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I must make one disclaimer first…Please do not think that my enthusiasm for this project in any way discounts how I feel about the break-up. I have had this album for over a month now…because I am a family member and friend of Jeff Martin. But I am, with my family also close with Jeff Burrows and his family and will support anything he is a part of in the future with the same vigor and zest. I too hope that time can heal, although it sure seems impossible right now. Don't let this forum become the new Jeff Martin site…he has people to do that for him. Embrace this as a part of what we all believe in…and hope for happier days for all.
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Overall, I think this is a very strong and moving body of work. Is it the greatest? No…many of us miss the epic story telling of Save Me, the honesty of Release and the sheer power of Temptation. This is not any of that…but it is mature, honest and from the soul. As Jeff has put it for years…it is still the thing that Rock and Roll is missing. It was missing it in 91 when Nirvana and Pearl Jam were wrenching at your gut but not your soul….and with the Pop/punk explosion of the last 2 or 3 years…it is obviously still missing today. Let's hope that the message is not lost…and that Jeff's relentless exploration of the human condition can eventually make everyone else open their eyes to the things that are important in this world.
The World is Calling – Fans of the Tea Party have already sat up to take notice of this classic cut. Between the eastern tuning structures, time shifts and eclectic instrumentation this would have been a standout hit on any offering of Jeff's former band. The album cut offers over a minute of ambient work that would be right at home between Edges and Alhambra. This is by far the hardest (if not the only) rocker of the disc.
Butterfly - This is a perfect example of what production value can do for a piece. The net cut from Australia is good, but bring in the band and it takes a whole new turn. This is a solid track, good lap-steel sound and heavy bass drum make this one of the more commercially acceptable tunes on the album. Get into the groove baby!
Where do we go from here – Head bobbing album filler. Message is similar to most of his earlier writing….Don't be offended….every album needs one track that is your least favorite….this is mine….I actually fast forwarded it with Jeff in my house.
Daystar – “This song is for Django!” As it starts, the swirling esraj/tabla combination is understated and elegant. Lyrically it is a bit below what we have come to expect from our host…but he did write it for his newborn son. He sings “ I didn't know that you could save me” With the tone of this track and others…it looks like fatherhood is fitting him well. This is one of the better written tracks on the album.
Lament – Jeff has said in the past how he would like to emulate the style and quality of production found in the work of Daniel Lanois. This is probably as close as anyone will get. Ritesh intertwines effortlessly with Michael Lee and a simple pennywhistle haunts us as it seems to become the staple U2 treble. The true beauty of this tune is in the 7 stringed steel guitar that Jeff has used. Even though the standard Martin Les Paul makes an entrance later with an almost Edge-y flavour at times…it is the plucky dulcimer that makes you take notice right from the first line. This is by far one of the best tunes on the album. Effortlessly simple sounding although simple it is not. Great work.
Angel Dust – This song takes us back to many Tea Party moments….Most notably Shaddows on the Mountainside. It sounds comfortable and familiar to anyone who has sat down with Jeff and his acoustic.
Black Snake Blues – If Robert Johnson is not rolling over in his grave…he is simply making some room for Jeff. Like the vibe set up in Sun Going Down…this one can haunt you, as it rolls right over you from over the mountainside. At first few listens the treatment of the thick choir seems immature….one could easily sample a note by any 40 or 50 voices and emulate the exact treatment on the most primitive of samplers…but maybe that is what has grown on me the most over time.
Stay Inside of Me – This is the second tune where the listener should almost be offended by a unique and powerful voice being reduced to ambience. The female vocalist has a beauty about her voice that is haunting and familiar…but she sings almost the same thing through the whole thing…I'll stay. Maybe that is all Jeff wants from her…but some of us would love some more substance. As proven on 7C … Martin's voice is only made that more delicate and sympathetic when complimented. This is a gorgeous tune that will stay inside of you.
The Kingdom – Believe everything you read on this one. This is the strongest track for every reason. The melody, the Gaelic sea, yadda – yadda. Believe it all. The choir, Marc Ouellette…it all works. There is only funny thing about this tune. Many will credit the thick arranging style of Marc Ouellette for making this the huge song that it is. I had the opportunity to hear the master before Marc got it, before the choir and before the strings. Picture a 6'4, 280lb man sitting with headphones, weeping with Jeff Martin towering over him with the proudest smile one could muster. It was clean, open and honest. And it still is. If this doesn't pull you….musically with its grandeur, or lyrically with the struggles of the dying days of the band….give up and stay jaded for the rest of your life. It might never get better than this.
Good Times Song – I think this one almost missed the album altogether. It didn't even have lyrics until about a week before I heard the final product. Jeff said it emulated exactly what you feel on the way to the cottage on the long weekend…a bit hillbilly…a bit crude. It is, it is far from what you have ever heard from Jeff and his co-horts ever do before. If the Capitol demos had never surfaced I might not draw comparisons to Soloman's Blues…the banjo, the energy. But this is different. This one won't make you think of anyone but Jeff and his new boys…out having the time of their lives. Thanks for keeping this one; it disproves every prick in the last 15 years who said you didn't know how to smile.
Overall I am still playing the hell out of this disc. I am still finding subtleties in the mix every day and I am still in love. It would be almost impossible to catapult this over Splendor, Edges or Tx, but take it for what it is…and it might just be my fave.
