Long Flowing Robe/The Ballad (Denny & Jean)/Bleeding/Wailing Wall/The Range War/Chain Letter/A Long Time A Long Way To Go/Boat On The Charles/Be Nice To Me/Hope I'm Around/Parole/Remember Me
Ballad was the second solo album from musician and studio producer Todd Rundgren. It features mainly ballads which explore a variety of human emotions and moods.
“Todd's love of the best in pop music overflows here but is reinvented in his own inimitable style. Every song has at least one memorable facet to it.”
“This is probably his most straightforward album; as the title says it's mostly ballads, but there are a few rock songs like Long Flowing Robe and Parole. Although later albums would show Todd trying to dazzle people with his studio wizardry or instrumental skills, on this album his songwriting is laid mostly bare. Most of this is incredibly moving; Boat On The Charles is basically a perfect song, and the epic Chain Letter is one of the greatest songs he ever wrote.”
“Rundgren never ceases to amaze me as once again he delivers another gem of an album. He explores suicide, breaking up, depression, hope, and other introspective topics out there.”
“A good majority of the album consists of slow ballads, which limits the amount of time that you can really enjoy these songs to quiet, reflective evenings at home. When listened to in that particular context, the album is near flawless.”
“Todd shows himself to be an excellent crafter of songs on this one, and there really isn't a clunker in the bunch. Boat On the Charles is lush and beautiful, and for me, the highlight of the album. Long Flowing Robe is also excellent, and while Wailing Wall would show his tendency to get a little too cute, it still holds up.”
“The second solo album from this singer/songwriter finds him exploring his pop and soft rock sensibilities even further. As always, the vocals are fantastic and the lyrics, while hard to understand sometimes can be powerful. Although it fails to deliver the solid output through the whole album it is still good. The vocal harmonies, bouncy rhythm, and solid piano pave the way for the more elaborate sound of his later work.”
“This album presents Rundgren in studio savvy singer-songwriter mode. Piano and keyboards are the primary instruments here and much of the songwriting is formulaic ballad heavy pop-rock. It's nice, but it's nothing that wasn't being done by dozens of other acts at the same time and Rundgren is hardly the most unique vocalist either.”
No comments:
Post a Comment