From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V4 #118 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Thursday, September 23 1999 Volume 04 : Number 118 HARBINGER DIGEST To post, mail harbinger@smoe.org To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger-digest To get list info file, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info harbinger-digest Today's Subjects: ---------------- (harbinger) AMEN reviews? [steven.stewart@nokia.com] RE: (harbinger) AMEN reviews? ["Chris Povie" ] (harbinger) Amen Review [Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: RE: (harbinger) AMEN reviews? > what do you others have to say about the sound, lyrics, attitude, etc. Amen, brother. CP - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 14:19:32 -0400 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: (harbinger) Amen Review I don't want to crash anyone's email with a gargantuan post, so I'm going to break this up into smaller posts. In case you haven't noticed over the past few years, I tend to be quite verbose when it comes to talking about Paula's music. ;^) But enough of that. Let's get to it. This post contains reviews of "I Believe In Love" and "Amen." In addition to my comments, I am also tacking on a rating system to try to give an idea of where I think these songs fall (a) in comparison to the rest of the songs on the album and (b) in comparison to the rest of Paula's work. Easy five star system where a 5 is stellar and a 1 never should have made it studio, let alone my CD player. So here we go.... ********************************************************************************** "I Believe In Love" I've already expressed how I feel about this song, so I'm not going to dwell too long on it in this review. Many of you have already heard it, too, so I won't be describing the actual song too much. Basically, I feel "IBIL" is a very good song. Admittedly, I like it for its vocal/instrumental arrangement more than its lyrical content, but I don't have a problem with that. The lyrics aren't saying that much, but they don't suck, either. And Paula still knows how to write a nice bridge. The song has a great vocal hook in the chorus and the rhythm of the song is infectious. I say give the woman the kudos she deserves for writing a song that is guaranteed to be a radio hit. I've never done it myself, but from what I hear, it's quite difficult to write a hit song (and especially hard to write a hit that's this different from what you've done before). Album: 4 stars Body of work: 3 stars ********************************************************************************** "Amen" I mostly expected this song to be an all-out gospel number. I was way off. The sound of this song is definitely different from what we usually get from Paula. Vocally and lyrically, the verses aren't necessarily all that far off from what she usually does in her softer, introspective ballads (like "Ordinary"). The chorus is another story. I'm not too fond of the chorus. I'll tell you what the first thing was that popped into my head when I heard her singing "Can somebody say 'amen'? Can somebody say 'amen'?".... Most of you are probably old enough to remember when Michael Jackson reunited with his brothers back in like 1980 or so to do an album called Triumph. Do you remember the song "Can You Feel It"? They made a video for it where Michael and his bros spent the latter part of the video as giant surgically-altered benevolent gods, dusting the earth below them with rainbow-colored fairy dust. The chorus of "Amen" is a bit more subdued than the 'can you feel it? can you feel it? can you feel it?" of that Jacksons groaner, but it really puts me in the mind of that song. A little too touchy-feely for my taste, but, the choruses is brief so the song isn't really ruined by it. Lyrically, "Amen" is a song that's partially about our never-ending quest to ask and find answers to the big questions in life. The other message in the song is that we should learn to be grateful for the ability and drive to ask those questions even if we never get answers to them because that's one of the most integral parts of our humanity. It's one of the things that ties us all together. The underlying message of the song does a lot to redeem it in my eyes, but not enough to put it at the top of my favorite Paula Cole songs. Right after the second verse, there's a litany of people, organizations and events to whom Paula gives an 'amen' and that part is good, although, again, I've heard it before; this time, Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire." "Amen" is a decent song, but I don't think it's among Paula's best. My main complaint about this kind of song is that it becomes dated in a matter of a year or two because of some of its references, most notably, Marilyn Manson, O.J., Clinton, Reagan. Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" avoids being dated by being a song specifically about the history of our 20th century. Billy pulled it off well. Paula makes what seem to be rather arbitrary jumps from one cultural icon or event to another and it ends up seeming rather empty and stupid. I still want to listen to this song a few more times to make sure I'm not just missing something, but I'm pretty sure it'll never be one of my favorites. Album: 2.5 stars Body of work: 1.5 stars ********************************************************************************** I'm only going to give those two reviews in this post. The next one will contain the reviews of "La Tonya" and "Pearl." More to come.... Kenn ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 16:22:55 EDT From: Puzzled36@aol.com Subject: (harbinger) 6 days and counting.... I'M COUNTING DOWN the days till Amen gets in my hands :) 6 days to go! Nate - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 17:21:23 -0400 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: (harbinger) Amen Review - Part II ********************************************************************************** "La Tonya" At first listen, "La Tonya" didn't do much for me at all. But, last night, I listened to it several more times than I did other songs on the album and found a certain charm in it. This song is slow to mid-tempo R&B ballad that slips into gospel in its few bars. "La Tonya" is a 15-year-old girl living in the ghetto and feeling powerless against those who would take advantage of her, sexually, and powerless against ever getting out of that environment where she is being treated (and viewing herself) as some kind of human chattel. She's a slave to her environment and social conditioning and this is contributing to a tremendous sense of isolation. But, through it all, she clings to her spiritual faith. "Daddy's gone/ Mama lost her job/Our house ain't a home no more/Still my faith's not shaken in God." Like I said, I listened to this one quite a few times. There's something nice about it. For me, it's a cool song because it's an enjoyable song to sing. Easy, smooth, almost bouncing notes that build up ever-so-slightly until the chorus when they switch over to a high-toned whisper. The lyrics are pretty good despite Paula's occasional heavy-handedness with the "urban" thing. The last few bars feature Paula slipping into a gospel riff of vocal gymnastics that does little for me, but I guess it's goes along with the "my faith's not shaken in God" message of the song so it's OK. Album: 3.5 stars Body of work: 2.5 ********************************************************************************** "Pearl" Ahhhhhh. "Pearl." I love "Pearl" a lot. In fact, "Pearl" is one of the best songs Paula Cole has ever written. I guess my greatest trepidation about this new album was that Paula was going to turn too far away from the music we've all grown to love. This album is definitely a departure from "good ol' Paula," but right there in the middle of this album of new sound comes a beautifully rendered song that is all good ol' Paula. "Pearl" opens with the same type of layered vocal harmony she used at the beginning of "The Ladder." Then, Paula returns to that confessional approach for which she has such a gift. She starts off by giving us a snapshot of a scene that takes place between a lover and herself on a street in Greenwich Village. He's throwing her faults in her face and it seems that he has grown impatient with her because she isn't at the same stage of personal development as him. She proceeds to explain to him that she really has grown a lot in the three years they've been together, but it might seem like she's further behind in some respects because she was dealing with a lot of other crap, too. In the chorus, she tells him that she is on the verge of another big period of change and growth in her life and she asks him to stay for the long haul if he can because she'll be even better soon and it's worth sticking around to see. She's shrugging off the identity she had built up around herself to keep society off her back and the real person is finally surfacing (hence, the reference to Hesse's Steppenwolf below). Gotta face my Steppenwolf Gotta drag it through the mud When I get there I will see myself I will search for strength within I will be a better woman Hang in there, baby I'm the grain of sand becoming a pearl The second verse goes into Paula's feelings about not finding any role models in the music industry to whom she can look for guidance with regard to having it all - a home, a man, a happy family. She says it seems that no woman can truly have it all, but she tells God she's going to demand it anyway. And, finally, she finishes by saying that she still doesn't know who she is and asks for the strength to be able to finish this process of Jungian self-actualization. Jay's drumming sets the foundation of "Pearl" and adds so much to the mood of the song. It's a cadence. Reminds me of a U2-type cadence, though I can't place the exact U2 tune. On top of that, Paula lays tender vocals that run up into higher notes at the end of each verse and at the end of the chorus. This song is like a culmination of what Paula sang about in "Me" and "Nietszche's Eyes." The next step in that evolution. When we discussed the idea of Nietszche's "nekyia" long ago, this song shows Paula on the return trip from another descent into hell - into herself. I'll be talking even more about this in the future (especially the Steppenwolf/Nietzsche/Jung connection), but for now, I think this is probably more than enough. Album: 5 stars Body of work: 5 stars ********************************************************************************** That's all for this post. Next one will have reviews of "Be Somebody" and "Rhythm Of Life." Kenn ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 16:58:11 EDT From: LD111134@aol.com Subject: Re: (harbinger) AMEN reviews? I've heard all of the clips and although they may not represent a "true" reflection of each song in its entirety, I must say that all of the tracks represent a more "radio-friendly", less-adventuresome tack. I'll go out on a limb and say that they are in the Mariah Carey (gulp) genre - tuneful, good production values and "inoffensive". Just the same, this means that they do not sound particularly distinctive; I could imagine a number of artists singing these tunes - there isn't anything deeply personal or unique such as "Mississippi", "I Am So Ordinary", "Tiger", etc. - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 18:15:31 -0400 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: (harbinger) Amen Review - Part III ********************************************************************************** "Be Somebody" "Be Somebody" is a tough one for me to swallow because it just gets too squishy and preachy for my taste. It reminds me of Jewel's "Hands" with regard to lyrical content and that song made me want to retch the very first time I heard it - a feeling that has never dissipated in subsequent accidental listenings. Thankfully, Paula doesn't resort to the baby-doll vocal stylings that Jewel employs in "Hands" (just my opinion, folks... no flames, please), but both songs surely still hold some off that Michael Jackson "Man In The Mirror" bleeding-heart sentiment. Now, there's nothing wrong with feeling that way, I just don't care for that kind of song. I never liked "We Are The World" either. The song depicts the drive-by shooting of a young boy in its first verse and the assassination of a prominent social leader by his own people in its second verse. Musically and vocally, it's mostly another soft and easy song. T-Boz doesn't make her appearance until the last minute or so of the song and then her contribution is minimal. She mutters a few repetitive lines behind Paula singing "wanna be somebody/wanna make a difference" and that's that. Nothing special. I don't like the lyrical arrangement of this song's verses at all. If you are even remotely familiar with the staccato rap popularized by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony then you'll have an idea of the way Paula sings (she doesn't rap on this one) the verses of this song. I'll admit it must be difficult to do, but it doesn't sound good. An 'A' for effort, but this song is a wash. Album: 1 star Body of work: 1 star ********************************************************************************** "Rhythm Of Life" I can't give this song a fair review yet because I haven't really been able to make out all of the lyrics. From what I have made out, there's not much here. This is Paula's first (and, hopefully, last) rap. She's not freestyling on this song. It's much more in the vein of Me'Shell Ndegeocello with a little Erykah Badu thrown in. I will say that she does a respectable job of rapping, but I just don't like rap music. It does nothing to showcase her glorious voice and that's a big reason why I like listening to Paula sing. I don't want to hear her bustin' out smoove rhymes. If I end up liking this song to any extent, I know that it will be only for its value as something experimental. I think it's good when a musician can try something new. This was obviously something she felt she wanted to accomplish. But, if it doesn't work (which this really doesn't) they should probably steer clear of that kind of thing in the future - at least when it comes to whether or not they're going to try to sell it to us. Album: Probably somewhere around 1 or 1.5 stars Body of work: Ditto. ********************************************************************************** Next post.... "Free", "Suwannee Jo" and "God Is Watching" ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 19:30:16 -0400 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: (harbinger) Amen Review - Part IV ********************************************************************************** "Free" As I mentioned in my post last night, this song really does just suck. Empty-calorie song that seems to have been written to showcase some underwhelming vocal gymnastics. The lyrics are banal. It just lays there grasping, in vain, for some kind of heart. It never finds it, but, mercifully, this song is the shortest on the album. It clocks in at 3 minutes, 55 seconds. "Rhythm Of Life" tops the list at nearly 8 minutes. Album: 1 star Body of work: 1 star Honestly, this song deserves zero stars, but since my scale runs 1 to 5, I'll leave it at a one. ********************************************************************************** "Suwannee Jo" "SJ" is one of my all-time faves so you're not going to hear any complaints from me on this song. I don't care that it was already released on the Blue In The Face soundtrack. It's an awesome song and it bears repeating. This rendition falls somewhere between the somber Blue In The Face version and the sultry cum fiery, elemental live version most of us have heard. If you don't like this song, you're nuts. And if you've never heard Paula do this song live, then please do so before making any harsh judgments. Album: 5 stars Body of work: 5 stars ********************************************************************************** "God Is Watching" This song leans toward "Hitler's Brothers" in its lyrical content, but, sadly, it's really little more than another "Be Somebody." God is watching us, waiting for us to love one another. There's a reference to "a new millenium... can't we all just get along?" I think that overwrought Rodney King reference alone is enough to damn this song, but "God Is Watching" is really lost before she even sings that line. There's no punch to this tune. It's insubstantial and dull. Paula's voice isn't even engaging in this song and that's sad. Album: 1 Body of work: 1 ********************************************************************************** Finally, in the next post, I'll sum this up. K. ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 20:13:15 -0400 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: (harbinger) Amen Review - Summary So, as I mentioned earlier, I gave stars (1 (sucks!) to 5 (scores!)) to these songs (a) based solely on how they rate against the other songs on the album and (b) based on a comparison of the Amen songs against Paula's previous work. Let's check the scorecard..... How do the Amen songs stack up to one another? That came out to an average of 2.7 stars. How do the same songs stack up to the rest of Paula's work? That would be 2.3 stars. I don't really want to say anything more about that right now. Some poor soul who apparently has no name wrote to the list while I was working on the review and said that he/she felt that: >> I've heard all of the clips and although they may not represent a "true" >> reflection of each song in its entirety, I must say that all of the tracks >> represent a more "radio-friendly", less-adventuresome tack. I don't entirely agree with this. First, you can't make an accurate judgment of the work until you've heard it in its entirety. That's like judging a Salvador Dali painting when all you can see is the upper right corner of the canvas or publicly voicing any kind of strong opinion about the work of Leo Tolstoy after reading only the first page of Anna Karenina. You can't make an informed, educated, mature judgment until you know exactly what it is you're critiquing. Otherwise, you're just talking out of your ass. Please understand that this isn't any kind of defense of the album; it's a defense of the fundamental principles of responsible criticism. Still, I want to address a couple of issues this person raised... The radio-friendly issue... I don't know. Most of me thinks that about three of the songs from Amen will make it radio: "IBIL," "Amen" and, hopefully, "Pearl." But, you never know, "Be Somebody" might be right up their alleys, especially if they can say that T-Boz sings on it. You just never can tell. Personally, I don't find this album to be radio-friendly. Pretty heavily produced, but not necessarily material made for radio. Not adventuresome? I wholeheartedly disagree with this comment. I see this as extremely adventuresome on Paula's part. This took balls! I don't see it as a largely successful tangent, but this is a huge risk for her. This is a white girl from Rockport, MA rapping on track 6!! Show me any of Paula's contemporaries who are taking that kind of chance or half the other chances she has taken on this album. Bad decisions don't equal a lack of adventurism. >> I'll go out on a limb and say that they are in the Mariah Carey (gulp) genre >> - tuneful, good production values and "inoffensive". I can see where the Mariah Carey references are coming from, but I think you're doing a disservice to the other potential buyers of this album by suggesting that she falls into that genre with Amen. This isn't a Mariah Carey album. It's Paula and you hear her sound in all of this music. Her "Mariah moments" are kept to a precious few and mostly occur at the end of "God Is Watching." I just don't think this music is going to be widely popular with most of her fans. >> Just the same, this means that they do not sound particularly distinctive; I >> could imagine a number of artists singing these tunes - there isn't >> anything deeply personal or unique such as "Mississippi", "I Am So >> Ordinary", "Tiger", etc. And therein lies my biggest roadblock when it comes to loving this album as well as I do Harbinger and This Fire. I'm not trying to make a comparison of this album to the actual songs that came before, but whatever was there in Harbinger and This Fire just seems to be almost entirely missing in Amen. It's not really about lyrics or arrangement as much as it is about that deep-down elemental part of Paula's voice and songwriting that was there in those albums. I can't find it in Amen. So.... I'm still a tremendous fan of Paula Cole. I still love her music and I think she is immensely talented. I'm just not a fan of a lot of this new Paula Cole album because I don't love the music. Peace. Kenn ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 00:34:14 EDT From: LD111134@aol.com Subject: Re: (harbinger) Amen Review - Summary Well, Kenn I guess you told me (LOL - I'm a guy, BTW). I didn't expect such a vigorous retort! Anyway, I have managed to listen to an advance copy also courtesy of a DJ friend of mine, and this has only served to confirm my opinion. I respectfully disagree with you when you state that Paula's new "sound" on this CD was an "extremely adventuresome" move. I'm old enough to remember when a lot of pop acts put out disco-inflected music - even the Grateful Dead (remember "Shakedown Street"?). This to me is simply an example of an artist adopting -or co-opting- a genre which is popularly-perceived as "hip". In the case of Amen, its the pop-soul-new jack approach. Now, before anyone takes offense, I think that Paula did this with the best of intentions, and was not trying to "sell-out" (her label, however, would probably love nothing more than for her to simply show-off her "pipes" and market her as an alternative to the Mariahs, the Whitneys, etc.). I think she did it because she genuinely digs current R&B. However, having a rapper on an album or dropping-in some hip-hop breaks on a track is no sign of artistic innovation. Many pop and R&B artists have already done it; listen to the latest Luther Vandross single, which features (I believe) the whole TLC posse. And what's so risky about a white female singer-songwriter from Cape Ann, Mass. rapping? I've heard a lot of white "pop" artists do it. Featuring someone like T-Boz (or Missy Elliot, for that matter) is not especially earth-shattering. It's not like she had had Nas or Ol' Dirty Bastard on Amen. I don't think that artists should stick in one place in fear of alienating their old audience. Most true fans want to grow with an artist and are excited to she him or her evolve and go in all sorts of new directions (U2 is a good example...their latest stuff sounds nothing like War or The Joshua Tree, but their audience has stuck by them). I simply think that Paula's new CD is an unsuccessful attempt to move into what is already becoming a rather established style. Patrick (so much for anonymity!) - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ End of harbinger-digest V4 #118 *******************************