richard julian fantastic songwriting

Posted by: Thorsten on 12 May 2006

dear friends of the well written song,

give yourself a treat and listen to richard julian/slow new york

13 pieces + 1 intermezzo.

let me put in the words of the winegeeks:

some clear notes of leonard cohen, with hints of tom waits, mother earth and marc ribot.

funny lyrics, good old craftsmanship on the instruments and all in all so good that i listened to it eight times in a row.

Posted on: 15 May 2006 by u5227470736789524

Have ordered this on your recommend ... due to arrive Fri May 18 .... looking forward to hearing it.

Jeff A

Posted on: 16 May 2006 by Thorsten

dear richard,

i hope you will like it. i feel honoured that you followed my recommendation.

best

thorsten

Posted on: 16 May 2006 by u5227470736789524

If you like "music,music,music" and claim he is a special songwriter, good enough for me to take a flyer on. I'll let you know what I think.

Jeff A

Posted on: 18 May 2006 by u5227470736789524

Got this yesterday and I like it. If I hadn't known who was playing, I would have guessed it was Todd Snider. RJ and TS share a wry-wit view of life and the world and, also, excellent musicianship. The arrangements of RJ songs are terrific, all having a "feel" that just seems right. RJ has a NY sophistication to his sound compared to TS's down-home Texas vibe. I think John Prine fans would also enjoy this. Thanks again for the recommend - I will enjoy having this.

Jeff A

Posted on: 20 May 2006 by Thorsten

dear jeff,

i am certainly glad you liked it.

since i have never heard of todd snider i will now go to the store and buy something of him.

any recommendations?

thorsten

Posted on: 20 May 2006 by u5227470736789524

I don't actually own any of TS stuff, surprisingly, but I have easy access to it through our library system.

My favorite is "Songs for the Daily Planet". "East Nashville Skyline" is good, as is the newer live disc. Also, I see he has a "greatest" hits package, a bit tongue-in-cheek I suspect as he is very much a cult artist here in the states.

I have seen him live (solo) twice, opening for Greg Brown two years ago and last summer opening for John Hiatt. Both times he was excellent and relates well to the crowd who appreciate his wit.

While I think TS is very very good, he at times can be a bit too much "novelty", which may not wear well on frequent repeat listens.

The more I listen to Richard Julian, the more I hear sounds of Lyle Lovett as well.

Jeff A