Every summer must have its requisite Beck-descended slow burner, and for summer 2000, a likely contender is Elwood's debut, The Parlance of Our Time. The opening track, a sure-fire remake of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown," a... more »ugmented by a midtempo hip-hop groove and rapped verses, is a perfectly predictable top-down anthem. Prince Elwood Strickland is the third generation of Southern men, and his good ol' boy musical persona, a blend of laid-back attitude and self-importance, is fully embodied in the release. The album aims to please, yet its concerted effort to maintain a high coolness quotient comes off as contrived (think Everlast). That said, Elwood has extensive studio experience, having worked as an engineer on records by De La Soul, The The, Tricky, Mos Def, and Adam Yauch, and this experience is well employed. Jazz and soul elements are intelligently interspersed on these tracks, and the momentum throughout the disc builds into a diverse climax. The last three songs are a redeeming finale, incorporating relatively experimental electronica that utilize his studio skills to full effect. The attempted street cred combined with a Southern gentility results in an effort that is a bit too familiar, but Parlance will get plenty of hands wavin' in the air like they just don't care. It's a respectably disposable summer release with lots of promise for future, more enduring efforts. --Beth Massa« less
Every summer must have its requisite Beck-descended slow burner, and for summer 2000, a likely contender is Elwood's debut, The Parlance of Our Time. The opening track, a sure-fire remake of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown," augmented by a midtempo hip-hop groove and rapped verses, is a perfectly predictable top-down anthem. Prince Elwood Strickland is the third generation of Southern men, and his good ol' boy musical persona, a blend of laid-back attitude and self-importance, is fully embodied in the release. The album aims to please, yet its concerted effort to maintain a high coolness quotient comes off as contrived (think Everlast). That said, Elwood has extensive studio experience, having worked as an engineer on records by De La Soul, The The, Tricky, Mos Def, and Adam Yauch, and this experience is well employed. Jazz and soul elements are intelligently interspersed on these tracks, and the momentum throughout the disc builds into a diverse climax. The last three songs are a redeeming finale, incorporating relatively experimental electronica that utilize his studio skills to full effect. The attempted street cred combined with a Southern gentility results in an effort that is a bit too familiar, but Parlance will get plenty of hands wavin' in the air like they just don't care. It's a respectably disposable summer release with lots of promise for future, more enduring efforts. --Beth Massa
CD Reviews
Elwood is a real surprise, this record is one of 2000s best
foxinthebox | Wheaton, IL United States | 06/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Enough of this Beck wannabe stuff that I've been hearing in a couple of reviews on this site, Elwood is for real. Surely Beck and Everlast, along with countless other hip hop, jazz, and techno artists influenced this album, but Elwood's sound is all his own. "Sundown" is a superb Gordon Lightfoot remake and a quintesential summer song for 2000. "Slow" is a catchy tune with some great mixing, and "Red Wagon" is a true gem, blending folk rock, jazz, and hip hop into a wonderful song. "Forty five" is another great song with some experimental instruments and a sublime groove. "Bush" is a fun song with the best beats on the album. The horns that accompany Elwood on "Red Wagon," "Picture of You," and "Peaches" are the best you'll find anywhere. "Dive" is nice slow groove with some piano mixed in with hip hop. "Love Hook" and "Stockboy" use some electronica mixing as well hip hop grooves. There are very few albums that are worth the 5 stars, but this is 1 of them. This album is a great CD to pop in the car, put the top down, and just groove endlessly for miles."
Sly summer grooves
foxinthebox | 06/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The debut album from Elwood, whose real name is apparently Prince Elwood Strickland III, is a fun and winning combination of studio tricks and charismatic songs. Although he may be compared sonically to Sugar Ray, Everlast, or Beck, Elwood carves out his own sound. Clearly more talented than the first two and not as concerned with being hep as Beck is, Elwood makes "Parlance" an album full of easy loping summertime grooves. From the opening cut, a funky remake of Gordon Lightfoot's sort-of classic "Sundown" to the noisy clatter of "Stockboy," the last song on the disc and the edgiest selection here, Elwood covers a wide range of stylistic bases and does it all well. Check out the catchy chorus and horns on "Red Wagon," or the sophomoric, hilarious "Bush." There's something here for everyone, and it should be sold with a six of cold beer to make it perfect for summer."
So underated..
UberMom | Matthews, NC USA | 08/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Elwoood never got the recognition it should have. Even MTV2 only had one song in rotation. What a shame. The fact is, this album is smooth and catchy. It's laid back. I first heard of Elwood on what used to be the mp3.com website. I downloaded "Sundown", Little Red Wagon" and another song from their page. Then about 6 months later, I saw this CD in a record store and quickly snatched it up. That's the way mp3s and p2p are supposed to work. If it wasn't for their webpage, I would probably have never heard of Elwood in the first place, because it wasn't getting air play or video play in my neck of the woods. It's in my top 20 of all time."
Very nice sounds
K. Shoffner | NC, United States | 05/14/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was impressed with over half of the songs the very first time hearing them, and the others grew on me very soon after. The remake of Sundown is the best by far, with 45 and Redwagon following. This CD is a must."
What a refreshing new style...
freak2dabeat | auburn, wa USA | 07/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...When I say new style, I don't mean just one new style of sorts. Elwood releases a great debut CD, involving just about every musical style. The songs staple, "Sundown", is an excellent remake of Gordon Lightfoot's classic, and I am generally not a big fan of remakes, anyone think puff daddy? Not here. The rest of the CD is just as good, using styles such as Everlast, somewhat beck, even throwing some reggae sounds and a delighful suprprise near the end for a techno freak like myself, two tracks which have a drum and bass, jungle sound, bonus! Sure to please even the hip-hop hater and the techno hater alike. Anyone say suprise cd of the summer? Quite possible."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
