Search - Sniff N the Tears :: Fickle Heart

Atypical For Its Time

Ralph Quirino | Keswick, Ontario Canada | 05/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Roberts was one of those infuriating late seventies songwriters. At first listen he sounds a little flat and identity-less. But listen closely and listen often, you start hearing the sublte way he invokes his influences without ripping them off. Obviously influenced by the sounds of the day (Bowie, pub-rock, Roxy Music, glam) his songs were like his paintings: graceful, colourful, casual-looking yet smart. Unfairly, he got lumped in with the New Wave scene which wrote him off way too soon. Fickle Heart is a grand album filled with cool acoustic guitars, slinky electric piano runs and Roberts' raspy, resonant voice. Apart from the obvious hit ("Driver's Seat" still has a killer hook and set-up to this day...it's one of the few songs worthy of car radio play on hot summer days as you're tooling down the highway) the entire disc is loaded with great material, especially "Fight For Love". OK, OK, this won't change the course of the known universe, but it never claimed to be more than just a savvy pop album at a time when disco-excesses and mohawk hairdos were all the rage. Dire Straits fan? This will thrill you..."

Better Than "The Best Of"

K. Brown | Walnut, Ca USA | 12/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent debut album. While Sniff & The Tears might seem like mainstream pop in the 21st century, this group was refreshingly offbeat for 1978.The only other Sniff album I can compare this to is their "Best Of" compilation. "Fickle Heart" is a much better album to go with as it has a diverse and high-quality selection of tunes. The lyrics may not always be solid, but the music is top rate.If you've never heard Sniff and their tune "Driver's Seat," take a chance on this album. IT's worth the $$$!"

Buried Treasure

Jerry Fry | Freeman, MO USA | 08/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with Leonard Lee except I don't care for the first song on the 2nd side. Other than that I think this is a great album. Driver's Seat played on the radio for awhile and that was it. But there are lots of good songs here. It's too bad that someone can do an album that sounds this good and then you don't get to hear it. Fortunately, I went ahead and bought it for "Driver's Seat" hoping there would be other songs on it that I liked. "Sing" was the only other I really liked. But I kept listening and realized all the songs are good, except the one I mentioned. I still rate this album very high. For my money it's one of the best rock albums from the late seventies."