Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Last American Blues... (pop, soul and rock 'n' roll too)., 18 Mar 2001
Fort Lake is a great journey through the last half a century or so of popular music, c/o Warn (sic), Karin, Trey, Chad and new addition, Lovetta Pippen. Lovetta is a discovery of Macy Gray proportions - a genuine soul sensation. What a find! And together they have produced HNIA's most consistent and enjoyable ride. HNIA have existed on the periphery the music industry circus for the last decade, not batting an eyelid, getting on with their own skewed pop vision and with Lovetta's help they truly GOT IT ON! Since Mouth to Mouth, the concepts have loosened to allow a broader musical canvas, (earlier releases Livonia and Home Is In Your Head are somewhat homogenous). As a result, there are some sublime pop, rock and soul wig-outs. "Rock 'n' Roll Girl...", "The Waitress", "Wishing Ring" and "Up Your Legs Forever" are brilliant guitar-led retro pop-rock in imitable Defever style. Totally addictive! "No Hiding Place Down Her","Everything Takes Forever" and "Always Turn Me On" are all soulful and bluesy, while sixties pop is turned edge-ways in "Can't Always Be Loved", "Red Haired Girl" and "Don't Glue The World". All this is only an idea of what to expect; many songs have styles within styles. All those familiar with the HNIA world will understand this and those who aren't should definitely give this world a spin.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unhinged Soul, Funk & Rock, 12 Dec 2004
His Name is Alive continue to change styles & sample musical genres; a process started on their last album & continued here, to produce an effect something like "music you thought you knew, but somehow damaged & mad"."Fort Lake" is their 5th album, from 1998. It starts with a strange few seconds of 'computer' generated music - as if back in the 50's, this is what they thought the music of the future would sound like - before launching into a pretty fast run-through of distorted electric rock guitars (Wish I had a Wishing Ring" and "Waitress"); Soul (No Hiding Place Down Her); Rockabilly (Red Haired Girl) & a half-dozen other things as well. As with other His Name is Alive albums, several little musical interludes act as bridges between the songs. The new recruit from the previous album, Lovetta Pippin, is brilliant and shines everywhere she sings, providing a deep & smokey voice to counterbalance the long-time singer Karin Oliver's sweet, girl-next-door clarity. The highlights are the rockers: "Wish I Had a Wishing Ring" with spiteful 'my man done me wrong' lyrics and 2 wonderful guitar solos from Warren Defever, and "Rock & Roll Girl from Rock & Roll City", but I also love the funk and bizarre message in "Up Your Legs Forever". If you're a rock fan, give this a try. Otherwise, I'd not recommend this album as a place to start with His Name is Alive - Try "Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth" from 2001 if you're into Soul/R&B or "Mouth by Mouth" from 1993 if you're a goth. Or, if you're reading this & wondering how one group can deliver such radically different styles, give them a go anyway, start with any album and prepare yourself for a very strange journey.
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~ His Name Is Alive
~ His Name Is Alive
~ His Name Is Alive
~ His Name Is Alive
~ Dan Deacon
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