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Reviews for
Amsterdam
©2001, Truckstop Records #Alp323/Truck23
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Fourteen austere vignettes. A clear dramatic identity informs the character of each of the songs.
The vocals are delivered with a casual earnestness that occasionally reaches to notes with a strain that further underscores the gravity of the lyrics.
The songs that succeed most completely here are the ones drawing from European traditions of parlor, cabaret and art songs. Many here are gorgeously layered with evocative strings and occasional flourishes of oboe and English horn, built over a foundation of piano, guitar, bass and drums.
There's a sonic bond here with labelmates the Pinetop Seven. Both create songs that cause listeners to roll short, flickering films in their minds.
The magic only fades when the influences become too American, with the countrylike balladry of a couple numbers breaking the spell. In those instances, what had come across as regal and spare becomes merely lugubrious, with words being crammed into spaces that don't gracefully receive them and the accompaniment losing its dreamlike qualities. However, those dreamlike moments are both plentiful and powerful, making for a haunting and hypnotic balm.
--David Greenberger, Tower PULSE Magazine
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