![]() Aren't those 'minor touches' fickle reasons to like a song? But hey! They stood out! Now why isn't this album filled with such instrumental stand-outs? May I say suggest she was playing it a little bit safe and not experimenting a whole heck of a lot? I thought about why later and discovered that it was mostly because it has a series of tinny hi-hat hits in the verses and there's a xylophone in the chorus. When I first gave “Another Long One” an A-, it was out of pure instinct. I suppose I could complain that this album isn't especially diverse, and I have trouble coming up with unique things to say about each of its songs. ( As a little girl I came down to the water / With a little stone in my hand / It would shimmer and sing / And we knew everything) The lyrics also match the song's vibrant atmosphere. The song is also supplemented with the occasional slide guitar, a beautiful instrument that I tend to like hearing when it's sparsely used in the background like that. I'm such a terrible music reviewer that I don't even understand what I'm listening to half the time, but there's a kind of washy accordion thing that I hear faintly in the background, which seems haunting when combined with her folk-acoustic guitar strumming. “Diamond in the Rough” doesn't have a melody I'd deem remarkable, but it's bright and likable, and she rings it through a rather thick atmosphere. If she didn't give her music the appearance of being upbeat, then I doubt she would have won a Grammy and sold so many copies of this album.) My favorite part of that song is something that comes in a burst-a sprightly strummed jingle guitar coming at the beginning of the chorus, which creates an energy that hits my face like a warm ray of sunshine beaming through the window. ![]() (I realize the lyrics are not always upbeat and pleasant however the actual tones of the music excrete rather warm and vibrant colors. I also like her singing voice, which is pure and pleasant and has the ability to express just a tinge of bittersweetness it's like a huskier version of Annie Haslam. ![]() The song also doesn't have an especially hummable melody to speak of, although it's quite upbeat and pleasant. ( I was feeling imploded / A wooden smile, a wooden heart / The things exploded / Like rockets in the dark / Now I'm pulling out splinters / And I'm off to hibernate somewhere / For the nuclear winter / Of another love affair) Even the lyrics, which are well-written and entertaining poetry, I can't claim to feel its power in the center of my gut. I'm awfully suspicious that the '80s has rotted out my brain.) The problem with "Steady On" is I've listened to it many times, and there's very little about it that sticks with me. (But take those words with a grain of salt, since I'm a fan of Kylie Minogue's “I Should Be So Lucky.”. However, I wouldn't exactly call the album dated, since I hardly find the '80s-ness obtrusive. Its production values are high and tasteful even though-amongst its ringing acoustic guitars-it uses thick drum machines and bass synthesizers, which places it firmly in the late '80s. The lead single, “Steady On,” is probably the most well-liked song here, and it's quite nice. I remember that confused me once for a few seconds.) (I feel like I should apologize for what I wrote there, but if I'm really going to be a person sitting in a dark room writing reviews of old albums, I'd might as well have fun with it.) But anyway, why shouldn't someone enjoy this album? It's definitely a nice one with pretty contemporary-folk songs on it with a bittersweet tinge to them, which are sung by a pretty lady with a nice voice. Yes indeedy, this is an album for people who wear corduroy pants and scarves, who read dense books and talk to other people about them, who drive waxed cars with automatic windows, and who vote Democrat. Moreover, the category it won was contemporary folk, which must mean intelligent people like it. ![]() Shawn Colvin won a Grammy award for this album. Steady On A- / Diamond in the Rough A- / Shotgun Down the Avalanche B+ / Stranded B / Another Long One A- / Cry Like an Angel B+ / Something to Believe In B / The Story B / Ricochet in Time A / The Dead of the Night B. Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin Live in Edmonds, Wash.
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