On this anthology of 18 tracks from Amy Rigby's three solo albums, the musical reach is almost as impressive as the lyrical precision. Like Loudon Wainwright III and Randy Newman (neither of whom she otherwise sounds l... more »ike), Rigby writes heartbreakingly humorous material that is occasionally mistaken for novelty fare, as she refuses to romanticize romance yet isn't quite ready to relinquish all the illusions of love, youth, and rock & roll. A former member of the country-rocking Last Roundup and the poppier Shams, she combines resilience, poignancy, and a switchblade wit in musical settings that range from the Byrds-ian jangle of "All I Want" to the Brazilian lilt of "Keep It to Yourself" (one of the collection's two previously unreleased recordings) to the retro country of "Beer & Kisses" (a duet with John Wesley Harding) and "We're Stronger Than That" to the majestic melodiousness of "Time for Me to Come Down" and "The Summer of My Wasted Youth." On that last number, she sings of listening to Patsy Cline and Skeeter Davis after dropping LSD--the sort of experience that might inspire the pointedly skewed song craft found on this collection. --Don McLeese« less
On this anthology of 18 tracks from Amy Rigby's three solo albums, the musical reach is almost as impressive as the lyrical precision. Like Loudon Wainwright III and Randy Newman (neither of whom she otherwise sounds like), Rigby writes heartbreakingly humorous material that is occasionally mistaken for novelty fare, as she refuses to romanticize romance yet isn't quite ready to relinquish all the illusions of love, youth, and rock & roll. A former member of the country-rocking Last Roundup and the poppier Shams, she combines resilience, poignancy, and a switchblade wit in musical settings that range from the Byrds-ian jangle of "All I Want" to the Brazilian lilt of "Keep It to Yourself" (one of the collection's two previously unreleased recordings) to the retro country of "Beer & Kisses" (a duet with John Wesley Harding) and "We're Stronger Than That" to the majestic melodiousness of "Time for Me to Come Down" and "The Summer of My Wasted Youth." On that last number, she sings of listening to Patsy Cline and Skeeter Davis after dropping LSD--the sort of experience that might inspire the pointedly skewed song craft found on this collection. --Don McLeese
CD Reviews
Witty, wise and nod-your-head fun
Music fan | Norfolk, VA USA | 11/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is about as smart and witty as pop music gets these days. Think Randy Newman or John Hiatt with a fine voice and a woman's sensibility (albeit one who'd like to grow a pair). Like Hiatt at his best, Amy writes about family and relationships in a way rarely touched upon in music. If you like artists like Aimee Mann, Rosanne Cash, Caitlin Cary or Hiatt, you'll revere Rigby. She ought to be a household name. While this is a fine collection, her three solo discs are also worth tracking down."
No Peer on the Current Pop Scene
Music fan | 07/28/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though she's never drawn the adoring crowds that flock to Tori Amos or Sarah McLachlan, singer-songwriter Amy Rigby has no peer on the current pop scene. Her wit, honesty, emotional intelligence, and superior gift for melody have enabled her to capture a moment in the lives of men and women as precisely as Carole King did in the early 70s. Like King, Rigby has mastered the paradox of rendering a generation through songs that are utterly personal; with their vivid detail and knowing observations, her lyrics cut deeper than a weekend's worth of Lilith Fair anthems. This May her three albums on Koch Records - Diary Of A Mod Housewife (1996), Middlescence (1998), and The Sugar Tree (2000) - will be condensed into a single-disc anthology as she closes out her deal with the label, and if you're unfamiliar with her music, you couldn't do better than the 17 tracks earmarked for the still-untitled release. The frustrating working woman on the cowbell-pounding rocker "The Good Girls" declares, "My mother didn't go to work / She stayed at home and she never got paid / Now I do double time, I'm slaving six to nine/I'm so tired at night I think I've got it made." In the slinky, bongo-propelled blues "Invisible" the singer laments, "I walked into a bar, now what was I thinking / Nobody asked me, `Honey what are you drinking?'/ I'm invisible / Since I hit 35 what I want I gotta buy/I'm invisible." For all her vulnerability, Rigby can strip the paint off a lover better than Richard Thompson: on the hammering "Balls," she snaps, "I've been seeing a pattern here, how you get lost when I get too near / Then you come `round maybe once a week, like some guys go out to bowl." Yet for all her disappointment she still savors romance like wine: on "Magicians," when a sometime boyfriend tells her he won't be around forever, she replies, "Let's leave reality out of this, shall we? / No need to mention it, it's always here / Leave the cold hard facts to the mathematicians / We're magicians / We make reality disappear.""
This really is a best of
Phil (San Diego, CA) | San Diego, CA | 05/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If I had to put together a best of from Amy's three Koch albums, this is almost exactly the collection I'd assemble, right down to the wickedly funny unreleased (on CD) "Keep It To Yourself". Sure, my favorite Amy CD, "Middlescence" could stand to add another couple favorites here, particularly "Laboratory of Love" and "As Is" but there's always room for quibbling. If you're already familiar with Amy, no doubt about it, you've already gotten her first three CDs. If you're not, this is a great starting point. Nothing beats Amy's combination of top notch songwriting, incisive wit and musicality. Of all the performers that my friends have turned me on to in the past dozen years or so, I'm most grateful for being introduced to the music of Amy Rigby."
Do yourself a favor and get this CD
James McCarty | Hilliard, Ohio USA | 12/16/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Amy Rigby has been there, done that, and got the songs to prove it. As a single mom in that "not a kid and not middle aged" place in her life, she sings of love and life as someone who as both seen too much and is still hopeful. The frustration of loves that don't work, the rememberance of lost loves, the hassles of everyday youth. Being about the same age as Amy, these songs really hit home. This album is not for teeny boppers, but they should buy it and save it for 20 years. Then they will get it."
"An extremely fetching look for Ms. Amy, I think...and oh, by the way, buy this collection. You can't go wrong. From "Balls" to "Rode Hard" to "Summer", it's a stunning and impressive display of songwriting genius. And for a bonus, there's the cover..."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1