Search - Richard McGraw :: Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs

In his armour of pain

Leo Mirani | Bombay, India | 06/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the name of the CD, forget the long song names, forget the CD case altogether. Take the CD, put in your system, turn of the lights and be prepared to spend a few hours alone.
This is not ambient music. You can't just leave it on when you're chatting with someone, or surfing the net. Listen to the melodies, listen to the lyrics, listen to the finished products. Let one song flow after another after another.Richard McGraw claims to be from the Leonard Cohen school of music (and i say that symbolically. Leonard Cohen does NOT run any sort of school for music! There's a difference between a school for music and a school of music). This comparison is, in my opinion, most unfair. McGraw makes his own music, his own style, not something he's following. But then, i suppose when you're new you have to have some yardstick to explain your music.At the outset, the first or second time you hear this album, you might think that all the songs sound the same. You'd be forgiven, too. This is an album that requires patience and once you begin to appreciate it, you will see that you have truly been missing out on something. Filled with subtleties and little moments, this is an album to treasure. The best tracks on this album would have to be Sidetracked, A Poem/Confession, Newburgh, The Golden Crucifix...,In my Heart, ...All in all, a great album.Oh, and like an earlier reviewer said, it IS a great album to make love to."

Sense magazine review

Leo Mirani | 09/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richard McGraw's songs stand as deeply detailed narratives of painful
memories, like long postcards from the past recalling old dreams and
wasted expectations. Like a Red House Painters or a Trembling Blue
Stars record, the stark sincerity and the exhaustive study of all
these emotions lay in the center of McGraw's art, as he lets himself
get carried away in a maze of self-criticism and wistful looking back.
And it's more than clear that his songs are born by a strong need ofself-expression, giving the answer themselves to the obvious question
someone could ask a songwriter "why do you write music?"...
McGraw's lyrics read like an anthology of random thoughts about human
relationships, full of tortured questions, guilt and moments of
weakness. Lyrics aside, the music follows a plain, acoustic style that
bears endless passion and emotive power, as it comes with a lush
orchestration featuring piano, accordeon and violin. Then, there's
also his unique voice, sometimes hesitant, other times decisive, out
to erase the painful past - the only way being to dive deep into it.Tassos Patokos"

Between sadness and beautiful songs

philippe pierquin | Belgium | 03/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's really difficult to admit that I could have ignored this wonderful cd. Fortunately,I've recently listened to a lot of excellent stuff you can't find in Europe. And this particular effort by Richard Mc Graw sure is one of the best cd I've listened to for a (very) long time. The mood is dramatic and so are the texts. But it's the songs which are catching the ears. They're both melodic and emotional, dark and attractive. Richard's voice perfectly suited the intentions and the chords behind and between the acoustic guitars are a quality addition you don't particularly wait from an independent release. Considering the beauty of this record it's difficult to understand a big record company doesn't get a licence of it to bring it worldwide. Here in Europe there is a real interest for this sort of acoustic music. And there is not a lot of bands capable of producing a record of this quality. (Excuse my poor English. French is my native language)."