| NJC: HCTB - I think I kind of like it. | |
|
Posted by: |
Vin 03:02 pm UTC 04/16/10 |
| After one semi-proper listen on the iPod today, (and having had time to hear "Elvis in Vegas" loud, in the car, on decent speakers) I think I am going to reasonably enjoy this record. It ain't Steinman, but its better than trying to be Steinman and falling flat on your face. My early opinion is that this, more than any of the others, is Meat Loaf's record. He's always said he's an actor, not a singer (or sometimes he says that, anyway). And on the Steinman records he was of course simply playing the lead in Jim's movie, interpreting somebody else's vision. We know Meat's natural first choice of music isn't Jim's Wagner Rock; Meat is a Guitar Guy at heart, not a Piano Man. I think much of the songs on HCTB, while not the product of Meat's own vision, fit nicely into it, and are at home there, and Meat in turn is at home with them. With almost all, if not exactly all, of Meat's prior albums, the songs have generally made the albums; Meat has lived and died by the material. With HCTB, and again only on first impression, I felt like Meat was actually elevating the material. His enthusiasm on this record really is palpable, and in large part he sounds like he's found a way to shave 10 years and a fistful of nervous breakdowns off of his singing voice. Several of the songs I know I probably SHOULDN'T like (If I Can't Have You comes to mind) but Meat makes me enjoy them in spite of myself. The songs here are definitely genre-benders and a bit all over the place, but I didn't really mind it. I think there's an earnest attempt at creative bombast going on here, perhaps the one bone thrown to the Steinman crowd, which I appreciate even if the results are mixed. (For example, I think I need to find a way to edit the first and last two minutes off of Love is Not Real;I really dig the middle, but the 70s groove-guitar bookends aren't so hot.) But there were definitely moments of unexpected musicality throughout that I'm looking forward to hearing on good speakers. Also, HCTB has a definite sense of humor, something Jim noted that Bat III lacked. (Plus, Spoken Word! Though not quite what we were all looking for, eh?) This record doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a good thing. I found myself smiling at various points throughout, even at Los Angeloser, and I was laughing *with* Meat, not *at* him. Sort of like, "Okay, Old Boy, I get it. You're doing it your way just like you said you would. Well-played." If I'm a critic, here's my blurb for HCTB: If nothing else, Meat Loaf is clearly having a great time, and HCTB is sprinkled with high-spots where the mirth is contagious. | |
| reply | | |
| Previous: | re: GEMA to honor Michael Kunze - steven_stuart 12:39 am UTC 04/17/10 |
| Next: | Lots of Positve Reviews in the Press - Venom 06:20 am UTC 04/20/10 |
| Thread: |
|