Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Chris Stamey's career has included work in the revered art-pop band the dB's and a batch of solo albums that range from the oddball to the less quirky. On Travels in the South, his first CD in more than a decade, he forsakes the sometimes piping quality that once marked his vocals to sing like, perhaps, a dreamier Neil Finn. This set of grownup love songs and musings (with occasional wry memories, such as the complaint about seemingly 100-hour schooldays in "14 Shades of Green") is a stronger record than might be expected from Stamey at this point. Only the too-sentimental Brill Building tribute of "In Spanish Harlem" really feels unsuccessful, while a rewrite of Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" ("Ride") and the psychedelic-pop instrumental "Leap of Faith" nicely bookend Travels' moods. Newcomers unfamiliar with Stamey's work--say, fans of admirer-collaborators like Ryan Adams--will find this a happy starting point. --Rickey Wright
Travels in the South,Chris Stamey,Yep Roc Records,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Jangle Pop,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
Rock Music:
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