add to wish list | library


4 of 4 recommend this,
would you recommend it?

yes | no

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below. As an Amazon Associate SA-CD.net earns from qualifying purchases.
 
amazon.ca
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com
amazon.de
 
amazon.fr
amazon.it
 
 
 
Label:
  Zoe - http://www.rounder.com/
Serial:
  ZOE 1021
Title:
  Grant Lee Phillips: Mobilize
Description:
  "Mobilize"

Grant Lee Phillips
Track listing:
  1. See America
2. Humankind
3. Love's a Mystery
4. Sadness Soot
5. We All Get a Taste
6. Spring Released
7. Lazily Drowning
8. Like a Lover
9. Mobilize
10. Beautiful Dreamers
11. Sleepless Lake
12. April Chimes
Genre:
  Pop/Rock
Content:
  Stereo
Media:
  Hybrid
Recording type:
 
Recording info:
 

delete from library | delete recommendation | report errors
 
Reviews: 1

Review by Jar April 6, 2006 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
As a true Grant-Lee Phillips (and Buffalo) fan, I was pleasantly surprised to see this title for sale at the store where I was demo-ing some high-end audio gear. Being new to SA, I thought only big-budget artists would have the clout to have their recordings reproduced in the SA format. I was prepared for a narrow, disappointing spectrum of artists available on SA so.....Grant-Lee, whatever you did to get this out to your audiophile fans, thanks!

Since I already own the redbook version of this album, I though this would be the perfect opportunity to do a back-to-back comparison between an SACD and it's std. issue counterpart. First, I played the std. version through to track 6 "Spring Released" (my favorite on this album) and then switched to the SACD and played tracks 6 - 12, focusing on the differences noted on this same song. What I found was that on my reference quality system, the std. version of this CD sounds pretty damn good. Enjoying every second, I was up to track 6 before I knew it. I get the sense that Grant-Lee had a good time making this record, experimenting with odd rhythm sounds and such. This CD has a "homemade" vibe to it but it still sounds professionally produced, which is what I love about it. When I put the SA version on, the sound quality improvement was immediately noticeable but to my ears, there was not a tremendous difference. I would liken it to the effect of viewing a digital photo taken on a pretty good camera compared to the same photo taken on a REALLY good camera. Across the spectrum the sonic imagery on the SA is just cleaner and sharper. The acoustic guitars ring a little better, more nuance is revealed in the vocals, the overall effect is being able to hear more of the true character of the sound, which of course is precisely what we audiophiles are after!

As far as the songs go, hmmm......I love all of my GLP/Buffalo records, but if you were to force me to keep only one of them, this wouldn't be it. But out of all of his solo records, this one is easily it. Grant-Lee somehow transports you into a dark, musty saloon located in a California desert ghost town, fires up an array of modern-day gear, pulls out his acoustic guitar and sings only to you. If Bob Dylan had grown up listening to Punk and New Wave instead of Woody Guthrie, he might sound something like this. If I got the liner notes right, GLP wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, teaming up only in production chores with cohort Carmen Rizzo. Making a record entirely on one's own sometimes leads an artist into unbridled self-indulgence at the expense of coherence and song quality, but in GLP's case it made for a record of uncompromising vision and power. One minor quibble would be that the "off in the distance" rhythm effects sound a little dated to me now. This effect was popular at the time (hear Aimee Mann's "Wise Up") and seems to me it got rolled out quite a bit, kind of like the drum machine handclaps that one hears over and over again on early 80's New Wave. There are a few of what I'd call GLP "classics" on this record, "Lazily Drowning", "Spring Released" and "See America" come to mind. The rest I would definitely hesitate to call filler. In my opinion, Grant-Lee Philips can't write a bad tune, even if he does rely heavily on the E minor chord ;) His voice is one of the most distinctive in the alt-countryish-pop genre. I defy anyone to listen to him sing and not immediately feel something warm and sweet.

One of the crimes of this world is that beautiful, extraordinarily talented artists like this go largely unsupported while others seem to get a free ride on good looks alone. Somehow I don't think this really bothers Grant-Lee Phillips too much. He keeps on doing his thing, his way, despite pressure to kick out radio hits. Liz Phair, you listening?

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no