Search - J.J. Cale :: 5

A Piece of Mastery...

Dejan Kovacevic | New York, New York United States | 09/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A perpetual complaint about J.J. Cale is that he always records the same record. I'm happy to report that the charge may be true. On a bright side, the end result is that Mr. Cale never recorded a bad album, that his songs are always soulful and beautiful and passionate no matter how simple or laidback they are. The emotional core of his music is what makes the songs/albums appear all alike, and this consistency makes him an artist unlike any other. Or, okey, like a very selected few.



The album in front of you, "5," is perhaps one of his best. (And as many fans - that many personal favorites you'll find.) It certainly is high on my list, I'll admit it. It's pure J.J. magic: a mix bag of blues, country, soul, subdued funk, traces of early digital life (simple rhythm machines and echoes of synths, remember, this was 1979) and suggestions of what would later be defined as "americana," - the mix that makes Mr. Cale's sound so unique.



Never taking himself very seriously, J.J. created an opus as serene and colorful as life in the West is, mixing effortlessly bits of sadness and humor and earnestness and joy to paint mini pictures of life's simple pleasures (or troubles, depending on where you stand). Songs that make you smile at your own blues, justifying the feeling while making it a bit ridiculous.



What makes this album stand out in the whole opus is one track -"Sensitive Kind," which I like to define as perhaps the only song ever to be presented in Cinemascope and old fashioned Technicolor. If you can imagine that. It's a simple love song that preaches better understanding and promotes patience in the everlasting battle of the sexes, but it is so touching it'll make your skin crawl. Strings and horns and mellow solo guitar and Rhodes piano... ah, pure beauty. And if the record is worth having, for anything - it's for this track. I'm not saying that the rest are bad - I love "Friday," "Boilin' Pot," "Mona," "Don't Cry Sister," to name just a few - it's just that "Sensitive Kind" is such a standout track, it towers over whole of Mr Cale's lifetime achievements.



And that pretty much makes this album the one to have.



A bit of a WARNING: although listed, the latest Universal pressing of this CD doesn't contain "Katy Kool Lady" and if that is the track you crave for, you may end up disappointed; instead, there is a mysterious track in it's place which is a bonus for hardcore fans but some could be upset if they want the exact replica of the original LP. (I'm lucky, I have the original vynil so I'm not complaining.)



That also raises another question: why is Universal Music Group so cheap? I'm not even sure they properly remastered J.J.'s catalog they own, and the reprinted covers are so poorly designed I'm thinking I'd do better job converting my vynils into digital tracks and just xeroxing the covers.



Instead, why not expand the existing albums with outakes and/or some rare tracks - I'm sure there are some lying around, the one included here by mistake is a living proof - maybe add liner notes by a fan or Cale's opus connoisseur, or even some of the musicians who admire him so much, why not make it worthy of such a great talent that Mr. Cale is?



Unless that happens soon, stick to this edition, you will not regret a single note of the music here."

A Sensitive Kind.

Dejan Kovacevic | 11/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cale's fifth album is Cale back on the Tulsa Rootrock track again, After some records where it seem's he had some difficulty to decide wath kind of music he would play now his nr 5 feels like he's comming home.I¨ts a relaxed and sensitive Cale we meet here.Christine Lakeland and some of the best musicsions in USA help him to create some of his best songs so fare.Songs like Boiling Pot,Do'nt Cry Sister, Sensitive Kind,Friday, Let's Go To Tahiti,Thirten Days and the beutiful song Mona,where Carl Radle does one of his best studiowork ewer.This is a record thath just growes the moore you here it and the music makes you feel, and thats what music is all about,is'nt it?"

His best

D. Caskie | Falkirk, Scotland | 10/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album, my favourite. Let's Go to Tahiti, Friday,Thirteen Days, Don't Cry Sister, Sensitive Kind. This was made for CD, 15 years to early. Okay I like JJ,but this to me is the peak. And Eric Clapton hasn't covered a single track of this!"