Giving Up The Ghost

Product Description Named The Prince of Americana by the New York Times, Greene is steeped in country, blues, jazz, rock and folk traditions, defying easy categorization. Performing live with a guitar and a harmonica rack, Greene has accelerated past initial cries of the new Dylan and has managed to forge a unique musical vision. With four distinctive albums under his belt, Giving Up The Ghost is an energetic showcase of folk, blues and rock that Greene has taken to another level. Produced by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Giving Up the Ghost also features collaborations with Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan), Mic Gillette (Tower of Power), Dave Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello) and others. The first single from "Giving Up The Ghost" is "Shaken" and is poised to do just that. Shake things up a bit just where Jackie likes them. Review Each of Jackie Greene's albums, from 2002 s "Gone Wanderin'" to 2006's "American Myth," has marked a definite progression for the young Californian and "Giving Up The Ghost" is no exception. His role in co-producing the sessions with Los Lobos Steve Berlin (who also worked on Myth) raises his stature as a recording artist in line with his gifts as a musician and songwriter. Just a minute into the second track 'Animal' and the thought occurs that there may not be a better (or bigger) sounding album in 2008. Sounds billow from the speakers in an intricate weave of guitars, keyboards, vocals and judiciously placed horns, the likes of which exalt on 'Don t Let the Devil Take Your Mind.' As a synth bubbles to the surface in 'Bike A Ball and Chain,' only to give way to the guttural honk of Berlin's baritone sax on 'Uphill Mountain,' the variety of arrangements accurately reflects the songwriter s emotional range and intellectual acuity. While the successive mid-tempo likes of 'Prayer for Spanish Harlem' and 'Downhearted' suggest this album is too one-colored for its own good, the rockin swagger of 'Follow You' appears at just the right time. The barest whiff of harmonica undercuts a caustic vocal and jagged slide guitar there, while 'Another Love Gone Bad' radiates pure charm as Los Lobos' David Hidalgo's accordion surrounds the soft harmony singing. Even tunes as deceptively simple as 'I Don t Live in a Dream' and 'Shaken' provoke both the mind and the heart. The cathartic conclusion, 'Ghosts of Promised Lands.' exhibits the soulful undercurrent in Jackie s best performances. Likewise, 'When You Return' commences in a fairly conventional acoustic arrangement, only to morph indiscernibly into a crescendo of cascading electric guitars and a vocal chorale that recalls Abbey Road. The means by which the musicians transform this cut is a combination of skill and inspiration that recurs repeatedly throughout 'Giving Up the Ghost,' making this entire recording a triumph for Jackie Greene. (4 stars) --Glide Magazine.com It s possible, but hardly common, for a singer-songwriter to sound echoes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Gram Parsons, Elvis Costello and Paul Westerberg, all of which Jackie Greene does on his fifth album. The hard part, which Greene seems to pull off so effortlessly, is triggering those echoes without sacrificing an authentic voice of his own. That may be one meaning of the album's title: Greene seems comfortable acknowledging the ghosts of pop music past, perhaps because he's in thrall to none of them. In "Uphill Mountain" alone, he references colorfully named characters such as Peeping Tom and Madame Rose, name-checks Elmore James and John Henry and tosses off such bons mots as "You got to take just what you are given/'Cause luck only matters with the cards and the women," staking his claim as a peer, not a shadow. The San Francisco-based musician opens the album advising the listener, "California is the place to be, but I should warn you about the things I've seen." He proceeds to reel off one fascinating, detail-rich tale or morality play after another. Somehow, as literate as his lyrics can read, they never sound academic, rarely self-conscious: "I don't pretend to make the world feel better / I don't live on the moon," he sings in "I Don't Live in a Dream." No brag, just fact. He's a skilled multi-instrumentalist and has been a virtual one-man band on previous albums, but this time he's assembled a crack team of Americana/roots music specialists to support him, among them Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Steve Berlin, drummer Pete Thomas, bassist Davey Farragher and steel guitarist par excellence Greg Leisz. Greene's songs span the basest impulses of lust and revenge to the noblest spiritual aspirations -- everything that defines what it means to be human. And nary a ghost in sight. (***1/2) --Los Angeles Times
ASIN: B0013FYT9Y
VSKU: DBV.B0013FYT9Y.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Jackie Greene
Binding: Audio cd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case will show wear, and may be in library packaging. Ships fast!