- Audio CD (11 Mar 2002)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Loose
- ASIN: B000062TK0
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 36,041 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Product details |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Stuck on Love, the debut album from London's The Arlenes, belies their reputation as an underground country outfit. From the opening title track, singer Big Steve (also the songwriter) sounds more like a late-50s pop star--simple, innocent and heartsick--than some drink-ravaged Johnny Cash wannabe. Indeed, by the second track ("Into Every Life Falls A Little Rain"), you begin to believe The Arlenes are the silver-tongued children of the slightly countrified, pop-idolising likes of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. "Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone", sung by Steve's wife Stephanie Arlene, is a backwoods blues teetering on the edge of darkness, a tale of bitter lessons learned that lends the album a promising depth and variety. Unfortunately, Stuck on Love's middle sags--it's uninspired country pop--until spirits are raised by the mean(ish) rockabilly of "Man Of Meagre Ambition", which leads into a redeeming grand finale. The sweet, subdued "So Sad to See You Gone" recalls The Eagles: the bluesy "I Just Smoulder" conjures the spirit of Gram Parsons: while the closing "Everybody's Mind Gets Broke Sometimes" is rootsy and atmospheric, sure to appeal to the many fans of the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. All in all, it's a well-crafted work, consistently life-affirming and, occasionally, genuinely moving. --Dominic Wills
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine alt.country album,
This review is from: Stuck on Love (Audio CD)
I wish I even knew what alt.country was but that's where the Arlenes have been pigeon-holed. I don't know if you can easily categorise them, for here is a quality country band with an authentic Americana sound that hail from Camden Town!I was hoping for some good tunes and I am glad to say that every song is addictive, melodic and demands repeated listening. I would disagree that the middle of this album 'sags', after all that's where you'll find the chirpy 'Springboard' one of many highlights of this CD. My absolute personal favourite is 'Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone' which will continue to beguile and charm me for a long time to come. It truly is an awesome piece of song-writing. Musically, The Arlenes only impress after a few listenings as you come to terms with their slightly under-stated style. The plentiful and well-judged use of slide guitar is the defining instrument here in my opinion while everything else clicks subtly in place. Among the many influences at work here I would also mention there is a hint of Glen Campbell in Steve's voice. I also wonder if they've ever listened to old favourites of mine Blue Rodeo, who straddled the rock/country divide with a unique sound. Whatever, they cover the usual country staples of broken hearts and unrequited love in a style that has both depth and musical verve. Recommended!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I'm stuck on it.,
By Dr Doom (Chicago) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stuck on Love (Audio CD)
The most charming album I've heard in a long time. The last time a record sucked me in like this was when I first heard Prefab Sprout's "Steve McQueen" or the Smiths' "Hatful of Hollow". For me that's high praise indeed. Not a dud here, though the standout track is "Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone". It's achingly beautiful, and made me wish for more of Stephanie Arlene on lead vocals.(If John Lennon could give equal space to Yoko's wretched squawking on record, surely Big Steve can allow us more of the Mrs' gorgeous voice). This track is on par with one of my favorites of all time, the Jayhawks'"Blue". As another reviewer pointed out, this is clever, intelligently written country("I thought I was blind Though my rods and cones were fine"). The only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star album is the aforementioned underutilization of Stephanie Arlene. If you don't like this LP, it's your fault, not mine!
4.0 out of 5 stars
a springboard to country goodness,
By
This review is from: Stuck on Love (Audio CD)
This album, despite being a candidate for Worst Album Cover of all time, is excellent country, with just enough modern sensibility to draw in those like me who strictly speaking won't touch the genre unless it's of the 'alt' variety.
'Springboard' is an absolute summer classic, its everyday tale of a young lad trying to impress a girl whilst jumping off the board at Gospel Oak Lido surley capable of charming the hardest of hearts. 'Man of Meagre Ambition' is a bit of a plodder, but the album's still very good overall. 'Lonely ...' is indeed excellent, one of many highlights.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
