Search - Fred Eaglesmith :: Cha Cha Cha

Fusion of Waits and Cohen

D. Farrell | the Sunnyside of Louisville | 06/20/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If the music of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen could somehow mate, this would be the resultant love child."

Quirky legionairre likes this one a lot

C. R. Bupp | Lafayette, CA United States | 06/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazon refers to Fred's quirky legion of fans. I am (one of the) legion and love this cd. Fred once again takes his own road - maybe as with "Dusty" all the Fredheads won't love this one, but there is much to at least like. The band gets tighter and tighter as time goes by, the Ginn Sisters vocals add a lot to the sound, especially "Careless", and have the right feel for what Fred is doing now. This CD gives us a good reason to learn how to cha cha."

An Old Dog Learns Some New Tricks

bluzboy | 07/19/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'll admit I was skeptical buying this CD. I have all Fred's other stuff including the DVD'S and those cool cassettes that came in the handmade wooden boxes. I wasn't too big on "Tinderbox", a more recent album but he followed that up with "Milly's Cafe" which was excellent. With "Tinderbox", I thought Fred was going for a sound that just didn't fit his writing style. The album "Dusty" marked a new approach to his sound production and this album continues in that vein.

The first spin on the player wasn't a grabber. Fredheads aren't usually treated to back-up female vocals or keyboards so for a Fredhead purist the addition was a little jarring at first. But by the second spin I was grinning broadly. "Dynamite and Whisky is the standout "rocker". Fred's growl perfectly fits the demeanor of the tempo. "I Would" left me humming the ditty and singing along with the chorus. Fred's voice is a little gruffer now. Years and years and thousands of shows will take it's toll but when the voice fits the song it works well. "Shallow" is a good example of old Fred balladry meeting new production values and it works well. It's probably my favorite song on the cd.

I still long for an old-style Fred album. "There Ain't No Easy Road", "From the Paradise Motel" and "Things Is Changing" represent the zenith of Fred's songwriting skills. The classic "Drive In Movies" is on my top 10 albums list to put into a time capsule so future generations get a sense of the essence of troubador-style music. "Cha Cha Cha" gets better with each listen but will never rise to the level of Fred's previous work.

I'll never forget my first Fred Eaglesmith live show. Four guys- Fred, Willie, Ralph and Washboard Hank on percussion. It was about 25 degrees and we were outside at Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa, Fl. Fred was in a short-sleeved shirt chuckling at how cold we all looked. I had never seen a performance like that. Although we were freezing at the edges, Fred warmed us all with heartfelt balladry and stagemanship. We all miss you Willie P."