Search - Joey Eppard :: Been to the Future

Unbelievable

naOMi | brooklyn, ny | 10/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the fact is, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more talented artist. as a poet, i drool with envy over the lyrics of these songs. as a music lover, i find his guitar playing jaw-dropping--stylistically and technically amazing, with a fullness of sound that creates heart-resonating ectasy. and the voice? i actually wonder if joey didn't spend at least a couple of lifetimes as a fine blues singing black woman ;) prince may have reason to be jealous. hands down, he's got soul...and a vision of the world that you'll want to share with others, guarantee."

So Good It Hurts

beonewithall | 04/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is Depressing that this is only the eleventh review for this album. Have you seen the commercial where the guy spins a wheel to describe his feelings? And all the feelings are positive? They are words like, unbelievable, phenomenal, fantastic, astounding, outstanding, exceptional, remarkable, sensational, etc. All of those synonyms apply to this album.



This album is just one guy and his guitar (there is occasional light percussion and synthesizer, but it is all acoustic guitar driven). The lyrics and Eppard's voice are haunting. It is so good, it gives my bones chills.



The best song on the album is the bit more up tempo "The Game" where Eppard struggles with the idea of putting out a solo album, rendering his band mates irrelevant, and justifies it as so, by focusing on their faults (including his drummer brother, the current drummer for Coheed and Cambria). By the end of the song, he comes to the realization that he may have made a mistake. Fortunately for us, he could not have been more wrong.



Granted, this is not the album that you are going to put on when you are in search and destroy mode. This album is bettered served when watching a baseball game, giving you the opportunity to listen to Eppard's excellent musical skills and really absorb the music.



Finally, this would be a dishonest review if I did not say that the best version of "Amaze Disgrace" is on this album. There are three recorded versions of this song. The other two appear on Eppard's Band 3 (3 is the name of the band)'s albums, Summercamp Nightmare and Wake Pig. The acoustic version adds a whole new element to the song that made my ankles sweat the first few times I heard it. So yeah, it's good.



This review went on a lot longer than I intended, but it is a testament to how good this album is. A conclusory anecdote: I was never into strictly acoustic music when I heard this album. I still am not into strictly acoustic music, though I have had this album for nearly two years. Why? How can you improve on perfection? Trust me, I have tried to find other really good acoustic artists, but they just do not compare."