[FM] FAME Review: Slaid Cleaves - Broke Down written by Moshe Benarroch

[David N. Pyles]

Slaid Cleaves

http://www.slaid.com
Broke Down
Philo 1225


email: info@rounder.com

Rounder Records

http://www.rounder.com
One Camp Street
Cambridge, MA  02140

A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by Moshe Benarroch
(moben@barak-online.net)

This is Cleaves fifth recording and his second for Rounder. It is not much
different than his Rounder debut, No Angel Knows. He follows in the steps
of the Kerrville sound. After all, he was a first-prize winner at the
Kerrville Folk Festival. His sound is acoustic, like that of many other
Texans. Only rarely do we hear the sound of electric guitars. This CD is
clearly of that Austin folk-territory sound.

Ray Wylie Hubbard said about Cleaves: "He's got it, whatever it is..." and
this is true. Cleaves has got it. He can sing like he's never done anything
else, as if he's been here since the beginning of the world. The problem is
the inconsistency of his material. Great songs melt with mediocre ones. His
best songs are great short stories. In others, it seems that Cleaves just
doesn't care for his characters. I found this problem also with his first
Rounder CD. It makes me wonder that if maybe he had waited and held onto
his best material, he might have come out with a great album.

The first two songs are quite convincing, especially the second one, "One
Good Year." The narrator tells us of his troubles and asks for just one
good year to get out of it:

"Just give me one good year to get my feet back on the ground. I've been
chasing grace But grace ain't so easily found."

The chorus of this song is memorable and you may find yourself humming the
melody after you've heard it twice.

 After that, we are seated at the lounge and served a mediocre song in
"Horseshoe Lounge." With rhymes such as broke/smoke and chance/glance, I
wasn't able to finish this song even one time. Many thanks to the skip button.

His best song to date is "Breakfast In Hell." At almost 6 minutes, this
story is of epic proportions. It is the story of Sandy Gray from Ontario,
who fights nature until nature wins. The story is sung in long lines,
reminiscent of Dylan's longer songs. The end is the making of a myth:

"East of Giant's Tomb there's plenty of room, there's no fences and no
walls. And if you listen close you'll hear a ghost down by Sandy Gray
Falls. Through the tops of the trees you'll hear in the breeze the echoes
of a mighty yell: "I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's breakfast
in hell, boys," "Breakfast in Hell."

There is much to like in Broke Down, but the overall feeling is that
Cleaves is not there yet. He will make it one day and deliver a great
record, I'm sure of that, but this is not the one.

Song List

Broke Down
One Good Year
Horseshoe Lounge
Cold And Lonely
Breakfast In Hell
Bring It On
Lydia
This Morning I Am Born Again
Key Chain
I Feel The Blues Moving In

Edited by:  Jonathan Colcord (absconc@grolen.com)

Copyright 2000, Peterborough Folk Music Society. This review may be
reprinted with prior permission and attribution. 

================
David N. Pyles
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
P. O. Box 459
Brattleboro, VT 05302-0459
(802) 257-0336 Mon-Thur 9:30am-4:30pm
http://www.acousticmusic.com/frames
http://www.acousticmusic.com/frames/fame.htm
=====================
fast and loud, that's the world we live in
fast and loud, always in your face
trouble is 
with almost everything
that means anything
quiet is the volume
slowly is the pace

Grit Laskin "Fast & Loud"