Published on Sep 29, 1999
Yeah, I am sure there are already about 10 million reviews of
this album out there. But, I guarantee that none present the highly
unique Alison viewpoint, so you are now obliged to hear what I have
to say about it. So, ha.
I decided to buy this album after, in a characteristically
non-Alison fashion, listening to the radio. I was assaulted by the
song “She’s So High” on three different stations, and after
listening to it, I thought, “Yes! Another Morten Harket! An A-Ha of
the nineties! A guy singing falsetto and actually fitting it into
the song WELL!” It was great. I felt that radio had finally
redeemed itself, after having made me listen to 200 hours of
commercials between songs. And, the fact that I knew a guy named
Tal made it seems all the more fateful. So, I went down to my
friendly neighborhood secret CD guy and picked up the CD for
$4.
Then, on the way home, I listened to the first seven tracks.
When I arrived at my house, I had already written half of my review
in my head. “Great! Awesome! Sweet!” I was going to put something
in the review about how I thought the singer was cute, too, and
just sensitive enough to be a possible date partner for our
heroine…. But, I figured that that isn’t really a review; people
might want to actually KNOW something about the album. (Huh?) So,
here you go:
This album rocks.
In fact, barring a very small number of annoyances I have, I
could say that this album is technically perfect. I liked it the
first time I listened to it. I liked it the second and third time,
too. I liked the fact that the lyrics aren’t dopey and lame, but
actually have some substance. (Well, all save one song.) I liked
the fact that Bachman has a great vocal range (men who sing higher
than me frighten me, but in this case, I made an exception) and
knows how to use it instead of trying to show it off needlessly
(see Mariah Carey).
I liked the fact that Bachman attacks difficult subjects (death
in “If You Sleep”, for example, is handled in such a wonderfully
sweet and sorrowful way that it made my night drive seem magical)
and yet does not fall prey to silly sappiness. I personally don’t
care (or find it important, barring the fact that this means that
he definitely came from a musical household) that he’s the son of
Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive), because I think this
album stands on it’s own.
The album starts off with “Darker Side Of Blue,” an ode to the
darker side of fame. (How many times have we heard that one?)
Luckily for Bachman, he knows how to approach an almost
cliché subject with class – the song is a rocker. And, of
course, “She’s So High”, the song that drew me in, is a great tune
too, even if a little confusing for the average listener. (I have
had to explain to three friends so far that he’s not talking about
beauty, but really unattainability; I mean, Cleopatra was one ugly
chick.) “Romanticide” is a funny track lamenting the fate of the
“good guy”: “Whoever said to take it on the chin / Whoever said
that good guys always win / Has never seen the sorry state I’m in /
A victim of romanticide again”
The “small annoyance” I have is with the song “Looks Like Rain.”
I found it hard to listen to, if not impossible; it is an actually
agitating track. It owes this mostly to the Split Enz-esque piano
playing in the background, a constant, fast pounding that made me
more than compelled to fast forward through the song. The track
that follows, “You’re My Everything”, is saved from Alison’s hatred
for sappy lyrics – and I mean, I HATE sappy lyrics – because of
Bachman’s handling of the song; he almost sounds cynical as he
sings “I love you and adore you, you’re all that life could
bring…”
I could go over each track, but I find that they are all equally
well done. If you’re looking for perfect pop, this is a great
choice. The first track makes me look forward to the second and
third, just as Bachman’s first album makes me look forward to the
next release from this great artist.