Search - Lee Hazlewood :: Cake Or Death

Lee's Last Stand

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well here it is, Lee Hazlewood's long-anticipated musical adieu. I already own the US issue of Cake or Death but I generally like to get the "Special Edition" or the imported version which usually has a little something extra for the fan. But in this case, there is no difference that justifies the added expense, especially the 26 dollars which is the current lowest price. The main difference is that the German release comes sans plastic jewel box. I got mine here from an amazon partner for just three dollars over the price of the domestic release, so I don't feel bad. I'll just give the other as a gift to someone who needs to be introduced to the music of Lee Hazlewood.

As for the music, I like Cake or Death more everytime I hear it. In my review of the US release I mentioned my favorite cuts. That list has since been expanded. I still think Hazlewood's retooled version of "Boots" is highlight of the CD, it certainly has become far and away my favorite version. But that is certainly not all there is. I also highly enjoy the accordion-laced Sacrifice, the ominous-sounding, surf-guitar driven The First Song of the Day, the dry Its Nothing To Me, the star-spangled Anthem, the hilarious White People Thing, and the bittersweet anticipation of Lee's pending date with mortality in T.O.M.

While those are my favorites, I enjoy the other songs as well with the exception of the overly cute rendition of the refrain from Some Velvet Morning sung by Hazlewood's granddaughter.

If you are a fan of Lee Hazlewood on any level, I recommend you buy the US release of Cake or Death. Lee's last stand will spend a lot of time in my CD player. Don't buy this just because its his last, but because its one of his best."

Great closer to a great career...even better than I expected

Grigory's Girl | NYC | 03/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One thing that strikes me about this album is that how fresh and interesting it is. Granted, I'm a major Lee Hazlewood fan, so I knew I would like it. As all of us know, Lee had cancer and pretty much knew this was his last album. Instead of a perfunctory album or a quiet album, he made an album that is really experimental, tuneful, and can stand right along any of his other classic albums. This is not the work of an "old man" but of a vibrant artist who knew he was dying but wasn't going to slag off into that good night. There are some great Hazlewood tracks here, like the funny, sly Nothing, the excellent and well arranged Baghdad Knights (the flute in this song is perfect), Sacrifice (my favorite off the album), and an excellent rendition of Boots. Lee's voice is very strong, showing no signs of wear and tear. There really isn't anything that is awful here. Even the title is awesome (borrowed, legally, from our good friend Eddie Izzard). This is a great Hazlewood album. I'm sad he's gone, but he didn't go quietly. He was still as creative as ever.



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I thought that was really cool.

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 10/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the last album by the late Lee Hazlewood. It is a very eclectic album, with lots of different types of songs. Lee's voice was not at full strength at this point, but it doesn't matter; his weathered voice is totally appropriate for this album. There are five guest vocalists helping out on the album, including Lee's very young granddaughter. The songs highlight Lee brilliant production skills, as well as his eccentricities. Lee's own records were never as commercial as the ones he produced for Nancy Sinatra, but they are very charming in their own way. This is the perfect final album for an often under appreciated artist."