Search - Pf Sloan :: Sailover (Dig)

Ignore Don McLeese's "review"

Jon D. Tiven | Nashville, Tn. | 08/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I offer Mark Deming's review, from the ALL MUSIC GUIDE, as an alternative written by someone who enjoys music:



by Mark Deming

It's nice to know some things don't change. More than a dozen years after his last album and 40 years since he penned the epochal pop-protest number "Eve of Destruction," P.F. Sloan is still writing worthwhile pop songs with smart, impressionistic, and somewhat off-kilter lyrics, and Sailover confirms time has been quite kind to his muse since he last entered a recording studio. Sailover is not built from the same sort of Brill Building materials as Sloan's best-known work of the '60s (either as recorded by the songwriter himself or through such clients as Johnny Rivers, the Association, the Turtles, the Grass Roots and lots more); these days, Sloan and producer Jon Tiven go for a simpler approach (guitar, bass, drums, keys) that not only emphasizes the rootsy leanings of his melodies but brings out the Dylanesque side of his songwriting, which doesn't manifest itself in extended lyrical abstraction but a clear desire to write of the personal and the political with the same draw. While Sloan has resurrected a few old favorites for this set (including "Eve of Destruction," "From a Distance," and "Sins of a Family"), the new material makes it clear the man has been keeping his songwriting chops in solid shape; "Violence" and "PK and the Evil Dr. Z" speak clearly with the same mordant wit that he's summoned in his best-known music, while the compassion and warmth of "Love Is 4Giving" and the wanderlust of the title tune prove that while he's mellowed a bit, he's also learned what to make of it. And even when he does revisit the past, the mournful weight of the new recording of "Eve of Destruction" (with guest vocals from Frank Black and Buddy Miller) and the bitter eloquence of Lucinda Williams' verses on "Sins of a Family" show that some protest songs never die, they just remain uncomfortably relevant. Sailover shows P.F. Sloan still has songs in his bag that are well-worth hearing, and he has a gift for making them work in the studio; this is the work of a man who ought to be making records more often than once every 13 years, if he's so inclined and we're so fortunate.



"

UNEXPECTED TREASURE

J. Gambino | 08/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection is a tight, contemporary treatment of new and revisited songs by PF Sloan. Each song is carefully crafted, with an excellent, rich collection of supporting players and superb production. This CD is not a hastily assembled effort put together to support a revival tour. The reviewer from Amazon is either off base or has an ax to grind. This music captures much of the energy that many of us felt as youths exposed to music in the mid-sixties. Young people today might find many of the compositions vital to them as well. The new selections on this CD are not throw-ins but reveal a still creative and insightful artist. The guest performers on some of the verses blend in naturally with the songs and add a great deal without being forced. This CD should provide considerable enjoyment for some time."

Return of the Missing Man

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 09/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"P.F. Sloan's new "Sailover" is a welcome reprise by a songwriting legend. "PK & the Evil Dr Z" is a Dylan-homage from Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" era. Sloan talk-sings and talks about a Dylan concert in a rambling story for P.F.'s friends from Planet Mirth. Two of Sloan's oldies are also favorites here. Lucinda Williams joins him on "Sins of a Family" that pumps furiously with Tom Hambridge's juicy drums, "The stone's been cast & blood's thicker than water." Felix Cavaliere from the Rascles joins P.F. on the Grassroots' hit "Where Were You When I Needed You." The tune pumps tightly with a chorus rendition that makes it sound fun to feel so bad, "You're looking good, it's hard to fight it; but it's no use explaining, baby, I've already decided that living with you is worse than without you." Other tunes also have their appeal. "Hollywood Moon" is a sweet shuffle with Becky Hobbs' piano plunking out a bit of barrelhouse on the bridge, "Is this face for rent?" "Love is 4Giving" is also another original piece with a great P.F. guitar part, "Like a history train pulling out of the station with no destination in sight." 35 years ago Jimmy Webb sang, "I have been seeking P.F. Sloan, but no one knows where he has gone." "Sailover" is a welcome return from that missing man. Enjoy!"