Reviews and Recommendations Take One

REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

MATTHEW MAYFIELD
REVIEW- FIVE CHANCES REMAIN HERS (2009, Self-released): Matthew Mayfield is returning to his roots. This 6-song EP kicks off with “Open Road,” a number that features lush orchestration including a full rock band set up (guitars, bass, and drums), as well as impressive violin work by Birmingham’s Jeanette Brabston. The lyrics explore the trials and tribulations of the touring lifestyle, as well as the emotions Mayfield has kept bottled up for the last few years. The song reaches its full potential in the climatic bridge (I’ve been deserted/my feelings perverted/by a ripped off and pissed off machine cycle circus/When we look in the mirror/it shatters with shame).
The rest of the album follows suit with Mayfield shining on the middle three songs (“Lives Entwined,” “Timeless Art,” and “Better”). The trio chronicles a relationship through the fights between Mayfield and a significant other, fighting for that person, and then Mayfield asking for reconciliation and change (“For you/for me/make me a better man”). Some fans may disagree with Mayfield’s return to the full band setting, especially those who thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of The Fire EP. However, Mayfield’s songwriting legacy and the affordable price of the CD itself ($4.99 at Barnes and Noble), allows you a chance to support local music and contribute to the thriving Birmingham “scene” that continues to grow with each new artist.
RECOMMENDATION- THE FIRE EP (2008, Self-released): Raw emotions and unrefined musicality populate Matthew Mayfield’s first solo EP. Written a few months after the demise of Moses Mayfield, he composes eight acoustic numbers that he records in a home studio for under $1000, an album where Mayfield “just let the mistakes stay…[the CD] feels more honest that way.” Standout tracks include “Razorblade,” Live 100.5 staple “Dead to You,” an acoustic version of Moses Mayfield’s “Element,” and two songs that I’ve heard at three weddings this summer, “By Your Side” and “First in Line.”
WILCO
REVIEW- WILCO (THE ALBUM) [2009, Nonesuch Records]: “Are times getting tough/Are the roads you travel rough,” sings Jeff Tweedy on Wilco’s seventh full length studio album. The Chicago-based band has received an assortment of labels over their 15 year career, including, but not limited to “alt-country,” “experimental,” “avant-garde,” and most recently, “dad rock.” The fact that the first and previously quoted song “Wilco (The Song)” is basically an infomercial about the band (“Wilco will love you baby”) seems to affirm what Tweedy said to American Songwriter magazine in June; that (The Album) is just “a goofy pop record.”
Don’t let this statement fool you, though. Once you get into the middle of the record, the standout tracks become apparent. “You and I” features a duet with Feist, the singer/songwriter who brought the world the catchy, Sesame Street-friendly “1 2 3 4.” “You Never Know” points out the disagreements between religious groups about the end of the world. Tweedy explores his own spiritual journey in “Everlasting Everything” and “Solitaire”; the latter has Tweedy calling himself a fool for believing that there was nothing bigger than himself.
Finally, the somewhat controversial “I’ll Fight for You,” features a soldier fighting for the freedoms of an unaware rich man, to whom he addresses the song. In the closing stanza, the character compares himself to Christ (“I’ll die like Jesus on the cross/My faith will not be lost/if my love comes across”). Though many people may patronize this lyric, they must acknowledge the fact that several movies portray Christ-like figures and symbolism; Tweedy just happened to verbalize the idea in song.
RECOMMENDATION – YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT (2002, Nonesuch Records): Once upon a time, Warner Brothers subsidiary, Reprise Records, made a huge mistake. After listening to Wilco’s demos for what would become Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, they claimed that the disc had no potential singles and essentially no commercial value. The band bought the tapes for a reported $50,000, transferred to their current label, Nonesuch Records, and released one of the most influential albums of the last 10 years, with praise littering the pages of several well-known publications. Standout songs include the string-soaked “Jesus, Etc.”, the conflict-themed “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” the instantly recognizable riff of “I’m the Man Who Loves You,” the relentlessly catchy “Heavy Metal Drummer,” and the political “Ashes of American Flags.” The follow up, 2004’s A Ghost is Born, may have won the Grammy, but YHF remains the perfect introduction to Jeff Tweedy and Co.