The Obligatory
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Monday, April 10, 2006
First Impressions: Howe Gelb - 'Sno Angel Like You
Howe Gelb has always been a somewhat difficult artist to like.
He's a great songwriter, a skilled guitarist, and a witty lyricist. Unfortunately, he's also been extremely gifted at covering up all of his talent with what he calls his "sonic muck." A heartbreaking folky-blues song will start out with a moaning steel guitar, Gelb's lazy drawled sing/speak painting a vivid picture of loneliness ... and then the whole thing will get buried with tape hiss or inexplicable noises.
Which is why, when listening to his latest - "'Sno Angel Like You" - you'll find yourself constantly looking back at the CD spine, making sure you actually ARE listening to a disc by Howe Gelb.
Gelb has stripped away his production quirks, written and chosen a great set of songs, and limited his instrumentation to guitars, drums, and a B3 organ. Oh, also, a gospel choir. A straight-up, full-steam-ahead gospel choir for the entire disc. In the process, he's also crafted one of the most fully-realized, inspiring, and entertaining albums I've ever heard.
Listening to the disc the first time is a great experience. The opening track "Get to Leave" starts out as a standard Howe Gelb folk song. Immediately you notice the clean production. The song's got a nice shuffle to it, and Gelb's world-weary Waits voice chews on every syllable. About 25 seconds into it, a soft blanket of harmony voices quietly surround Gelb - so slight that you're not even sure you heard it.
The choir provides a beautiful contrast to Gelb's voice that simultaneously underplays his slightly-off-tune singing while also lifting it to the forefront. It also often gives the listener a pleasant entry point to the song ... and when they belt it out, their joyousness is infectious.
"But I Did Not" is Gelb's own slightly skewed version of a straight gospel song. He growls out depressing observations, enough to drive anyone in his position to give up completely. But with each line, he's countered by a blast from the choir, singing the title phrase. It's sadness turned to joy, and it's incredible to listen to. From the slow twangy groove of “Hey Man,” to the sinister, full-fire barnstormer “That’s How Things Get Done,” to the bluesy solo-guitar “The Voice Within,” Gelb offers slightly-broken glimpses of Americana.
Picture a small, tattered church somewhere in the middle of the Arizona desert. From outside, you hear the smoky ramblings of a guitar-toting preacher followed by the call-and-response of a jubilant gospel choir. The sound echoes and resonates from the church before emptying across the dusty plains.
That’s this album. And it’s fantastic.
In One Sentence: Dusty desert Americana, lightly topped with a Canadian gospel choir.
Bottom Line: Highly recommended.
He's a great songwriter, a skilled guitarist, and a witty lyricist. Unfortunately, he's also been extremely gifted at covering up all of his talent with what he calls his "sonic muck." A heartbreaking folky-blues song will start out with a moaning steel guitar, Gelb's lazy drawled sing/speak painting a vivid picture of loneliness ... and then the whole thing will get buried with tape hiss or inexplicable noises.
Which is why, when listening to his latest - "'Sno Angel Like You" - you'll find yourself constantly looking back at the CD spine, making sure you actually ARE listening to a disc by Howe Gelb.
Gelb has stripped away his production quirks, written and chosen a great set of songs, and limited his instrumentation to guitars, drums, and a B3 organ. Oh, also, a gospel choir. A straight-up, full-steam-ahead gospel choir for the entire disc. In the process, he's also crafted one of the most fully-realized, inspiring, and entertaining albums I've ever heard.
Listening to the disc the first time is a great experience. The opening track "Get to Leave" starts out as a standard Howe Gelb folk song. Immediately you notice the clean production. The song's got a nice shuffle to it, and Gelb's world-weary Waits voice chews on every syllable. About 25 seconds into it, a soft blanket of harmony voices quietly surround Gelb - so slight that you're not even sure you heard it.
The choir provides a beautiful contrast to Gelb's voice that simultaneously underplays his slightly-off-tune singing while also lifting it to the forefront. It also often gives the listener a pleasant entry point to the song ... and when they belt it out, their joyousness is infectious.
"But I Did Not" is Gelb's own slightly skewed version of a straight gospel song. He growls out depressing observations, enough to drive anyone in his position to give up completely. But with each line, he's countered by a blast from the choir, singing the title phrase. It's sadness turned to joy, and it's incredible to listen to. From the slow twangy groove of “Hey Man,” to the sinister, full-fire barnstormer “That’s How Things Get Done,” to the bluesy solo-guitar “The Voice Within,” Gelb offers slightly-broken glimpses of Americana.
Picture a small, tattered church somewhere in the middle of the Arizona desert. From outside, you hear the smoky ramblings of a guitar-toting preacher followed by the call-and-response of a jubilant gospel choir. The sound echoes and resonates from the church before emptying across the dusty plains.
That’s this album. And it’s fantastic.
In One Sentence: Dusty desert Americana, lightly topped with a Canadian gospel choir.
Bottom Line: Highly recommended.
that one guy you know, 8:23 PM
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3 Comments:
I stumbled onto your blog after having been a fan of AoTS for about a year now. Lots of cool stuff here. If you like Howe Gelb (I was just checking out some of his other records on iTunes), you should search out a guy named Jim White. iTunes has a couple of his albums. It's the same kind of layered folk/country/blues as Gleb, with maybe a little less "sonic muck."
David,
Thanks for the comments ... Yes, I love Jim White, already. Got into him by sheer chance, during a time I was blindly trying out anything on the Luaka Bop label.
His last album was incredible. Lots of weird songs with nice, listenable production. One of my favs.
Thanks for the comments ... Yes, I love Jim White, already. Got into him by sheer chance, during a time I was blindly trying out anything on the Luaka Bop label.
His last album was incredible. Lots of weird songs with nice, listenable production. One of my favs.
I actually got into him by chance as well. He was opening a show for Lucinda Williams in this cool theater in Northampton Mass. I ended up enjoying his show more than Lucinda's. He had one hell of a band too, at least half a dozen people on stage. Two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards, and an old guy playing lapsteel. I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of seeing him live, but it's certainly a great show.
