Customer Reviews

wpa

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
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Very glad to see this beautiful album on the Best of the Year list! It is a remarkable collection of music. The songwriting is consistently meaningful and touching. I especially enjoyed the two vocals by Luke Bulla. Everything, the instruments, harmonies, lyrics, all work so well together. Hope there are more like this on the way. Great packaging too!!!

I have been buying music back to the days when Keith Moon was alive. I have heard so many trends in music that things are beginning to return. Now having said that I know that becoming jaded is an easy thing. So when I heard that Glen Phillips was teaming up with the members of Nickle Creek I was going to hear a Bluegrass kind of thing. Was I ready for this now in an age of American Idol mediocrity? It turns out I was starved for it. Give this cd a listen. With the help of some muscian's musicains the Watkins Phillips and co have turned out a fine album of genuine music that Taylor Swift and rest of the country pop idols would do well to listen to. And go see them live I was fortunate to see them live and they were inspiring.

The songwriting and musicianship alone puts this up there as one of the best albums of 2009. And the fact that this group was able to get together and put this ablum out deserves many accolades. Maybe I'm biased, but this collection of 12 masterful songs is Grammy-worthy. I've been a fan of Glen Phillips for over 15 years and his songwriting has only gotten better.

This album can not be classified as pop, rock, country, bluegrass, or folk because it's all of these. I would just call it great American music! I will warn you that this is a rather "dark" album - many songs about love and loss (and one about slavery). "Remember Well" and "Cry for You" are haunting while one song, "A Wedding or a Wake" is lighthearted and fun, but still potentally depressing - I love that about this album. You HAVE to pay attention to the lyrics on this record!

I am surprised that I don't find Glen's vocals on some of my favorite songs, but "Not Sure" (my favorite) would not work without Sean's vocals. Sean has another moment of greatness with the upbeat "Already Gone". Sara's closing number "The Price" is breathtaking, and on the other end, "Always Have My Love", starts the album off with a bang. I am not dissapointed with any song on this record.

Works Progress Administration is an excellent project. As one of the fans of Glen Phillips' solo career, this is a must-have disc. Glen's front and center on "Always My Love," a sentimental melody with a lyrical edge, "I've no interest in perfection, just want some honesty; Our little indiscretions just spill in the sea, I would think we were different when everybody knows it's nothing new; so someone might have spent the night beside you, but he can't love you like I do.*" Phillips follows with "Good As Ever," a strong midtempo track, "Razor blades & tiny cuts & milk of kindness..." "Rise Up" has Phillips on lead vocals again with a haunting soft melody. Sean Watkins takes the lead on "Paralyzed" that sounds like an amusement park calliope song for country punks. "End This Now" burns in a slow groove of romantic regret with Glen's vocals passionate and aching, "I could end this now; I could leave you cold; I could break your heart with a single blow; I know your softest part; You shouldn't trust me so." Sean takes the lead on the chugging rhythm & catchy melody of "Already Gone" with Benmont Tench's tasty piano flavoring the mix. WPA has Sara Watkins on lead vocals on "I Go to Sleep" that the Kinks did in 1965 on Kinda Kinks and has covers by artists as diverse as Cher, Peggy Lee & The Pretenders. WPA works a hoedown arrangement on "A Wedding or a Wake." The CD concludes with a Benmont Tench-penned tune with Sara on lead vocals on the weeper "The Price." "Works Progress Administration" is an excellent disc. Enjoy!

[*Note: Lyrics according to my ear!]

I just saw WPA play in Madison, WI, on December 3rd. They are an absolutely great live band. A talented, cohesive, good-natured group of musicians enjoying the opportunity to hit the road and share their music. I was unsure how well such a great live act would translate to a studio recording, but I am very happy with this CD. I highly recommend picking it up, and if they are playing at a venue close to you: check them out. You will be glad you did.

You get an amazing collaborative debut album from WPA, that's what.

The combination of Glen Phillips (Toad), Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett band) with contributions from Sara Watkins, Benmont Tench, Greg Leisz, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher, results in an addictive collection of songs that highlight the diversity of the group.

As is typical when Phillips and the Watkins crew collaborate, you can expect clever, intricate lyrics, beautiful harmonies and catchy melodies. "Good as Ever" and "Paralyzed" are on frequent repeat for me, as well as Sara's cover of Ray Davies' "I Go to Sleep". "Wedding or a Wake" is just plain fun, too. This is my favorite CD so far this year.

I love this album! I have always loved Glen Phillips from his "Toad" days, and have purchased several of his solo projects. What a combination of talent! These guys sound so great together. I am dying for more from Luke Bulla. His voice is absolutely beautiful, and his song "Remember Well" was so haunting I listened to it about 20 times in a row. "Not Sure" is an amazing song, as well as "Rise Up" and "Always Have my Love" and "The Price." The only song I didn't like was "A Wedding or a Wake," mainly because it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest of the album...You definitely must get this album!