Poignant, wonderful writing!! Extremelt well-crafted.
author: Joe Jacco
I have only discovered Jim Lesses recently and am truly glad I did. The wonders of the Internet!! I do a folk/protest song show on a community radio station and Jim Lesses has given me enough material for 2 - 3 shows. The songs are incredibly well-crafted. Jim's voice is strong and clear, and laced with emotion. I loved every song, but, particularly enjoyed the following songs: "Sometimes I Wake Up Naked" is a song for everyman - we've all felt that way at sometime in our lives. As a parent, "Some Mother's Son" brought tears to my eyes as it brings home the fears that we all have, and the pain of those who are unfortunate enough to have actually experienced it. "Night Falls Over Manhattan" is one of the most beautiful post-9/11 songs I have ever heard and it, too, brought tears to my eyes. I thank Jim for writing these wonderful songs and look forward to hearing more!!
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Lesses is more - in many ways! Great words, great music.
author: Geoff Hastwell
The great variety of lyrical content makes this more than a cut above the average CD being released today. This aspect is complemented by superb musicians, use of harmonies and female voices to add textures, variation and style. Looking forward to the sequel!
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Sincere lyrics and tasteful arrangements
author: Michael Hunter in dB Magazine
The lyrics encompass an interesting range of topics running the gamut from positive affirmations - Feel The Fear - to an all-too-real tale of child abuse in Madeleine & The Devil. The latter track is particularly poignant coming straight after a happy song of childlike innocence, I Want To Be Eight Again. Throughout, (Jim's) voice is expressive and he sounds like he cares what he's singing about. This range of topics combined with thoughtful arrangements which encompass jazzy sax and even flamenco clapping on one song, help make 'Sometimes I Wake Up Naked' a rather impressive effort.
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This is a significant album
author: inFOLKus Magazine, October 2002
There are some great lyrics. There’s almost a sense of the emergence of Adelaide's own Leonard Cohen in some of the songs – dark, melancholy, brooding, even black at times (Some Mother's Son is crying deep in the night/some mother’s daughter dreams of home/ some mother’s son is drinking black into white/ some mother’s daughter die alone).
I think this is a significant album. It presents original local material from a strong songwriter who, through his own discipline and hard work, has placed himself in the thick of the songwriting scene.
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