ED HALE: Acoustic in New York

Ed Hale

Acoustic in New York

© 1996 TMG Records (784298001122)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Acoustic in New York is a collection of 10 previously unreleased Ed Hale songs recorded as demos while in New York City in late 1995. The songs were recorded live to a two-track as record company demos only and were never meant for public release.

tracks

1 Bored
2 Promised Land
3 Paris
4 Jesus
5 In the Movies
6 The Greatest Gift
7 Cool Rider
8 Stay
9 Jelly Roll
10 Rooms of My Mind

notes

Acoustic in New York is a collection of 10 previously unreleased songs Ed Hale recorded as demos while in New York City in late 1995. The songs were recorded live to a two-track as record company demos only and were never meant for public release.

Although the sound quality of the recordings themselves is less than perfect - evidenced by the honking of car horns and the ringing telephones in the background - the power and the passion that comes through as Ed sings and plays each song has a tremendous impact and tells a lot about the artist in the peak of his craft as a guitar player and as a singer/songwriter.

There is an ambition and a hunger and a passion that pours out of his voice and guitar on these tracks that is breathtaking.

And so it was that this collection was put together as a compendium of some of Ed Hale's most complex and intricate compositions during this particular time period - the anthemic I'm so fucking bored is almost 10 minutes long. More than anything else this collection showcases the versatility of Ed Hale as the songwriter and illustrates the ease with which he can spin a great song.

It highlights the start of the open tuning phase of his guitar playing and song writing style, where the songs take on an almost orchestral tone, with long and lush instrumental introductions before the vocals are even introduced. It provides an intimate environment in which to soak up some of "the paradise spilling all over us" when Ed Hale sings some of his best songs ever. His voice is the strongest it has ever been on record. And there is an optimism that comes through in most of the songs that is entirely different than his previous work with Broken Spectacles.

Many of the songs are uplifting and spiritual in nature, such as The Greatest Gift and Promised Land. The longest song on the album, the Dylanesque Rooms of My Mind, is another standout track, and like the album as a whole, it is raw soul-music, pure expressive poetry set to music on a six-string. Acoustic in New York is a deep and heartfelt exploration of the soul of the artist as a young man in one brief moment in a tiny studio in New York City.

reviews

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  • His lyrics are the creation of a genius and his guitar playing is completely mes
    author: tkb2101

    The rare moments when I hear music like this are when my actively suppressed desire to be a musician completely overpowers me. I don't think I ever heard an artist manifest so much raw passion. The primordial vibrations pouring out of his voice and the beautifully soothing strum of the guitar involuntarily make you instantly connect to either him or what he's saying. Acoustic in New York is like a storybook, an uninhibited, poignant narrative of one of his (or whomever's) evolutionary stages in life. Bored, the first track, expresses a restlessness and deep yearning for something meaningful in life. For purpose. For the unordinary. The next song unveils an otherworldly, altruistic dedication to better humanity. As if carrying the weight of the entire planet on his shoulders is the solution to alleviating his boredom or restlessness. Interspersed amidst this altruism (...Take my hand / Every woman every man / I'll lead you to the Promised Land) are snippets of his experiences with love, narrated in such a way that you wonder how a 25-year-old could possibly have acquired so much wisdom about life, love, and happiness. (I especially like the quite reflective Paris.) There's also a playful, sultry side, Cool Rider, in case you start to wonder if he's always so intense. Although the album emits an overall message of optimism, if you listen closely, you can detect a subtle haunting strain hovering in the background. It becomes more evident toward the latter half (Stay) and quite obvious at the end (Rooms of My Mind) in which he tears away the final layer protecting his vulnerability, grappling with how to come to terms with a mind-boggling swirl of confusing identities. It's as if he realizes that if he decides to take it upon himself to be everyone's savior, then there's no one to save him: Jesus if you please don't let me fall to pieces anymore / I'm somewhere in my head / I might as well be dead. There is no solution to this realization. His plea, "...can't you see that / I'm no ordinary guy?", brings him right back to where he started on Bored: I just can't believe that I'm stuck in this hell [once more]. This is my favorite of his CDs; it's hard to not repeat the album description.... His lyrics are the creation of an incredible genius (e.g., "spilling paradise all over each other" - Promised Land) and the way he plays the guitar is completely mesmerizing, captivating. It's difficult for me to describe his music, but the instant he starts to play, you know that you're listening to a master. I don't know how he does it. He reminds me of Bob Dylan--but the sound is different. More alive. More real. An ever present beat, like subconsciously being aware of your own heart beating. I really don't think you can go wrong buying Acoustic in New York.

  • BEAUTIFUL!!!
    author: Justine Riviera

    The guitar playing and vocals are breathtaking on this CD. We used the song greatest gift as our wedding song.

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