"This album cost me many thousands of dollars but it was worth it. I love it more than I love obsessively pleasuring myself in public places and that's a whole damn lot. I think each of you should buy a baker's dozen of the record and then we'll all be happy and I can buy an original Lucien Freud portrait to look at to help inspire my next album that we can all enjoy."
Fall at his feet and worship him now!
steven801 | Seattle, WA USofA | 08/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yazbek is the best pop songwriter to come along in quite some time. The music is top notch, the lyrics bite with sardonic wit, and the production as a whole is beautifully realized. Buy this album, play it for your friends and show them why your taste in music is way better than the crud they're listening to."
!
Meghan Elizabeth | New York City | 08/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is very good. It features many ("twelve") pop songs. They are good songs. Some may inspire one to dance. Others may get caught in one's head for days on end. The possibilities are really quite endless. ..."Damascus," however, is the best of all. The producing of Mr. Yazbek and the always beautiful Dean Sharenow is really extra-fine. It is a super album. It has made me happy."
You want it you want it you want it you want it now
Meghan Elizabeth | 08/09/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
PROLOGUE (He'll Give You Everything You Want)
David Yazbek's songwriting has always been top-notch, and his last two albums were a record of his changing style: "Tock" abandoned the grand instrumentation of "The Laughing Man" in favor of a great stripped-down rock sound. In "Damascus," we find a perfect blend of the two ideals. These songs are polished gems, but they have a rawness to them, an energy. The cover art's oddly appropriate: that's a beautiful little bird, but then look at those claws, man! They'll scratch your cheek right up. And that's my point: "Damascus" should appeal to all but the stubbornest of genre extremists. That bird won't cut you unless you want it to.CHAPTER ONE (Your Tune Contains the Hooks, So You're Justified, Justified)
A little about me. I'm ready, willing, and able to bite the hand that's fed me, if it comes a-knockin' with a lemon in its palm. I'm not a firm believer in genius: even the best sometimes churn out a stinker. And Yazbek's given some incredible concerts, but I don't have any Yazbek posters I'd have to tear down if I didn't like one of his albums. I had heard him perform the songs on this one, so I knew I liked them; but I also knew just where on the shelf I'd stick the CD once I'd listened to it a few times. But so I got it in the mail seven weeks ago and it's been in my CD player ever since. The CD player is broken; I can't get it out. Just kidding -- it's stayed in because I listen to it all the time. All the time. "Damascus" is one of THOSE; that's what I'm saying.CHAPTER TWO (Is It Love? Is It Gas?)
There was a New York Times review of one of Yazbek's shows that said something about his deeply nihilistic view of the world and made him sound like some sort of monk whipping himself and weeping -- which is odd because that's just about the opposite of what Yazbek's music is all about. Sure, the music is dark, but its darkly hilarious. It's not for nothing that David Yazbek won an Emmy as a Letterman writer. What we've got is literary lyrics with a sharp and witty twist -- like maybe if Samuel Beckett got into the Beatles and then decided to start a rock group with Nathanael West. "Is it difficult to feel the thunder under patio gravel and the plastic grapes, novelty soaps in assorted shapes?"EPILOGUE (Why Me?) "And I don't move on until I've sold a pint to every stupid cowboy.""
The Talented Mr. Yazbek
Chad Baker | Bethesda, MD USA | 10/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is a genius out there by the memorable name of David Yazbek. If you haven't yet heard of him, then you should have. With a Tony nomination for writing the Broadway version of "The Full Monty" under his belt, in addition to his history of writing comedy for David Letterman, Mr. Yazbek has been busy juggling successful projects. And this new album is no exception. With "Damascus", Yazbek plays with styles of funk, jazz, swing music, and rock'n roll. Most of the tunes are clever humor stories, including his personal misadventures in "Montgomery, Alabama" and what happened to him on a "Strange Warm Day". On close inspection of songs like these, the attitude appears sullenly morbid and sad. The same can be said for his fourth track, "Ultrasad", which reminds us, "A little bit of tragedy can give a life the spice." Oddly enough, the songs, when sung with Yazbek's cheerful and spirited singing style, exhibit elements of irony and wit throughout the recordings.While Yazbek injects comedy into some of his stories of helpless situations, there are other tracks that sparkle with poignant symbolism. "2 Crows" is one such melody about a pair of crows waiting out the pace of life with enthusiastic observation. While it may seem an odd choice of perspective, the lyric "Blind crow bragging about the power of sight" reminds me of tall tales and the predominant use of a phony disposition. "A Million Miles" is another song rich in the use of effective metaphor. Here, Yazbek tells us, "The baby sees the road and starts the journey of a million miles." As the melody continues through the accompaniment of Yazbek's pleasant style of piano playing, we are given additional colorful imagery. A "piano with the yellow on the keys" and "a picture of a man up on the wall" add to the scenery that begin a journey of "A Million Miles".How else can I explain this album? It's hard and I feel like I can't quite put my typing finger on what it is that makes this album so fun. You're just going to have to give it your own personal test to fully appreciate his manner of cheerful pop and moving imagery."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
