All the Plans [IMPORT]

Starsailor

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: March 10, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B001MGNT9A
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,772 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tell Me It s Not Over

2. Boy In Waiting

3. The Thames

4. All The Plans

5. Neon Sky

6. You Never Get What You Deserve

7. Hurts Too Much

8. Stars and Stripes

9. Change My Mind

10. Listen Up

11. Safe At Home

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Starsailor has come a long way since 2001. Back then, they were 19 and still fresh out of music school in Wigan, but their first single, Love Is Here managed to become a worldwide success. All The Plans , recorded with producer Steven Osbourne, sounds like and album from a band that is finally coming of age. Walsh's elegant and resonant song writing is now matched by a vocal delivery and lyrical deftness that means he finally, really inhabits the songs. The first single, Tell Me It's Not Over is a taut, evocative number that s undoubtedly one of the finest things Starsailor have ever written.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Not their best, but still darn good, June 29, 2009

By	Paulette Baker "Oz Music Fan" (East Lyme, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have all Starsailor's previous CDs and eagerly looked forward to this newest entry. Although not as good as their innovative first album (they seem to be playing it safe), Walsh's songwriting and vocal skills are still far superior to many of today's more popular bands.

5.0 out of 5 stars pdnowah, May 15, 2009

By	Paul D. Sarn "pdnowah" (new jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Terrific cd, very surprised, Starsailor continues to grow with each c/d. With fantastic,instrumentation, melody wistful vocals , and excellant lyrics. This band is top notch. It is a pity that they do not get to the states much, and that they can not extend some of the songs a little bit longer. This is a far more solid effort then the latest Doves album I was looking forward to, tighter and a very good c/d start to finish. I have been listening to them for years and they just keep getting better ....

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid record, but is it enough?, May 6, 2009

By	vedderoh1 "vedderoh1" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

When the acoustic teaser of a new album was offered earlier this year as a free download for the pre-order of All the plans I was delighted to hear that Starsailor had gone back to their roots. They, along with Travis and Coldplay, were the most promising of the bunch of bands that were born under the Radiohead shadow in the beginning of the decade. Travis went political and soon lost their warm appeal and the cheerful hope their lyrics suggested, while Coldplay grew to be the impossibly big act many love and hate in equal numbers.

Starsailor's story could be summarized as one of frustration: from the start they had all the odds on their side with a frontman gifted with a beautiful voice and a knack for writing songs at the same level of Jeff Buckley (find the relation with the brother and their name), the stripped-down sound that an increasing audience yearned for in the midst of electronic saturation, and the ambition to soar as the next big thing. It was that ambition that saw them crash against the wall with their second record, ironically produced in part by Phil Spector, which already showed signs of weakness. On the outside, their third record, was a desperate attempt to sound as a more commercial Rufus Wainwright. It also failed to reignite their disappearing flame.
It was no surprise that after a couple of years in the studio they announced their first public appearances as acoustic performances, most of them with just Walsh singing solo.

All the plans is not a groundbreaking record nor does it redeem Starsailor for past faults. It is a solid collection of tracks that picks up the sound from that lukewarm period between their debut and second album, when they experimented with electric guitars and elaborate string arrangements.
First single Tell me it's not over does a very good job in opening the album on an upbeat note. Boy in waiting is the only track that gives us a taste of Love is here, while Hurts too much, a beautiful ballad that was introduced during the live shows at the beginning of the year has lost some of its power with the inclusion of unnecessary instruments. This seems to be the recurrent problem with this band: they don't seem to grasp when they've got a jewel in their hands. The diamond in raw is there, one cannot deny that they can write a great tune without recurring to adorned language but the production is what lacks the magic. Just take any one track from the bonus disc with acoustic versions of the same songs and you will know exactly what I mean.

In the tradition of singer-songwriters (a term as obsolete as alternative rock) James Walsh could still be in the process for self-discovery, a quality that has irrefutably spawned unforgettable masterpieces, but the obvious need for acceptance is often confused with the direction he takes for music. If he ever takes a couple of steps back to listen to what he has done in the past and maybe learn some tips from his idols he will most certainly overcome the curse that has clouded them for years now. Closing track Safe at home ends the record with a particularly self explanatory line: But there's still a cloud hangs over my head / can't block it out so I'm going to bed. We hope not for the sake of all of us who still wait for the real Starsailor to come back.