Published on Aug 6, 2004
Grant-Lee Phillips has weathered the ’90s alternative explosion,
dissolved his brand, Grant Lee Buffalo and did some smart label
shopping. His latest solo album,
Virginia Creeper, is not a grand departure from his previous
recordings. His voice is still his unmistakable selling point in
addition to his character sketches.
The first few listens of
Virginia Creeper were a bit of a letdown — it was the type
of album that NPR programs would hock during segment breaks; an
album by a great trailblazer in the ’90s, now settling comfortably
into adulthood. Indeed, some of the songs seemed to have a
maddening “sameness” quality that grew tiresome on the first
listen. Still, he’s Grant-Lee Phillips. Make the mistake of
initially writing off one of his albums and run the risk of having
that album turn into an unheralded classic.
As a songwriter, Phillips leans heavily toward concrete, organic
imagery. Take the song, “Josephine of the Swamps.” The song opens
with “Oh the slough winds all serpentine / Full of black delta peat
/ Yellow bronze grapes of muscadine / Growing wild and deep.” One
particular character sketch, “Susanna Little” has Phillips lament
over an old piano “Gone ‘fore I ever arrived / Questions that
stream / Through my own creek blood / The odyssey of your life.”
Blood and decay run rampant throughout
Virginia Creeper.
The visuals of decay, combined with the prevailing use of
stringed instruments (violins, upright bass, ukulele), make
Virginia Creeper a great “autumn” record. That said, the
album almost sounds too ripe; you have a feeling like some of the
album’s rewards can only be relished by listening to it during the
right season.
Some of the songs could have definitely used some of the
dynamics of traditional rock that made albums like
Mighty Joe Mean so … well, dynamic. Phillips comes
close to rocking out with “Mona Lisa” and “Calamity Jane,” but for
the most part,
Virginia Creeper is a mellow endeavor. The last half of the
album can be a bit frustrating to get through, but it’s well worth
it for the Gram Parsons cover “Hickory Wind.”
Virginia Creeper is not an album for today’s times. You have
to give the album a few listens to fully unveil its layers. It
requires you to read the liner notes to appreciate Phillips’
writing talents. It’s one of those albums that you have to meet
halfway. It’s a bit of a chore, but well worth the effort.