Search - Tal Bachman :: Tal Bachman

A late discovery of this late bloomer...

Marc Johnson | Boston, MA USA | 03/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One night a few weeks ago I heard She's So High on a Sirius station and remembered how much I liked this song, so I made a note of the artist's name. When I found the 1999 album on iTunes, I downloaded it and have completely fallen in love with this artist's music.



Tal's vocals range from strong deep bass to clear, bright highs, with seemingly effortless (and sometimes acrobatic) transitions up and down his entire range. He has a unique, bright, and emotive voice that is very easy to listen to. He's great on guitar, sometimes singing duet with his strums. The arrangements with orchestra (Strong Enough) are almost epic, as well as some very funky arrangements (You Don't Know What It's Like) that really make this album a collection, not 12 songs that all sound the same.



Tal is a storyteller - not just with words, but with his musical arrangements. Climactic crescendos, silent pauses, and lots of emotional punctuation in his vocals. There's some influences of Freddie Mercury / Queen, as well as John Lennon, ELO, Bowie (as noted by many of the reviews).



Much has been said about Tal being a "one hit" overplayed wonder, and I disagree with that. Bachman's debut at 29, after completing his mission, studying Political Philosophy, and starting a family, was pretty late... and the industry doesn't always smile on "late bloomers". I'm thrilled that he persevered and found a new label and released his latest album (Staring Down the Sun)."

Glossy hooks throughout

Andy Lester | McHenry, IL | 11/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

""She's So High" got lots of airplay, but sadly limited to the secretary-rock "Lite Hits" stations, it seemed. It's a shame, since Bachman has plenty of hooks to bring to classic rock afficionados.



The album is glossy from start to finish, which you'll either love or hate."

Good solid album

Ryan A. Rigg | 02/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I liked "She's so High" when it came out, but I never heard his entire album until today when I borrowed it from a friend. I agree with some of the other reviewers in that it is a good, solid album. Unfortunately Tal seems to have fallen into the same trap that Duncan Sheik and Shawn Mullins fell into. One decent turn of the century hit for an earnest singer/songwriter which got overplayed at radio and overshadowed any possibility of a follow-up hit.



I am not sure I agree with some of the reviewers who seem to think Tal is heavily influenced by ELO. There is some similarity on songs like "Romanticide" and "You're my Everything", but those songs are also reminiscent of Badfinger, and quite logically The Beatles and George Harrison's solo efforts which inspired both ELO and Badfinger. But there is also a Dylan-esque quality to "You Don't Know What It's Like". All-in-all, Tal draws from many different influences and makes them his own. The sign of a true artist."