Search - John Hiatt :: Beneath This Gruff Exterior

Killer!

Helphrey Skelter | Orange, CA USA | 02/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some folks (or should I say folkies?) seem to be dyed-in-the-wool singer/songwriter aficionados who prefer their intense, socially relevant lyrics served up on a bed of flavorless musical pabulum -- all the better, I suppose, to forestall distraction from the deep nuance of the libretto. Perhaps unfairly, I picture them stubbornly dressed in the frumpiest of late `60's hippie gear, subsisting on a diet of macrobiotic rice (punctuated by guilt-laden red meat binges which account for their not having died of malnutrition long ago) and home-schooling their homely child (or children -- but never more than two, save for the occasional birth-control slip-up). These people never have forgiven Dylan for going electric.



If you are such a person, then skip to the one-star reviews and steer clear of this particular John Hiatt offering. He has done other work which is probably more to your liking (albeit that none of it actually embodies the Platonic ideal of bland musicality hinted at above).



If, on the other hand, you prefer your intense, edgy lyrics balanced by equally intense, bluesy, kick-butt rock & roll, then take this album home and cozy up for some really first-rate listening. Without meaning to disparage John's lyrics, I have to say that Sonny Landreth's nasty slide guitar was the element which catapulted me out of my chair to crank up the volume (could that be David Lindley???) and rummage around for liner notes to learn more about what I was listening to. And if the bass and drums are kind of loud, then more power to them. Neither was so heavy as to obscure any of the wry lyrics or virtuoso guitar, and the overall offering is a rich gumbo, each of whose ingredients retains its distinctive flavor, yet contributes to a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.



As for the alleged synthesizer??? Excuse me, but whoever thinks he hears synthesizer on this album needs his ears cleaned or needs professional help to deal with his hallucinations."

GRUFF!

Thomas Whaley | WA State | 02/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great album ! Some of the best guitar licks I've heard in a long time , combined with some of Hiatt's best vocal performances (he really does have that gruff voice that sticks to your ribs!) make this one of the best recordings I have in my music collection . All of my friends who have heard this really feel the same way as I do... also has my new theme song , "Window on the World" . This recording sounds like a very tight live jam session."

John Hiatt rocks out

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 07/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You can usually trust John Hiatt not to make the same album twice in succession.

Following 2001's "The Tiki Bar is Open", which was dominated by swinging folk-rock shuffles, he put out the harder-edged "Beneath This Gruff Exterior" in 2003, a tough rock n' roll album which again sees Hiatt backed by The Goners, including slide guitarist Sonny Landreth.



The guitars are tuned up on "Exterior" - just listen to the down and dirty blues grind of "Almost Fed Up With The Blues" - and John Hiatt pushes his growling, throaty voice to the limit. There are couple of less memorable songs here, sure, but the vast majority of these 12 tracks are no less than excellent, partly due to the wonderful band.

Highlights include "My Window On The World", the aforementioned "Almost Fed Up With The Blues", the melodic, mid-tempo swagger of "My Baby Blue", and the stomping up-tempo rocker "The Nagging Dark". And a few more, actually; this album has really grown on me.



"Exterior" starts off rough and tough, but the second half of the album is slightly mellower, with more mid-tempo songs and even a ballad, the lovely "The Most Unorginal Sin". Hiatt's lyrics may be a bit more on the "let's just have fun"-side of things than on albums like "Bring the Family" of "Slow Turning", but if you know him you'll know that he never dumbs down too much.

The band is tight, and Sonny Landreth's characteristic gritty fills and liquid slide leads are everywhere; check out "Fly Back Home", "Circle Back" or "How Bad's The Coffee".

"Beneath This Gruff Exterior" is a really good album, filled with mostly great songs conceived by a great singer-songwriter and played by a top-notch band. 4 1/2 stars."