Search - James Lee Stanley :: Eternal Contradiction

"It's so easy, to slip between the cracks..."

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 08/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That line, from the sweet song about the mysterious "Mary January," could also sum up the alluring yet underexposed music of James Lee Stanley. He's been making wonderful albums since the 70's, and I became an ongoing fan (and friend) when "Simpatico" crossed my desk during my radio days. Lately, he has come onto listeners' radar by touring and recording with Former Monkee Peter Tork ("Live/Backstage at the Coffee Gallery") and his excellent cover of Rolling Stones songs with John Batdorf, "All Wood and Stones." "The Eternal Contradiction" is his first original new album since 2003's "Traces of the Old Road."



It was well worth the wait. Like "Traces," James is working in a rich acoustic vein, mixing originals with some well picked covers. He even opens the CD with a delightfully low-key solo version of "It's All In The Game." First a hit for Tommy Edwards in 1958, it looks back and lays the groundwork for what is to come. "The Eternal Contradiction" is both intensely personal and brazenly political - his most political album since "Envoy." The final three songs play out like a trilogy, first with the Bush-slap of "Street Where Mercy Died," which pulls no punches concerning Hurricane Katrina and the bungled administration follow-through.



"if you feel you've been deceived,

and don't know who you can believe

follow where the money hides

on the street where mercy died



in a house all painted white,

lights were turned out for the night

in peaceful dreams the "haves" just sighed

on the street where mercy died."



To me, this is on a par with Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint's "The River In Reverse." It is followed by a frustrated bark at complacency, which asks "whatever happened to the brightest and the best?" (and features a great banjo part). Then the CD closes with "Change," a beautiful call for balance. These three songs alone justify owning this CD.



But as they used to say on those late night infomercials; "Wait! There's more!"



Because the politics aside, James also gives tribute to family and friends he's lost since his previous album. The late Tom Dundee is honored by James composing a melody to Dundee's sentimental, touching lyrics of "This Fleeting Moment." On "Let The Tree Fall," James celebrates his mother, who also passed. Rather than sadness, it speaks to the joy of life. James' version of Neil Young's "The Loner" (set as a waltz), maintains the touch of both sentiment and celebration, but also the encompassing feeling that shrouds you when your closest friends and loved ones are no longer with you.



James' delivery, set with light acoustic folk and some jazzy undertones, belies the depth of "The Eternal Contradiction." I have to admit that many of the songs snuck up on me after a few listens, but once the songs and their meanings became clearer, I was captivated. If that is the inherent contradiction, it's a darn fine one. This CD is on my short list for best of 2007."