Search - Michael Hedges :: Watching My Life Go By (Repackaged)

Good music, but not the best Hedges

Shane Carey | Phoenix, AZ USA | 10/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With every song he wrote, every instrument he played, every sound he ever recorded, Michael Hedges showed us what a pure, true, and beautiful musical talent he possessed. His guitar skills were particularly breathtaking; while technically mind-boggling, their greater power was in the utter fluency with which two hands and a six-string communicated the treasures of the man's heart. I love dearly the music he left us before moving on. Unfortunately, I come not to praise Michael, but to criticize him. Enjoyable though this recording is, I disagree with the until now unanimous five-star rating.There's no denying that Hedges' voice was something special: a little raw but a lot beautiful, strong but vulnerable, with a passion learned from Neil Young. Unfortunately, that influence also led him to greatly simplify the guitar parts while singing; and an affinity for unusual metaphor sometimes abused gorgeous melodies with awkward lyrics. Sometimes, melody won out, as in an e.e. cummings' love poem turned into one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard, "i carry your heart" from "Taproot". On the other hand, this approach nearly ruined "The Road To Return" for me.This album is somewhere between those two extremes. The guitar parts weave a characteristic fabric of strumming, tapping, knocking, and harmonics; but they're also less rich than usual. This leaves more room for the vocals, but it doesn't fill the sonic space so adeptly as in the instrumentals on "Breakfast in the Field" or "Aerial Boundaries". Lyrics, though thoughtful and well-formed, occasionally venture into uncomfortable territory that might alienate some listeners. Of the three tracks that I consider essential Hedges -- the title track, "Woman of the World", and a cover of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" -- the latter two sound warmer and more energized on "Live on the Double Planet". Ultimately, "Watching My Life Go By" suffers primarily by comparison: though there's some good music here, it's not, by a long shot, Hedges' best."