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A honky tonk Leonard Cohen, the music of Smog sounds like it's spent all its life half cut in a saloon bar way out in the American mid-west thinking far too deeply about love and life for far too long.
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As much as it hurts to admit it, not everybody will get so much out of Smog's latest understated masterpiece.
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He's reached another career peak to match that of 1999's 'Knock Knock'.
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Q MagazinePointless drifting that fails to grip even on repeated listening. [Jun 2005, p.118]
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MojoCallahan is back on track. [Jun 2005, p.104]
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BlenderThis time, he's playing with a minimalist, barely electric trio that wouldn't dare overshadow his sleepy-voiced utterances, painstakingly plucking one note at a time, and writing songs mostly about horses or mortality or both. [Jun 2005, p.115]
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Veers close to self-parody.
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Regular Smog-watchers will have become accustomed to a degree of bleakness and black humour, but this time Bill Callahan... taps into a compelling vein of folk history and rural solitude.
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UncutThe musical settings are crisp, spare, folksy, recalling '96's The Doctor Came At Dawn and allowing Callahan to play one of his best roles: a campfire-friendly Leonard Cohen. [Jun 2005, p.97]
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Entertainment WeeklyAn exquisite mix that conjures train tracks and piney woods. [3 Jun 2005, p.86]
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The subtle backing musicians never overshadow Callahan’s reedy baritone and direct lyrics; they merely add subtle shading and light in the appropriate spots--a restraint reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s use of studio musicians on laid-back classics like John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline.
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The WireCallahan is a true original. [#255, p.65]
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[It] doesn't offer many surprises, and as usual that's OK.
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A River Ain't Too Much to Love is a subdued, plaintive collection of songs that accompany silence; they encourage reflection without guile and unveil themselves without a hint of studied artifice.
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The cryptic, empty songs of Rain on Lens and wandering, upbeat folk-tunes of Supper have been usurped by a renewed focus and direction.
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At times, Callahan's penchant for clever phrasings gets the better of him.
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Paste MagazineHis sinister Americana is understatedly cruel and sublimely dolorous, with a kinder view of nature than humanity. [#16, p.135]
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Although not as compelling as his more subversive material, this softening of his sound doesn't carry the negative connotation of an artist losing steam later in his career; Callahan's distinctive baritone and cutting inflection are unchanging and iconic, and show that this sensitive appearance is just one more spin of the kaleidoscope.
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New Musical Express (NME)Typically minimal and monochrome but beyond the dirge-like pace of tracks like 'Say Valley Maker' lies an unlikely optimism. [28 May 2005, p.64]
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You’re going to want to hear this one.
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An intelligent step forward from a unique and prolific troubadour.
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Burrows deep into the collective unconscious of American song.
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A River Ain’t Too Much To Love has more in common with great books than it does with great rock albums; it’s intelligent, introspective, sensitive and best experienced in a very quiet place.
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The minimalist arrangements are still here. The bored baritone voice hasn't changed any. The personal-yet-guarded lyrics can be found throughout.
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The results are stunning.
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His 12th record holds no surprises for longtime fans, and yet here it is, his best, his greatest.
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Indispensable.
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Under The Radar[His] trademark unassuming melodic sparseness... only serves to amplify his grating, bone-decaying voice. [#10, p.114]
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MagnetToo much of A River, though, doesn't give you enough music to love it. [#68, p.110]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 16 out of 18
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Mixed: 0 out of 18
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Negative: 2 out of 18
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Nov 27, 2022I was shocked to see this score. The critics were so wrong about this. This needs an instant reappraisal.
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LawrencePMar 15, 2006"This one's called the well..."
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stephenmDec 9, 2005A must have album, second only to the mighty "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens in my best of 2005