Singing songs like they mean what they say... nice!
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 03/13/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Older "college rock" types may remember Austinite Gretchen Phillips' mahogany voice from such late-1980s alt-folk novelty classics as "I Spent My Last Ten Dollars (On Birth Control And Beer)" And y'know, I've wondered from time to time what she's been up to ever since... Well, it turns out (yay) that she's been honing her craft, and has teamed up with New York cabaret crooner David Driver. This is a fine, evenly measured set of original new ballads and affectionate covers drawn from '70s AOR, Broadway show tunes and folk elders such as Leonard Cohen. It's a nice, understated and impressively soulful, neo-countrypolitan set... definitely worth checking out!"
What a Great Album
Snaggle Tooth Barney | Texas, USA | 10/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't know what it means that my four year-old daughter listens to the Phillips&Driver album every day, but I'm actually glad for it. Her favorite song is Day After Day and she insists that we act out the duet, her taking the Gretchen Phillips part and me always required to be David Driver. I think she has great taste. I find it very precocious, her interest in their queer take on the canon of popular music. I suppose she might not be aware of the politics of it, to her it's just enjoyable music. But whatever the reason, I do prefer the heavy rotation of Togetherness to Barney. I particularly love the sad yearning of Ready For Love and the emotional vulnerability juxtaposed with joyeousness on Could It Be Magic. But all of the other songs are great. My favorite really just depends on the day of the week. I highly suggest you pick up one of the used copies starting at 89 cents that are available through Amazon.com. It's a painless impulse buy that I'm sure will bring you (and perhaps your whole family) pleasure."
Beautiful mosic together
Snaggle Tooth Barney | 03/25/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Pure pleasure, first note to last. Gretchen Phillips' sweet soprano and David Driver's butterscotch baritone combine to reinvent songs as farflung as Bad Company's "Ready for Love" and the Julie Andrews classic "I Loved You Once in Silence." But it's not just their voices, it's their taste, that make this record so remarkable. Phillips and Driver are like archivists, resurrecting music you thought you knew all too well. In their hands, covers become originals and musical history is rewritten. In fact, covers and originals blend here seamlessly. In the Driver-penned "Oh Starsky" and Phillips-penned "Lesson," you can hear with particular clarity the fusion of pathos and knowing humor these two under-appreciated artists share. Let's hope this record brings them the recognition they deserve."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1