I've now listened to Casey's album maybe 10 times now.
Where I come from when it comes to Casey:
I really like his personality, and I like him as a person. He flashes of musical brilliance but then at times some of his affectations, screetches and grunts just make me think, "ouch....".
I realise he is performing in the tradition of jazz greats before him, it's just he hasn't good control of it, yet. I've seen it posted that he doesn't have an awareness of his vocal limitations (see recent NA), I tended to agree, but then again..... doesn't part of being 'creative' include having to reach beyond your personal limitations to see what happens? So Casey should be applauded for demonstrating the willingness to take some musical risks in developing his talent.
So while I applaud him for his jazzy/improvisational performance style, it is also, admittedly, part of why I am not 'all in' with Casey, musically. That being being said, I reserve the right to sit back and watch him grow, artistically. He has just started his career so I don't look at his first album with a ton of pressure, that he needs to hit it out of the park.
Some notes about some songs:
The best two songs, the best one-two punch of the album
"Blame it on Me" and "Wore Out My Soul"
This is the best part of the album IMO. From the first time I heard "Blame it On Me" in previews, I had a physical reaction to the song, I couldn't help but tap my feet and bobbing my head. The 'rolling' Bass, The Groove on a record that you easily slide into and start shaking to the rhythm
.
By far the highlight song and my vote for single of the album. Great all around.
"Wore Out My Soul"
This is Casey's "Undone" of the album. Full of atmosphere, the pacing and singing is warm and touching. I closed my eyes and felt the smooth vibe that harkening back to the glory days of the great R&B Love songs. The simplicity of the instrumentation, the 'loose and stringy' sound of the guitar picking. It's such a gorgeous song that I paid no attention to the lyrics,I didn't get why he was singing about shoes....then I got it...."You really wore out my 'soul'". I tried those new shoes on ....sole/soul ..
LOL Regardless of the lyrics, it's a beautiful song.
If we were to bet which song of Casey's album was Haley's favorite? I would put my bet on this song....It really is a gorgeous composition IMO
Some songs I got a comparison vibe with, as in, the song reminds me of this or that guy's style. Don't get me wrong, these songs are certainly "Casey" songs, they just reminded me of other artists or songs.
"Simple Life" reminds me of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World"/Bobby Mcferrin
"Ghost" could be a song performed/written by Paul Simon
"Great Bright Morning" There are parts of this song that are exquisite. It feels like Casey's 'country song', perhaps in the manner of the "Eagles". There are 'Beach Boys' like harmonies that are beautiful. Maybe Casey's best, 'meaningful vocals' of the album IMO. It's quickly becoming a favorite, making it a great one two three with "Blame it On Me" and "Wore Out My Soul"
"Midnight Girl" reminded me of the Nirvana song, "Polly (wants a cracker)"
I don't know why, but I get this 'mac the knife' jazzy quality to "Dry Spell"....I don't like it as much as some have said, mostly because it feeds into the 'off the wall', out of control acting out that Casey is sometimes prone to.
Hit the Road Jack... I can see how people want so badly to have Haley go all out Jazz because her vocals are delightfully luscious, gorgeous and smooth at the same time. She expertly distributes her "Hmms " "Mmmms" and purrs throughout the song. I assume that's Casey playing the guitar during the interlude....very nice. I noticed the keyboards on the CD more than I did in the previews. The keys could have been turned up a bit more, as they might have added that little more 'jazzy' quality to the song. I just imagined how Keith would interpret them?
A wonderful addition to the growing Caley duets.
Finally, the Bonus songs.
You probably know, I'm a HUGE Beatles fans, one of the many wonderful things I appreciate about Haley is her continuing to give them credit for their inspiration to her.
Conversely, something about Credence Clearwater Revival, I never really 'liked' them. I acknowledge they were an iconic band with many relatively impactful contributions to the musical landscape of the '60's, '70's and '80's. I just never really liked them, don't own an album, turn the station when a CCR song comes on.
So we're back to the Bonus songs: "Eleanor Rigby" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"
Given what I just posted, it might be obvious which one I would like, but the opposite is true. I really, really, really wanted to like ER. I listened to it in my car on the drive back from Walmart. My initial reaction was..."huh". I thought to myself, let's give it a fair shot and listen to it a few more times.
On the 10 + times I've listened to it, my opinion is the same. I know it's colored by my 'deification' of many things "Beatles", but Casey's version of ER is absent the desperate loneliness of the 'human condition' expertly painted in lyrics and composition by the Beatles' version. Casey's version feels like it was an exercise in 'how to make a cool song cooler' without regard to the essence of the song. The tempo and phrasing just feel wrong for this song. It was like rearranging the body without regard to the soul.
Surprisingly, I had the opposite reaction to Casey's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain". His version of this iconic CCR song (which I NEVER liked for some reason). There is an emotional simplicity and wistful innocence that comes through in this incarnation. Loved the Bass
and a recorder?
. I wished he was able to instill some of the essence, the humanity, in this song into his interpretation of "Eleanor Rigby"
Bottom Line, I give Casey's debut a Solid B
(with a chance of a '+' depending on the songs' 'grow on you factor' like Haley's songs have
)
![[Image: goldstars.gif]](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q96/b4u2c/goldstars.gif)