Ball Sparkles with New Disc
T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 04/26/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Prime Cuts: What'll Do If I Don't Have You, So Long, Tulsa
"Sparkle City" is Ball's sonic travelogue. Like many country albums of yore, travelling seems to be the theme of this disc. On at least two songs, for instance, Ball calls to attention his rambling soul. And at least three of the tracks ("Tulsa," "Alabama" and "Houston") here are geo-tagged. Even songs such as "Along for the Ride," "On Top of the World" and "So Long" speak of journeying and distance. Yet, this eighth album is more than just your mere collection of various itineraries. Rather, these 11 tracks map the human emotions well over terrains of traditional country with splashes of Tex-Mex, jazz, Western swing and contemporary country. With Ball handling all the scribal work (with 3 tracks being co-written with L. Russell Brown), this collection bears Ball unique song writing skills. While many singer-songwriters veer on the obvious boy-girl nondescript lyrics, Ball has a way of telling his stories with interesting use of imagery, word choices and three dimensional characters.
Any fan of Ball would realize that with each CD there's a song that towers over the rest. On 2001's "Amigo" it was the career transforming number 1 "Riding with Private Malone." On his platinum Warner Brothers debut "Thinkin' Problem," it was the hooky title cut. Now with "Sparkle City" the lodestar is none other than "What'll Do If I Don't Have You." Dipping into the lower registers of his voice Ball croons this romantic 70s folk-like ballad that is just simply gorgeous. Of the three songs that are named after place names, "Houston" is truly a winner. An intricate narrative that deals with the complexities of emotions a man is facing, "Houston" tells the story of why the protagonist avoids Houston because there's a paramour ready to rope him in to domesticate him. Similarly, the Tex-Mex Texas Tornadoes influenced "Alabama" continues the theme of flinching romance where a man refuses to put into his dreams of a rural paradise with his girl into reality because of his restless spirit. "Tulsa," the third geo-tagged paean in this trilogy, is a complex song of rival emotions where Ball chronicles his feelings of regrets and hopes as he leaves Tulsa for L.A..
Nevertheless, one of the major weaknesses of this disc is that too many songs deal with the same topic of non-committal love. Though "Smiling in the Morning" has a strong melody it gets a tad repetitive to hear again of the heartbreaking tale of a woman who falls too hard for a cad who hits the road after the thrill is gone. Album closer again has Ball promising his girl that their separation is not permanent on the forlorn ballad "So Long." Yet, there's a tinge of heartbreak as there's a dearth of sincerity on the protagonist part as he has had spent his life severing ties. The western swing of "Maybe Tomorrow" is what sets this track apart from the pack, though lyrically its akin to the other tracks.
Truth be told, there's a real dud here. It's the blatantly risqué "Hot Water Pipe" guised under the sonic cover of a jaunty country-pop song. The lyrics are so distasteful that it's just plain embarrassing. Other than "Hot Water Pipe" and though a few songs seem to overlap lyrically, this is still quite a fetching CD. Ball has a knack for writing tunes with strong melodies and he sings with an ease and affection that is contagious. With this new disc, Ball sparkles with delight.
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Track Listings (11) - Disc #1