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HomeMusicPopSinger-SongwritersWhole New You |
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|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Frankly, I Preferred The "Old" You! Apr 04, 2007
I have been a fan of Shawn Colvin's music since her first release, Steady On, back in the late 80s. This is the only item in her impressive catalogue that fails to grab me, even after repeated listenings. Without actually looking at the CD booklet, I wouldn't be able to name a single song on it, off the top of my head. This does not mean that the album is bad, by any means, but it is not to my taste. I feel justified in saying that it is certainly not up to the quality of her other work. I recommend instead A Few Small Repairs, which remains her strongest collection. Fortunately, Ms. Colvin's latest release, These Four Walls, is also superb, and represents a return to form.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Fantastic!!!!! Jan 03, 2007
Shawn Colvin proves, once again, what an extremely gifted talent she has.
The songs included on this CD are not only musically great, but thought provoking as well.
Highly recommend!!!!!!
3 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Pales In Comparison To A Few Small Repairs... Dec 20, 2005
A Few Small Repairs had some great songs on there, and a catchy sound to it altogether that made the album very addictive and I loved many of the lyrics. On this album Whole New You it is different, unfortunately. This album is not as powerful as A Few Small Repairs and the songs are not the kind that I push repeat on. They are pleasant, likeable songs but not any that I can honestly praise on or anything. I really do not like these kind of albums because I can't hate them or love them- they're just all right and so is this album. It's just okay and there's not much else to say. The songs are just not that good in sound, like another said they're likeable but with no punch, nothing that makes you remember them- and many are boring.
The strongest song on here is the song Whole New You, that is honestly the only song I like because of its catchiness, next in line would probably be A Matter of Minutes which is sung well and Nothing Like You has a good sound to it- but none of the songs convince me to buy this album. I'll stick with A Few Small Repairs- it's a better buy.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
One of a kind... Dec 03, 2005
Admitted, I am a long-time Colvin fan and was rather shocked at her Grammy wins a few years back.
That being said, I've had this album some 5 years now, and keep coming back to it time and time again.
There is nothing "uneven" or "predictable" about it....in the years since its release I've seen some interesting parallels between the songs and current events...."Roger Wilco" could have been written about our dubious war in Iraq..."Another Plane Went Down" was in constant rotation in my CD player in the aftermath of 9-11. "One Small Year" could best describe my love-life over the past few years....The point is that Shawn is an amazingly gifted songwriter.Her music cuts to the core.
My only hope is that Shawn overcomes whatever personal demons she's been battling of late....five years is way too long to wait for her to produce and share her talents.
But it's always worth the wait.
4 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Not up to the standard of REPAIRS or STEADY ON Oct 30, 2005
The warm smooth voice is back..the producer (John Leventhal) is back...the sound (acoustic based pop) is back...the intelligence is back. Why then is WHOLE NEW YOU not the great listen that A FEW SMALL REPAIRS is?
I'm laying blame on the hooks and pacing. Colvin and Leventhal still come up with some intelligent lyrics and interesting observations but the payoff in the chorus isn't always up to snuff. There's nothing here as instantly catchy and lingeringly powerful as "Sunny Came Home" or "Get Out of this House". The title track and "Bound to You" probably come the closest in pop terms, but they can't really equal what Colvin came up with last time out.
Then there's the way this is all laid out. The CD opens with a somewhat bland track ("A Matter of Minutes"), hits you hard with "Whole New You" then backs off again. By far the strongest section comes in the middle (songs 5-8) then you wait until closer "I'll Say I'm Sorry Now" for another highlight. There's just too much filler in between the gems.
HIGHLIGHTS:
The lost souls of "Bonefields" make for an interesting tune. ("There ain't no father/There ain't no mother/There ain't no sister/ain't got no brother/running to no one/running for cover") James Taylor and Marc Cohn provide backing vocals. The piercing imagery in "Another Plane Went Down" is one of the finest lyrics here. ("Five days before Christmas last year/his girlfriend died in a plane crash/He says the way that it happens is your heart is so heavy/it rips away upon impact/And then you just bleed inside/You don't even feel a thing") It's a great stream of consciousness piece where Colvin examines the movies our brains make at night. Edie Brickell collaboration "Roger Wilco" is the tale of a military mission gone wrong. ("In the beginning I believed your objective was well meant/But now I've seen your tactics and your fire in the hole/This entire operation is a mis-appropriation of my soul...") Charlie Sexton adds a great harmony vocal. Stark piano ballad "I'll Say I'm Sorry Now" closes the disc on a high note with Colvin admitting imperfection ("I'm gonna let you down/I know that now/Make you cry/I know I will/Why should you believe I would never leave/or that I love you still?") and acknowledging the unease at the heart of romantic love.
LOWS:
"Mr. Levon" and "Anywhere You Go" are the most disposable tracks here.
BOTTOM LINE:
It's pleasant hummable acoustic based pop. It makes nice background music. There's nothing remarkable about it, though. It's grown on me a bit over the years but I still find it just "O.K."
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