Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Transplendental, September 20, 2009
Tim Lincecum might have a bionic arm, but surely Tim McCarver has a bionic throat, delivering just a stunningly gutty performance that's not afraid to celebrate music the traditional way with hard vocal work that just sings the songs *right*. As Tim McCarver is fond of saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and in the process of listening to an entire great American songbook, your brain will take you away to anywhere between three and seven pictures, idylls and reveries that tap into the collective unconscious memory of what it meant to walk amidst eden. Each song is delivered with what I can only describe as a kind of calm-eyed beauty that seems to recursively calm the process of singing the song itself. Indeed, Tim McCarver is so supremely convinced of the sublimity of his own delivery and interpretation that perhaps even Tim McCarver would say that Tim McCarver has gotten to Tim McCarver. Slight disappointment that this album does not include the rumored covers of Brandon Arroyo's songs, nor does McCarver follow his broadcast partner and Natalie Cole's lead and do a duet with his own dead father, but easily the quality of what remains overshadows that shame. This offering presents a real change-up from the rest of Tim McCarver's career. Well, they call change-ups like that "cement mixers," so don't let it throw you a curve. Bear down and take it in stride, and soon it'll have you trying to "sing" for the fences. This is a musical feast fit for a Jeter.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Unadulterated Gold, Dipped in Gold., October 18, 2009
In this world, during the time of man there have been great feats of technology and science, works of art, and feats of the human spirit in the face insurmountable odds; the wheel, the polio vaccine, the Sisteen Chapel, Ghandi . . . now, in our time, there is the indomitable beauty of the musical stylings of one, Mr. James Timothy McCarver.
McCarver's interpretation of Americana makes one want to stand up on their office desk and scream for all to hear, "I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"
To fully appreciate McCarver as an artist, one must fully understand from whence he came. See, McCarver was born and raised in America (Memphis, Tenessee on October 16, 1941 to be exact). His roots are embedded into a Post World War II American Patriotism like no other. For McCarver the world is bright and hopeful. For McCarver things are simple. Simplicity is what sets McCarver apart. He has no other sides. The beauty of McCarver's art is that it is literal and without depth of any kind. What you see is what you get.
On "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You" McCarver contrasts his view of relations with the fairer sex and the role of women in the world, with his poor syntax. This type of soul-baring can't be encompassed in McCarver's other works. Only through the medium of song can McCarver deliver this unique blend of "simple."
Most people know McCarver as a baseball man, but now the whole world will see that McCarver is more than just a jock, he's God's gift to mankind, the greatest artist of all time.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Americana personified, September 21, 2009
There used to be two things I brought to every Fourth of July fireworks celebration - the American flag and a slice of my grandma's apple pie. Next year I'll add a third item that begins with "Tim McCarver" and ends with "American Songbook."
To pre-order a copy of this disk is to give yourself an incomparable sensory gift. Can't get enough FOX game of the week? Your iPod lacking in folksy narratives? Order yourself a copy.
You see, America used to be a simple place, didn't it? The pilgrims set the tone by using religion as a unifier, not a bludgeon. Our neighbors, such as the Native Americans, were respected as natural inhabitants and were treated as such. Our country could do no wrong and you can hear that perfection in McCarver's voice.
From the first note it is clear that even a legend like Plácido Domingo has nothing on McCarver. So dewey, so tender, so ... American.
During the 2004 World Series Mr. McCarver said of Curt Schilling's noticeable ankle injury: "The blood on his sock looks exactly like Oklahoma." I say to you, Tim, the totality of the songs on your album is shaped like my grandma's apple pie. It's time to order myself another slice.
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by Chris Wheeler
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