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Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing newAnd Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new, Really nice, like vintage Stewart, but nothing new.So it gets a bit, tawdry. Perhaps its time for a new producer, and some fresh surroundings, Al - Doing what you know and love is great, but it won't sell yer recordings, even to the die- hard loyal fans like a me, who's been buying it all on vinyl and plastic and bits
"Sparks of Ancient Light" certainly shouldn't send you running to the concession stand. "Eisenhower Years" bears some resemblance to the post-breakup Beatles' solo work back in the 70's, but later in the record I found myself wondering what it would be like to hear Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley sing "William McKinley".The lyrics are the biggest weakness this time out. This is a surprisingly good record that earns every bit of the 4 stars I rate it, but with one sizeable flaw (the weak lyrics) which keeps it from meriting a fifth star.Generally speaking, new material from a recording artist whose glory days are 30 years behind him is good for little more than an extended bathroom break at his concerts. Within that scale, 5 means "this is awesome, I'm a genius for liking it" and 4 means "this stinks but I have to defend it."All that prologue is merely so I can state that I opt out of such silliness entirely. Much as the enthusiast press in video games journalism has begun to rate everything on a scale from 8-10, with 7 and below reserved for games by people they don't expect to ever see at a mixer again, fans of a musical artist are sort of expected to rate his albums on a scale of 4-5 stars. The premise of "Elvis at the Wheel" is goofy tabloid headlines, a topic that was already tired and stale 20 years ago when Weird Al Yankovic was writing parody songs about it.So Al Stewart may not have much to say these days, but he can still write good music and pepper it with hooks that keep folk's natural tendency towards blandness at bay. The record sometimes feels grounded in the 70's and sometimes shows an awareness of the ways pop-folk has grown over the years. The style could be described as pop-folk, folk music that understands the need for a pop "hook".
"A Child's View of the Eisenhower Years" is basically written as a laundary list of stuff that happened in the 1950's, it doesn't seem unique to a child's perspective, and in any event Stewart seems to have nothing to say about any of it. The studio musicians are competent, and the smooth electric guitar is a nearly a match for that on the classic 70's albums. This is especially true for niche artists, as buying the record in the first place had nothing to do with public opinion and everything to do with your own musical tastes -- which you have a cognitive bias towards validating. Perhaps they aren't distractingly bad, but they're certainly uninspired. It doesn't quite hold up to "Year of the Cat" or "Time Passages", but it slots nicely into a second tier right below them.The production is slick and professional. Stewart's voice and vocal style has changed very little over 30 years, although I detect a little less enthusiasm in his delivery sometimes. Much of "Hanno the Navigator" feels phoned-in, especially the chorus which couldn't have taken more than 5 minutes to write. I won't give it as many spins as I have his classic 70's records, but I expect this one will stay in my rotation for quite awhile.
The music industry is always looking for the "next big thing," but has to realize that the "last big things" are still important to the bottom line. Al Stewart has never made a bad album, after starting out in 1967. Why can't he get airplay with great music like this. Listen to this album, or recent efforts by John Fogerty, Steve Forbert, Shakin' Stevens, Paul McCartney, Elton John, all of whom get no airplay for their new releases. Buy this CD now.
Al's best songs have sometimes had a streak of melancholy, and you will find that on Sparks as well. By the end of the week, after listening to Year of the Cat every day, I was converted. In this case I will make an exception. There is such a nice variety of music on Sparks.
I did not like the LP on first listening. I don't like to compare Al Stewart albums. He also has a great sense of humor - just listen to Football Hero about a soccer player who screws up the championship game. Elvis at the Wheel is an exciting song (and a true story). I reacted the same way to Sparks of Ancient Light - after listening to it for a week in my car, I could not remove it.
He should have passed the ball. I love all of Stewart's work with Lawrence Juber, but Sparks of Ancient Light is truly an exceptional work in Al's catalog, and I would recommend it as highly as possible. The first LP I ever bought by Stewart was the Year of the Cat after hearing Lord Grenville one hot summer morning in 1977(). Shah of Shahs , A Child's View of the Eisenhower Years, Elvis at the Wheel, Silver Kettle are incredible songs. I think I listened to it every day for 2 or 3 weeks, and I'm still listening to it.
Sparks has everything that made Year of the Cat so engaging - great melodies, interesting lyrics, a mix of history and 3rd person and 1st person songs. Sleepwalking is so timely with all the financial corruption scandals of our present day. Give it a few listens and you will understand what I am writing.
Like most reviewers, I am a long-time AS fan. Wow -- the man is in his creative prime. At first listening, I didn't quite "get" this album, and was a little disapointed that there seemed to be no masterpiece like "Somewhere in England 1915," Laughing into 1939," or "Trains." I had to listen to the album several times before I realized that many of the songs on this album were really unique. I have never heard songs quite like "Football Hero," "Sleepwalking," or "Elvis at the Wheel." The more I listened, the more I liked. I am not just listening to the songs, I am exploring them. Dare I ask for ten more years and three more albums.
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