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Another Masterpiece From "Mister Twisted"

R. Clayton | Bordentown, New Jersey USA | 02/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a long-time fan of Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail and Daniel Ash's previous solo efforts, I was initially somewhat disappointed with his latest self-titled album, although several songs immediately rocked my little world and took me to 'places' I'd never been to listening to music- which in the past had always been something that his music did for/to me. After a few more listens and "adjusting" my head to what I was hearing as opposed to what I had expected to hear, I began to recognize and appreciate the real genius of Mr. Ash, as I have on what I consider to be his finest works: 'Foolish Thing Desire' and Love and Rockets' 'Earth, Sun, Moon', 'Seventh Dream of a Teenage Heaven', 'Hot Trip to Heaven', 'Lift' and the masterpiece 'Sweet F.A.'. I agree with two other reviewers who suggest that critics of this work don't get it. Daniel Ash is obviously not content to rehash his past successes- he continues to create music which in additon to being extremely creative both lyrically and musically, stretches the boudaries of rock music. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform some of the new songs live with a three-piece band- Daniel, a bass guitarist and a drummer and they were quite incredible live. Daniel's voice was amazing, his guitar work typically 'Daniel' (great), and the trio sounded very well-rehearsed considering the nearly fatal accident which the band was involved in just prior to the start of the tour forcing Daniel to find a new bass guitarist at the last minute. No this album is not for everyone, but the 7 or 8 "gems" on it make up for the somewhat weaker tracks- all of which is subjective as with any artist's work. Daniel Ash is true to himself when writing and creating his music; something which is quite evident on all of his solo work and the songs he wrote and sang with Love and Rockets. I applaud him for not "selling out" and trying to be something he's not."

Solid and Sometimes Sublime

R. Clayton | 06/03/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a really good album. Daniel Ash's previous solo efforts have been favorites of mine over the past several years. "Foolish Thing Desire" in particular is an album that I still listen to frequently, even a decade after it was released.The "Daniel Ash" album may be a bit disappointing if you expect the somewhat traditional rock of earlier Ash recordings. This album is more electronic oriented, like the last few Love & Rockets records.With the exception of "The Money Song", the first few tracks on "Daniel Ash" are fairly unremarkable techno. They aren't necessarily bad, but they're not particularly interesting.The rest of the album contains solid songs interspersed with a few sublime ones. "Ghost Writer", "Chelsea", "Sea Glass", "Trouble" and "Walk On The Moon" are especially excellent. Some of these songs have outstanding melodies, some have great hooks, and some have hypnotic, droning bass lines. One constant is the crystalline voice of Daniel Ash, as sexy and menacing as ever. My only complaint is that his superlative singing is distorted too often on this album. "Daniel Ash" isn't perfect, but it's certainly worth a listen. If you're already a fan of the many projects that Ash has been involved in, this album is really a "must buy"."

Dan being All Daniel

Chas Flemming | NYC, NY United States | 04/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mr. Ashes latest release shows us everything he's made of.
Here we get Tones on Tale to the Electronica of LnR LIFT.
It's all about the hypnotist and Ash is a master. It's refreshing to hear an artist make an album for himself and not the fans who want the same songs written over and over.
He's never been afraid to evolve as an artist and I've had to relearn at every release. Look at each departure the LnR releases took from their previous. Viva Le Daniel.
If you don't like the latest, you clearly don't get it."