Search - Ed Hale :: Ballad On Third Avenue

CD REVIEW IN BOOTLEG MAGAZINE

Brian Tucker | 08/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ed Hale has recorded a solo album away from his Brit Pop band Transcendence but hasn't left the pop sentimentality too far behind, using the skill to help shape something acoustically raw and introspective. Ballad on Third Avenue is rich in memorable and pleasantly catchy songs that eschew common trappings of a larger sound in favor of recording more sparse and intimate material. It succeeds in practicing restraint and in also telling stories weaved through American landscapes.



The album recalls the jingly soft sounds of late sixties bands that seemed to crystallize sugary melody versus stomping easily all over it. Hale, at times, will sing in a near hushed whisper that is guttural, careful and crackling. He sounds like a gritty version of Bono. That's not a slight, Hale's warm singing style is a plus and helps sell songs such as the album's title track and the gently driven `Scene in San Francisco.'



The album is not an immediate grab. The slow pace and humble delivery makes it stand out after the fact, after it ends. It's the person in the room you notice later, the one you wished you'd noticed earlier. This quality makes Ballad on Third Avenue a surprise, a gift that keeps giving. It's indifferent and coded and may take a few spins before it begins to tattoo itself on eardrums and heart strings. Ballad on Third Avenue is a work that seemingly aims to be just left of field - a warm blanket instead of a quick pick-me-up. It's textured and sometimes harrowing sound is a winter's morning, a love letter to the past and indeed rich in imagery. Take a sample lyric from `I Walk Alone' - "And those lights by the bridge shine through the night of my eyes." Hale is digging deep and revealing through music the travails and pleasures of living life.



Brian Tucker/Bootleg Magazine/Wilmington, NC

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Hale demonstrates an enviable gift for brooding, introspecti

the ambassador | new york, NY | 10/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"By Lee Zimmerman in New Times Magazine: CD Review, Music

Monday, Sep. 14 2009

Ed Hale's outfit Transcendence was the kind of band that allowed ambition and extravagance to find equal footing. Progressive by design, its sumptuous arrangements often overshadowed Hale's skills as a songwriter, which featured some great melodies at the core. Hale seems to have remedied that band's often-obtuse approach with a solo album that focuses more on emotional content and less on instrumental elaboration. The cast of supporting players is terrific (several played in Transcendence), and Hale demonstrates an enviable gift for brooding, introspective melodies that are as quietly compelling as those of Leonard Cohen or Nick Drake. And yes, they're that good.



The fact that Hale still boasts a penchant for grander schemes ought come as no surprise. His own Dying Van Gogh label has given a home to some of South Florida's most talented artists, including multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo, who also co-produced this disc. Hale himself has shifted his base of operations to New York, where he now finds both the aural and visual muse for his music. And despite the vast expanse of these urban environs, songs such as "Scene in San Francisco," "Hello My Dove," "It Feels Too Good," and "New Orleans Dreams" provide an intimate view of life, love and longing from a solitary point of view.



Other tracks, like "Thoughts of California and "Never Let Me Go Again," seem to drift along in a dreamy haze. Only "I Walk Alone" conjures up the sweep and spectacle of Transcendence, but even so, Hale shuttles the song while lowering his gaze. Still, with all due respect to his former outfit, Ballad on Third Avenue is easily the best record of Hale's still-evolving career. Intimate yet endearing, these songs of the street offer an eloquence all their own."

Intimate, moving

little tree | Seattle, WA | 07/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An honest and touching album with rich lyrics, amazing melodies and beautiful vocals that lures you in and fills you up! The songs continue to play in my head long after the music is turned off ... especially one of my favorites on the album: "Everywhere she is there". A must have jewel of an album!"