Search - Bobby Sutliff :: Bitter Fruit

Jangle Pop Master Returns...

08/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had been waiting over a decade for Bobby's second album, and was not a bit disappointed! After spending nearly a decade out of music-making, Bobby Sutliff has made a welcome return!Sutliff made some great albums in the 80's as part of the duo known as the Windbreakers. They were one of the shining stars of the Southern/ Jangle Pop movement. Although overshadowed by the high profile attention that fellow group R.E.M. got, they carved out their own musical niche that blended chiming 12-string melodies with some real southern power that might find some kinship in the sounds of Tom Petty, Free, or Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse. In '87, Sutliff made his Stateside debut of as a solo artist (the previous year had seen an EP release in the UK) with the brilliant "Only Ghosts Remain". Produced by Mitch Easter (who also played drums) and helped out by Let's Active's Angie Carlson and bassist Barry Brown, Option Magazine described that album as "Mixtures of The Searchers, Byrds, 12-string guitars, and Beatlesque pop linger. Bright and sparkling, this will definitely elevate whatever mood you're in" (Fans of Richard Thompson, note that Bobby does a great interpretation of "Small Town Romance" that effectively does for it what The Byrds did for Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". That alone would've been worth the price of admission).However, within months of the release, the label, Passport (along with its distribution network, JEM) folded, tangling that release in legal limbo til this day. Sutliff, returned to making a few more albums with the Windbreakers, but in the early '90's called it a day in order to devote himself to his family. So, it's well over a decade later. I bought his new CD with trepidation. Would his music still retain the power and majesty of the first album? Given how most artists with such a break have either changed their style entirely (and to their detriment) or released a work of mediocrity (Boston's Third Album comes to mind), there was a lot to live up to. I'm pleased to say that this album is a brilliant followup to the first.Once again, working with Mitch Easter, and surprise, original Windbreaker member Jeff Lewis (!), Bobby's crafted another jangle pop masterpiece. It opens with the uptempo "Warning Bells" and even gets better from there. Songs like "One Way Ticket," "You Don't Have To Go", and "Change The Way" are some of my personal favorites. Besides Bobby's brilliant guitar work (both 12-string and bluesy psychedelic solos), the music is augmented by fine keyboard and haunting cello arrangements. Fans of Wilco, The Beatles' "Revolver", ELO, Brian Wilson, Guided By Voices, or The Church should enjoy this album."

Juicy 'Fruit'

Eliot Wilder | Boston, MA USA | 10/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Former Windbreaker Bobby Sutliff says that following the groupÕs final album, 1990Õs "Electric Landlady," he packed it in to concentrate on marriage and fatherhood. His familyÕs gain was musicÕs loss, as Sutliff & Co. had created a big-hearted, Big Star-influenced body of work in the same vein of the dbÕs and LetÕs Active. Although Sutliff says his main hobby now is making acoustic guitars, he still finds time to "write the occasional new song," and after a protracted period of woodshedding Sutliff has reteamed with Windbreaker producer, multi-instrumentalist and "New South" legend Mitch Easter to harvest "Bitter Fruit." The results are, simply, pure pop heaven. Without missing a beat (pun intended), Sutliff has forged an album that rings and chimes exactly in the fashion of his ex band Ð just listen to the way the guitars go jingle-jangle on songs like "Griffin Bay," "Warning Bells," "You DonÕt Have to Go," "No More" Ð heck, just about every track is drenched in peals of 12-string Rickenbacker-y. But these are no trifling confections. Each tune is also suffused with a wistfulness and poignancy that is heart-rending without being icky or sentimental. Seems like domestic life has not dulled SutliffÕs edge, but actually added emotional resonance to his writing. Some songs, like the yearning "Days of Summer" and the melancholic "Sorry If," even venture into harrowing and haunting Sister Lovers territory. But is it bitter fruit? Hardly. Enjoy."