All Music Guide Review

02004-08-31 | Uncategorized | 9 comments

Every once in a while I do read a review… and this one baffles me. What is he saying?

Liebert is a fine composer. He understands the intricacies of harmony and melody, but more importantly, he understands dynamics and groove. Cuts like “Caballada,” with its driving rhythmic patterns, short funky bridge, and dovetailing guitars, all barely contained by the bass line, make for an exciting mix. Likewise, “Cocteau,” with its mysterious guitar line as standing into — not apart from, or on top of — the rhythm track, weaves an ethereal, nearly delirious exotica around a relatively simple lyrical frame. The six-against-four beat in “Longing” is heady — shimmering and seductive as it stretches out over its seven minutes. The raw, bluesy flamenco within “Underworld,” with its repetitive melodic frame, is very effective and hypnotic, and the dreamy, nuage jazziness of “Cave in My Heart” and “Echoes of a Caress” are unabashedly romantic.

That all seems very nice to me. I mean, I would buy the album after reading this much. And then I think the reviewer got cold feet about liking this record and ends with this:

Fans are likely to swoon, while the rest of us are still scratching our heads.

You got lice, or what? Ah, well, I should not be reading this stuff in the first place.

9 Comments

  1. Greg Hale

    OL, This sounds like someone who doesn’t really get what this is all about. The review is full of rediculous prose that seems to fully exercise the “Hey look me over – this is really about myself as writer theme.” Well it’s a review about real music in a world where we are exposed to many pretenders in the industry. This is an example of the effects of the collective consciousness right now, and I suspect that if this reviewer chances upon some other serious musical work, he/or she may end up scratching something besides their head.

    Reply
  2. Carol

    Maybe he’s into the science behind the music instead of the art, and he just can’t get your method down to where he can explain it all and get every bit of it defined and categorized. You have him frustrated with your innovations. Poor guy can’t help but like it, but he has to know why???
    Me? I don’t know anything about that side of music. I’m rich in my ignorance.

    Reply
  3. Flavio

    I have a different view. . .I just think he likes you! The “head scratching” comment is his way of saying “How did he do it” – well, whatever – who cares. This is a great CD period!

    Reply
  4. Matt Callahan

    Hope he hasn’t quit his day job. The only slack I’ll allow is that it’s very hard to transfer the emotion from your music to written word. I don’t know the science behind the composition, all I know is how it makes me feel.

    Reply
  5. Carol

    You’re pretty good at words, Matt. I agree. I love the way the music makes me feel.

    Reply
  6. Victor

    It’s easy to be a critic – or at least to pretend to be one by writing reviews. But really, what a bunch of music-lingo fluff! Then the last sentence makes it sound like the reviewer wants to separate himself from the “fans” as if we’re a bunch of kooks who’s musical tastes are way outside the mainstream, or “the rest of us” as he puts it.

    So why write the review in the first place? I mean, that would be like me reviewing rap music? Here’s how that review would go: “Thanks for the introduction to Mehdi! I’ve always enjoyed Snoop Dog and this album is no exception, but then I discovered Mehdi. While Snoop Dog displays a firm command of a myriad of conjugations of the F-word, I find Mehdi a bit more interesting…” and on, and on.

    OK, maybe a few of us are kooks but I still think you can depend on our musical sense and appreciation of a true original artist. If that makes us a little outside the mainstream then great because that’s where Ottmar lives!

    Reply
  7. Carolynn

    OL, please don’t read anymore of this so-called review crap! CD sales and the raves of your devoted following will give you all the feedback you need. : )

    Reply
  8. Borya

    Sometimes I don’t even know how your music makes me feel. So how should it be possible to express in words? I do anyway, cause there are things were you can only give in… would I scratch my head then? I don’t think so. But Flavio made a good point. Why should somebody write 12-15 positive lines and finish with a contradicting comment? Maybe this is just a misunderstanding.

    Reply
  9. nuala

    Ottmar, don’t worry about the reviewer. He just doesn’t get it. Obviously. Which, is of course, the same thing everyone else is saying.

    Reply

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