There are some things I just don’t understand. Some of these would include:
- How a rainbow is made (Maybe magic, I don’t know)
- Why Keith Urban is so popular (Maybe he sold his soul to the devil)
- Thermo dynamics (Hurts my brain even to spell it)
- Rubik Cubes (How do you get one side without messing up the other side?)
- How OJ was found not guilty (Are Californians really that stupid? Wait, don’t answer that)
- How Airplane didn’t win an Oscar (Best movie of all time is snubbed. Travesty!)
- Why the sky is blue (Why not coral… or lavender?)
- How I got such bad grades in high school English (Wait, that’s starting to become more clear)
Although definitely not a complete list, these are just a few of the things that I wonder about. But now I have a new item to add to the list, why would you put a music review of your CD in the linear notes? I mean, you’ve already bought the CD, so what are you going to do after you read the review, re-buy the CD, not buy it, look up other reviews to see what others have to say before buying the CD. But that’s what Slaid Cleaves did on his new CD full of cover songs written by many of his friends. Not only do I not understand the rational behind putting the review in the CD jacket, but I don’t think the review is all that great. I mean, it has no “So, what have we learned today” segment) there’s no story at the beginning that may or may not have anything to do with the CD and there’s no funny and sometimes unfunny jokes in the review. I just don’t get it, the reasoning behind the review or the review it’s self. Sure, it’s well written and informative, if that’s what you’re looking for in a music review. Now I know what you’re thinking, Heath is just jealous that he wasn’t picked to do the review and he’s afraid of a little competition. To which I’ll respond, no comment, none of your business and I plead the second. (Or is it the fifth, no I don’t need a drink, so it’s not a fifth of whiskey, I guess it is the second)
Having got that little ugliness out of the way, (and no, I’m not talking about my last date) on to the review. That is, the real review that counts. As mentioned earlier, this is all covers of songwriters that Slaid knows. They might not be popular, yet, but they can write some good songs. The song that I’m most familiar with is Adam Carroll’s “Racecar Joe.” Slaid wrote a little blurb about each songwriter, and on Adam’s he said, “Adam sees things most of us pass by.” To me, that’s the key to being a really good songwriter. I hadn’t really thought about it much, but my favorite song of Adam’s is “Sno-cone Man.” This is a song that most would pass by. I’m a sucker for sad songs, and this CD is full of sad songs. Not to mention that Slaid has a great voice for sad songs. One of the better (or should it be sadder) songs is “Another Kind of Blue.” Song is about not your ordinary blue, but rather a different shade of blue. (This leads me to add to my list at the beginning of the review, why is it blue when we’re sad, why can’t it be aquamarine?)
Broken down Ferris wheel
Rusted out automobile
The paint all faded too.
Love that last line there, not only is the car rusted, but it’s also faded. Can’t get much worse. Another of my favorite lines is in “Oh, Roberta.” Life’s been up and down since then/I think it’s moving up again. Kinda gives you hope, sure life can come at you, but right now we’re on an upswing. WooHoo. I like that kind of thinking. One of the best songs is “Call it Sleep.” Well, best if you’re like me, that would be about 5’ 8” tall and like sad songs. It’s one of those songs that you can lose yourself in.
So, what have we learned today:
- There’s a lot of things I don’t understand
- I’m a sucker for a sad song
- My last date won’t be running for Miss America
- I just got a new 64 crayon set
- And, Slaid Cleaves can sing a cover tune as well as he can sing an original.
I’ll give this CD 3 and a half out of 5 music reviews.
By the way, here are some examples of good linear notes:
- Reckless Kelly notes that no animals were harmed in the making of their CD
- Max Stalling lets it be known that he only uses .5 mm mechanical pencils