Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
With a press release that reads as if it's written for three-year olds, a record company keen on marketing him as 'nu-folk' and with a name that (if it's real) undoubtedly led to some 'issues' amongst his school friends, it's hard not to sigh with cynicism. But Ferraby Lionheart is, I'm relieved to report, actually very talented. This, his debut, following a home-recorded EP two years ago, is grown up enough to avoid the tweeness trap that seems to hamper many of his peers.
As comparisons are odious we won't resort to saying that he sounds not unlike Sufjan Stevens rubbing elbows with Beck (in his acoustic mode), but with a healthy dose of '70s songcraft. Oh, we just did! But one thing's for sure, despite attempts to market him as a folky weird beard (and a childhood spent in Nashville obviously leads one to expect a dose of country in there, too) - our Mr Lionheart is, in fact, far more multi-skilled. And he hasn't got a beard either.
Like many of his contemporaries, his parent's record collection has done its work well. Far from serving up the threatened whackiness, Catch The Brass Ring is bursting with sweet '70s AOR, albeit with an acoustic guitar at its heart. Single, Small Planet, is a lovely, piano-driven and not unlike Elton John. A Bell And A Tumble is a jazzy little '20s-style shuffle that nods to Harry Nilsson. Un Balo Della Luna is bedsit lo-fi beauty, while Texas Sky sounds like nothing less than Ray Davies in his prime.
Ferraby's voice is not unlike the flattened louche delivery of Rufus Wainwright (whose lush arrangements are another touchstone here), and like him this wears on the ears a little over the course of a whole album. To be honest, catch the Brass Ring is as stylistically indecisive enough to raise interest but not to give you a real sense of what the future holds. Luckily he's got a suitcase full of lovely tunes and as long as he keeps working on 'em he's got a real chance at staying the distance. Shame about the name, though! --Chris Jones
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By C. O'Brien
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
If you can imagine a cheerful Elliott Smith, you're getting close to the chracter of new LA singer-songwriter Ferraby Lionheart. He's a spry soul, his voice a slightly quavering but hugely appealing mish-mash of Harry Nilsson, Marc Bolan and a touch of Brian Wilson in its slightly cracked upper registers. He has a tendency towards faux-Britishness, a kind of cracked, early-Coldplay appeal together with the whimsy of a Robert Wyatt.
One of the biggest strengths of the writing is the lyrics: charming and cheery, full of nursery metaphor and wry romance. In Under The Texas Sky, he misses his girl "like a honey jug misses the bear"; in A Bell And Tumble, "My love was swallowed by a whale/we danced a waltz inside his tail/with chandeliers and candlelight..."
Musically, the album is various in style but consistent in emotional tone. The Car Maker has a nice loose lazy-Sunday lollop, the aggressively lo-fi Un Ballo Della Luna sounds like a forgotten field recording and Before We're Dead all goes a bit New Orleans, but the same delight in life informs every track. Standout song? It has to be the deceptively simple piano ballad The Octopus and the Ambulance, which recalls Rufus Wainwright at his most archly romantic.
One of the biggest strengths of the writing is the lyrics: charming and cheery, full of nursery metaphor and wry romance. In Under The Texas Sky, he misses his girl "like a honey jug misses the bear"; in A Bell And Tumble, "My love was swallowed by a whale/we danced a waltz inside his tail/with chandeliers and candlelight..."
Musically, the album is various in style but consistent in emotional tone. The Car Maker has a nice loose lazy-Sunday lollop, the aggressively lo-fi Un Ballo Della Luna sounds like a forgotten field recording and Before We're Dead all goes a bit New Orleans, but the same delight in life informs every track. Standout song? It has to be the deceptively simple piano ballad The Octopus and the Ambulance, which recalls Rufus Wainwright at his most archly romantic.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Young Artist Reminiscent Of Old Masters
13 Feb 2008
By Mike B.
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone who finds most music of the last 15 years or so to be slapdash and un-involving, I'm surprised to be captivated by Ferraby Lionheart. After seeing him sing and play piano with his band on a late night talk show performance, I went out and bought this CD.
Having played it many times, I've concluded that it's a minor masterpiece and the guy is some kind of a genius.
Ferraby displays the meticulous craftsmanship and arranging skills of such older past masters as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, and even The Beatles. He's not quite up to the level of a Brian Wilson, but I could see him getting there with the passage of time.
While he's proficient on guitar, it's his piano playing I like the most - and he plays it on many songs in the melancholy style of the old hippie eccentric Biff Rose. His navel-gazing lyrics don't always read well on the page, but his soulful, earnest vocals (he sounds like Nilsson) imbue them with layers of meaning anyway. Kind of like Elton John does with Bernie Taupin's frequently obtuse lyrics.
My favorite thing about this album is his use of unusual instruments. It's not often that you hear songs festooned and punctuated with glockenspiel, melodica, trombone, cello, viola, and sousaphone. But he uses them tastefully and artfully, crafting each song into a distinctive small gem. Every song ends just when it should, another anomaly in this age of more-is-better.
Worth seeking out is his 6-song prior release "EP" (on CD), which rocks a little more than this more laid-back affair. In summary - he's a rare soul, with big talent and a bright future.
Having played it many times, I've concluded that it's a minor masterpiece and the guy is some kind of a genius.
Ferraby displays the meticulous craftsmanship and arranging skills of such older past masters as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, and even The Beatles. He's not quite up to the level of a Brian Wilson, but I could see him getting there with the passage of time.
While he's proficient on guitar, it's his piano playing I like the most - and he plays it on many songs in the melancholy style of the old hippie eccentric Biff Rose. His navel-gazing lyrics don't always read well on the page, but his soulful, earnest vocals (he sounds like Nilsson) imbue them with layers of meaning anyway. Kind of like Elton John does with Bernie Taupin's frequently obtuse lyrics.
My favorite thing about this album is his use of unusual instruments. It's not often that you hear songs festooned and punctuated with glockenspiel, melodica, trombone, cello, viola, and sousaphone. But he uses them tastefully and artfully, crafting each song into a distinctive small gem. Every song ends just when it should, another anomaly in this age of more-is-better.
Worth seeking out is his 6-song prior release "EP" (on CD), which rocks a little more than this more laid-back affair. In summary - he's a rare soul, with big talent and a bright future.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid major-market debut for singer/songwriter
23 Dec 2007
By Geoffrey F. Morris
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Every so often, I see Ferraby Lionheart compared to Elliott Smith. Now, I really love Elliott Smith, and I first found out about Ferraby on a Weblog named after an Elliott song [Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands]. But to compare the two doesn't make sense to me: Lionheart's music is a joyful take on somber subject matter, while Elliott was always darker and more sarcastic. Sure, Ferraby can be sad and wistful---see "Won't Be Long" on his self-released EP---but then there's a lot more joyful stomping like "Before We're Dead" in his repertoire.
Simply put, this is one of the ten best records released this year that I bought.
Simply put, this is one of the ten best records released this year that I bought.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rare talent, incredible song writing
19 Nov 2008
By Marcelle Diane
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Ferraby Lionheart writes amazingly beautiful, fantastically whimsical, utterly skillful songs. His lyrics are enchanting and creative; his music interesting and lovely. Ferraby embodies this old world charm that is both fresh and nostalgic. I just can't believe he hasn't yet received wider acclaim. His talent is undeniable.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
