This is a double-disc set by an artist who has lots and lots to say, a fact immediately made apparent by the rush of words that makes up the opening track, "You Were Everywhere" -- and saying everything, apparently. It is a characteristic of Rory McLeod's music that is as obvious as his British accent, and many songwriters would gladly trade their notebooks in for the ability to create lyrics with such a refreshing, uncalculated flow. Part of this comes out of McLeod's singing style. He is quite expressive at imparting an ...
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This is a double-disc set by an artist who has lots and lots to say, a fact immediately made apparent by the rush of words that makes up the opening track, "You Were Everywhere" -- and saying everything, apparently. It is a characteristic of Rory McLeod's music that is as obvious as his British accent, and many songwriters would gladly trade their notebooks in for the ability to create lyrics with such a refreshing, uncalculated flow. Part of this comes out of McLeod's singing style. He is quite expressive at imparting an extra bit of melodic vinegar to a phrase, even if the words themselves don't seem to warrant it. It is part of a surprise factor as his songs unfold, also reflected in an unexpected chord change coming out of what might have been an endlessly repeating pattern. He overdubs quite a bit of fine rhythm and lead guitar, is well beyond the Dylan school of huffing and puffing on harmonica, and is musically savvy enough to know that adding in some of his trombone playing to the mix would be a nice touch. Many subjects are sung about in the course of 28 songs, more than a few of which have a delightful calypso feel. "Hunger Is the Best Sauce" is just one example of how McLeod expertly works a riff into the structure of a song. Not all of the material is new, and one of the finest performances is the 1981 "I'm a Rebel Trying to Govern Myself," an amazing display of vocal overdubbing complete with some kind of Rory McLeod vocal group. There are some songs in this set that will appeal mostly to listeners who are madly in love, newly wed, and/or just had their first baby. Others have more depth of appeal. "What Would Jesus Do?" and "God Loves Me" add up to much more than their somewhat frightening titles, the latter ditty coming in on the side of something like a Mojo Nixon rant, while the former accumulates enough revolutionary power near the end to set off rebellion -- hopefully. Using so much of his booklet to provide biographical notes for the people mentioned in the course of the song is a mitzvah, pure and simple. If the first impression of McLeod is unpleasant, the singer seeming to be gasping for breath trying to keep up with his endless stream of thoughts, it is well worth the added effort to absorb his material. The reward will be songs such as the marvelous "Sandpaper Blues" and the thrilling "Whistling in the Dark," of no relation to the song of the same name by They Might be Giants. "Stranger-God" is a strong song story, a bit over the top in the manner of some of Eric Burdon's '70s epics. It all adds up to quite an ambitious project. The mostly skillful productions bring in a large cast of side musicians, when necessary and in small increments. These players' steady presence effectively anchors the intense wandering minstrel McLeod, as well as being indicative of his easygoing collaborative nature. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi
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