Nels is on fire in 2007
Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 06/28/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"(1/24/09 edit: I finally got around to reviewing the below-mentioned Duo Milano the other day. Don't miss out on that one! Not as well-known as the Singers albums but it's fantastic. The 5 electric tracks are some of Nels' best so far. This site carries it but won't let me insert a product link for some reason.)
Normally I wouldn't write a review a few days after an album is released. I think I have more of a handle on how I feel about a cd after I've had it for a while. This though (the 3rd album by the Nels Cline Singers) grabbed me on day 1 and will not let go. It needs a review now. You should buy this.
I don't know what you thought of the first 2. I thought Instrumentals was okay but with some moments of greatness. I'm still disappointed with The Giant Pin. It doesn't do it for me. It's always felt flat and uninspired. Draw Breath though, WOW! This is the album I've always hoped the Singers would make. This isn't just "my favorite Singers album" when taken in comparison to the 2 previous albums I just said I'm not overly into. This is one of Nels' best albums so far. If someone wants to know why I love him, this album is the newest prime example as to why. I've listened to this 10 times in 3 days and am trying to think of a way to wrap this review so I can go crank it again.
This is heavy duty. Sometimes peaceful (but not in a dry, polite, chamber-jazz way), but oftentimes capable of ripping heads off, Nels & Friends (but yes Nels first & foremost) are brilliant here! Cryptogramophone should be handing out sheets of LSD with this album. This is totally ripping, space-warrior material here.
I'm only putting out 4 stars because it's only been a few days since I got it. Plus, I gave Downpour 4 stars and I don't know that I should give this more stars. Both albums are fantastic. I guess I hog-tied myself by only giving Downpour 4. It certainly has major 5-star passages, as does this album. Old fan, newer fan, just heard of Nels for the first time yesterday? This should blow us all away. Many, many times. If Duo Milano (Nels & Elliott Sharp) turns out to be as massive as Draw Breath and Downpour, 2007 may go down as Nels' best year ever, in terms of albums.
"
Charting a course between David Torn and John Scofield
o dubhthaigh | north rustico, pei, canada | 07/16/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Nels cline and his team present an adventuresome and compelling disc of avant jazz. That he creates what edge there is to Wilco should surprise no one. That band is milquetoast without him. Here on his own, he pushes the sonic possibilities of the guitar without loosing either the swing or the blues that are the bedrock to jazz. This is a terrific collection of tunes that will have you hitting the repeat button all the way through. By now, you obviously know that there are no "singers" except the instruments them selves and drums and double bass conspire in ways that would remind you of Michael Jerome and Danny Thompson with Richard Thompson. High praise indeed and well earned. I would recommend this disc wholeheartedly to anyone who loves guitar music from Paco Pena to Julian Bream to Derek Bailey and back again. This is a superb player, a creative writer and this disc is a revelation for those who might know him only from Wilco. While his day job with Tweedy is of the highest calibre, at night, on his own, he is quite something other altogether, to wit this disc and his take on John Coltrane's INTERSTELLAR SPACE."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1