product Description

This is his fourth studio album and first in the US through XL Recordings. Devendra exploded on the international music scene three years ago, quickly accumulating devoted fans as well as an unusually hefty amount of critical kudos with his debut and subsequent releases. "There's something about Banhart's muse that defies words and logic, something to these songs that hints at a deeper connection to the cosmos than most of us share. Jeff Buckley might have had that gift; John Lennon and Van Morrison certainly did. Add to that list Devendra Banhart, an astonishing talent whose future work promises to bring us to exciting new places" - Harp Magazine. "...it's Banhart's gift for melody that ultimately carries the day, littering the album with slyly entrancing tunes that recall the pleasure of old campfire songs. It's enough to cure even a hardened cynic" - Blender.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Devendra's Latest Marvel (4.5 stars), September 24, 2005

By	Juan Mobili (Valley Cottage, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's plenty that has been said about Devendra's gifts -the praise being quite deserved- yet when it comes to Cripple Crow being some sort of step back in his musical development, I believe its critics are being a bit too harsh.

As far as I'm concerned, all comparisons aside, the material here belongs with and should meet the expectations of those who have been deeply impressed by his prior output. Banhart's mature musical vision is, specially considering how young he is and how adventurous he remains when it comes to writing new songs, nothing less than remarkable.

Before I ever heard this album, some people whom I know and respect warned me that I may find it boring or disappointing. Well, that has not been the case for me, you may find Cripple Crow less obscure, more accessible than prior albums but this is not to say that this guy has even come close to "selling out" or "losing his touch."
The fact that these songs may hit you immediately or have you under their spell at first listening, should not be a reason to criticize them. After all, "accessible" should not be an indictment on Banhart, and songs like "Now That I Know," "I Feel Just Like A Child," or "Hey Mama Wolf" definitely belong to the same imagination and mischief present in prior albums.

If you are looking for proof of breadth -something this album's critics said it lacked- just gather "Luna De Margarita," "Chinese Children," "Korean Dogwood" and "Little Boys," and you may recognize the kind of adventurous musical range that alternative Folk has not seen since the Incredible String Band.

In addition to those, I'd like to mention the few he sings in Spanish. If your definition of Folk transcends the Anglo tradition, you'll find delight on Banhart gift for Latin American melodies, particularly the beautiful "Santa Maria De Feira," as well as "Luna De Margarita" and "Quedate Luna."

All in all, this is an very good album, and for me, possibly as satisfying in its own right as "Niño Rojo" or Rejoicing In The Hands." If you have been floored by this guy creativity and disregard for the safety of prior successes, you may buy it without worries nor hesitation.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hidden Mp3 track, December 30, 2005

By	Nicholas Soucy (Lansing, Mi United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Some of you might already know this, but I didn't read any mention of it in the other reviews. There is a separate or "hidden" track that is about 8 minutes long called "White Reggae Troll/Africa". So, actually, this album has 23 tracks. I think this track's title further identifies the subtle Reggae influences, infused with folk, rock, alternative, bluegrass and other genres that amalgamate into the entirety of Cripple Crow.

Banhart is an excellent neo-folk talent whom I first heard on Antony and the Johnson's "I Am a Bird Now" album. The tracks are musically and lyrically diverse, performed in both Spanish and English, united by a calm, earthy undertone that is pleasant like Iron and Wine (though comfortably distinct). Though these tracks are largely mellow, it grooves with enough soul to keep the listener from falling asleep.

The music has an indigenous quality to it; I'm using that term a little loosely. It just makes me think of the music that the aboriginal musicians would be making today if most of them hadn't been killed off.

Cripple Crow will make a superb addition to your collection. The album offers a nice balance of longer songs interspersed with shorter ones, which comprise about 80 minutes worth of fun, contemplative and poetic tunes to keep your heart at peace.

I rate this album at 4.2 stars. It improves after several listens, like Nick Drake albums did for me.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, but a great place to start, January 6, 2007

By	B. A Riesgraf (St. Cloud, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Devendra Banhart is among the artists who were tagged as being part of the neo-folk revival that was all over the independent music press a few years ago. Thankfully, "freak folk" is much less of a buzz word right now, so anyone finding this music for the first time is most likely curious because they have a genuine interest, rather than because of some external pressure.

That having been said, Cripple Crow is a great album by a great artist and I would strongly recommend it to anyone new to Devendra Banhart. There's more emphasis on fun, catchy tunes and an easy-going hippie aesthetic here than on some of his earlier albums (tropicalia is a big influence) - more variety, too. In some ways, that detracts from the music's ability to draw the listener in, but it also makes Cripple Crow a joy to hear over and over again. In fact, I've enjoyed this album more and more on successive listens, a phenomenon that I don't often experience.

And the songs are really wonderful - I tend to listen to Cripple Crow for individual songs rather than as a cohesive whole. "Now that I Know", "Santa Maria de la Feira", "Heard Somebody Say", "Quedate Luna", "I Feel Just like A Child", "Dragonflies", "Cripple Crow", "Hey Mama Wolf", "Little Boys", and "Anchor" are all highlights. Buy it, try it, give it a chance.