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Shawn Colvin - Whole New You
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Music CD CoverArtist: Shawn Colvin Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2001-03-27 Music Label: Sony Soundtracks: - Matter Of Minutes
- Whole New You
- Nothing Like You
- Anywhere You Go
- Bonefields
- Another Plane Went Down
- Bound To You
- Roger Wilco
- Mr. Levon
- One Small Year
- I'd Say I'm Sorry Now
Free Music Notes for Whole New YouFree Music Review: "So many other dreams..." Hit: 5 Stars
"So many other dreams..."I don't know how this lady manages to accomplish it every time. I am talking about Shawn Colvin's uncanny, sparkling ability to do those two things that, in my opinion, no other contemporary artiste has come close to achieving. Firstly she weaves the seemingly disparate elements of folk, country and of course rock into a kaleidoscopic montage of mind expanding musings, vintage imagery, subtle sarcasm and a form of enchanting poetry that stems from the deepest recesses of the psyche and dances before your mental vision, hours after you have heard the songs. The other thing is her fascinating and now highly evolved ability for creating songs that are mysteriously melancholic and strangely uplifting at the same time. She did it in "A Few Small Repairs" and she does it again in her latest work: Whole New You. Dismiss the "she-has-moved-far-from-her-roots" critiques as coming from listeners who are either committing the unforgivable act of relating to Whole New You against the backdrop of Shawn's previous work or are apparently failing to understand and appreciate the hitherto unvisited territory of this brilliant woman's song writing world. Whole New You goes where her previous works have never gone before while simultaneously retaining the entire classic Colvin trademarks of life-affirming themes and haunting melodies. The opening track "A Matter of Minutes" is easily one of the most original pieces of this year..the hummable tune and the overwhelming sadness of the song's import cling to your head and don't let go. The title track is fresh and elevating. What's wrong with spreading a little happiness and hope in an otherwise dreary life? "Nothing like you" is familiar Shawn Colvin with the ode to disintegrating relationships and the obscure but arresting lyrics. "Bone fields" is nothing short of folk gold and there is a faint hint of Tracy Chapman's emotional directness here. But it is "Another Plane Went Down" with its cascading, hallucinatory imagery and chilling implications that is the flagship of this album. Almost bordering on a sort of distorted, stream of consciousness-like delirium, the track throws you into a semi-dream and is powerfully atmospheric. Surreal with a capital `S'. "Bound to you" is charged with energy while "Mr. Levon" and "Roger Wilco" will stun fans into admitting that Colvin's capacity to blend tragedy, irony and hope has only brightened. "I'll say I'm sorry now" is once again Shawn at her apocryphal best. I am only too pleased to say that her voice is as clear, soothing and pure as before and the album showcases this amazing woman's talent for creating and sustaining music that transcends genre, boundary and definition. Just like it's predecessor,Whole New You secretly and very rhapsodically opens new doors, walks down unchartered roads, holds enigmatic moments in life, paints haunting pictures, gazes at the oft ignored fields of the mind, magnifies the nuances of human relationships, furthers the scrutiny of and the quest for identity, dances in the pale light of the moon, looks existential dread in the eye and ultimately captures everything and restores it in a chimerical cinematic finish. In short this album quietly exhumes, like the line from one of the tracks, "so many other dreams..." Shawn Colvin holds a place in the rush and roar of contemporary music that she can call her very own. You've come a long way, baby. I love you
Whole New You PosterWhole New YouThis title is manufactured "on demand" when ordered from Amazon.com, using recordable media as authorized by the rights holder. Powered by CreateSpace, this on-demand program makes thousands of titles available that were previously unavailable. For reissued products, packaging may differ from original artwork. Amazon.com?s standard return policy will apply. When Shawn Colvin's last album of original material, 1996's A Few Small Repairs, scored Grammys for Song and Record of the Year ("Sunny Came Home"), the singer found herself blessed with pop stardom--and the stifling curse of expectations. Colvin faced two choices: make a U-turn back to the acoustic folksiness of her late-'80s rise to prominence or brave the notoriously shifting currents of musical populism head on. She's chosen the latter tack here, but it often seems like more of a showcase for her longtime songwriting partner and producer, John Leventhal. He frames her lyrics and radiant voice in slick, spacious productions that sometimes make Colvin seem uncomfortably like a session singer on her own album. Whatever fresh emotional insights she offers can't help but seem insulated in that context, making the hard-edged crash metaphors of "Another Plane Went Down," the world-weariness of her collaboration with Edie Brickell, "Roger Wilco," and the haunting "Mr. Levon" sound almost refreshing by contrast. Tellingly, the title track seems like a factory-tooled, hook-laden entry from crossover central--as comfortable and indistinguishable as anything found on either pop or contemporary country radio. It's not exactly Faith Hill, but it still feels like a long way from home. --Jerry McCulley
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