Search - Steve Forbert :: American in Me

I Think Steve Wrote This Album Just For Me

The Orange Duke | Cupertino, Ca United States | 07/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Forbert is a songwriter and folk-rocker of the first rank, a `new Dylan' that really lives up to the hype. When he arrived on the scene, he got attention appropriate to his talents, but the fickleness of the critical press and the ignorance of the record buying public have caused Forbert to languish in obscurity ever since. Which is a shame because he writes music that rips the soul. THE AMERICAN IN ME is his best single album, aptly chronicling the desperation and desolation of the early nineties with a genuineness that still rings true today. I picked this album out of the bargain bins at Moby Disc, but I needed here only the first three seconds of `Born Too Late' to know the artist was for me. The song speaks eloquently about how traditional virtues are not only absent but inappropriate in a society given over to depravity, selfishness and greed ('People talk a lot but they can never find the heart and soul to put a lot of time in more than just the search for gold, the river's running dirty...there used to be a time when this water was a healing hand, born too late'). `If You're Waiting On Me' is heart wrenching exploration of disappointment in interpersonal relationships that so aptly expressed my own situation at the time that it's still difficult for me to listen to it today. `Responsibility' is a tragic exposition about how modern life keeps people from living the lives they need to salve their souls(`Stop and smell the roses baby I can hardly see'). I know the lyrics to every track by heart, and if you have a soul, you will too. Especially recommended to fans of Springsteen, Richard Thompson and Nick Lowe. It's a perfect album."

Every adult in the USA should own this album!

The Orange Duke | 07/14/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Are you creeping towards middle age? Do you remember the 70's and 80's? Have you got a few responsibilities? This is a must have album for every thinking adult in America. Steve Forbert disappeared in a contract dispute through much of the 80's but re-emerged with two great albums on Geffen Records in the early 90's. Both of these albums, "American in Me". and "Streets of this Town" firmly re-established Forbert as the premier teller of 30-somethings tales. It has been nice to grow up with an artist who has continued to get better and expand his horizons. Both of the albums mentioned above are great deals at Amazon.com as they have been graciously discounted. You won't find a better buy on the net than the "American in Me"."

Another Forbert classic

stu | San Francisco | 06/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a gem, one of Forbert's best, right up there with Streets of This Town. The songs are consistently strong and as usual the lyrics are wistful and thought-provoking. Just go and buy it for heaven's sake!"