Sunday, February 29, 2004
AND SHE NICKNAMED HIM HER TEARDROP
A troubadour by the name of Grant-Lee Phillips passed through these here parts some three or so nights ago... a man and his guitar and some poetry set to music: sultry songs about swamps in one breath, and lilting laments to lost loves in another... Grant-Lee is one of the true musical talents who is at once prolific and inconspicuous, leaving behind a trail of quietly swooning fans in his wake [this swooning fan was particularly enthralled by Josephine of the Swamp, a new song on Virginia Creeper, which can be heard on this mini-radio-concert, but worry not, there is no need to persevere: it's handily the very first song...]
From early Grant Lee Buffalo gems like Fuzzy and Jupiter and Teardrop, to his most recent girl-inspired pop ballads [featuring Mona Lisa, Lily, Jane, Josephine, and Susanna], Grant-Lee delivers his lyrical goods with a vocal range that is surprisingly diverse: he seems as comfortable reaching for the higher octaves as he does when he is crooning deeply, and this all within the confines of a single albeit richly layered song. Bethlehem Steel is one such song that comes quickly to mind. Truly truly.
Yes, it is all about truth with Grant-Lee Phillips. Wearing one's heart on one's sleeve is usually perceived as a weakness, but in the case of this troubadour, it is what makes him strong and oh-so-listenable.
And that completes my testimony. Come back soon, Grant-Lee...
A troubadour by the name of Grant-Lee Phillips passed through these here parts some three or so nights ago... a man and his guitar and some poetry set to music: sultry songs about swamps in one breath, and lilting laments to lost loves in another... Grant-Lee is one of the true musical talents who is at once prolific and inconspicuous, leaving behind a trail of quietly swooning fans in his wake [this swooning fan was particularly enthralled by Josephine of the Swamp, a new song on Virginia Creeper, which can be heard on this mini-radio-concert, but worry not, there is no need to persevere: it's handily the very first song...]
From early Grant Lee Buffalo gems like Fuzzy and Jupiter and Teardrop, to his most recent girl-inspired pop ballads [featuring Mona Lisa, Lily, Jane, Josephine, and Susanna], Grant-Lee delivers his lyrical goods with a vocal range that is surprisingly diverse: he seems as comfortable reaching for the higher octaves as he does when he is crooning deeply, and this all within the confines of a single albeit richly layered song. Bethlehem Steel is one such song that comes quickly to mind. Truly truly.
Yes, it is all about truth with Grant-Lee Phillips. Wearing one's heart on one's sleeve is usually perceived as a weakness, but in the case of this troubadour, it is what makes him strong and oh-so-listenable.
And that completes my testimony. Come back soon, Grant-Lee...
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