Cigarettes & Stars
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 07/04/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Casey Neill's newest CD continues his fine record of excellent recordings. His music reflects diverse sources like folk, country and rock. The title track opens the set. It is a midtempo tune that wistfully looks at the past and sounds like it could be a companion piece to The Band, "On that dirty river, we will be delivered across the Brooklyn Bridge." "The Holy Land" feels like a classic beer house brogue with H. Araki's whistle and Neill's voice in a raunchy growl, "The night light shines on the Water Street bricks; We danced hand in hand on the East River Strand, and the whiskey flowed like the Tigris through the Holy Land." "Once Upon A When" is another strong track with a pretty melody that unmasks artifice, "Now every time you're at my door, you're more and more a caricature of all the better people you might have been." "Beautiful Night" is a powerful piece of songwriting with an original lyric, gorgeous melody and Casey's passionate vocals, "Charcoal grey skies, rainy streets, dirty town, crying all the time, the tears of heaven falling down, I love the twilight between the worlds as evening falls, it draws us in, the darkness whispers to us all. ... The sound of music from the crowded bars, alcohol and wind, cigarettes and stars." "Throw Me to the Dogs" is an epic rock ballad with Neill's vocals howling, "It's an unspoken hunger that brought me here, out where the coyotes crawl." "Philadelphia Girl" has Celtic flavors, a song about a boy happy and in love. Neill's songwriting matches his excellent debut Casey Neill and 2005's Memory Against Forgetting. This set is a terrific explosion. Enjoy!"