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It adds up to a light-hearted, sometimes poignant elegy for the American working man and his music.
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90As great as Chavez Ravine was, My Name Is Buddy is more thoroughly successful, possessing a stronger musical identity and top-notch songwriting throughout.
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Although serious themes are threaded throughout, it's light compared with Cooder's last work, the "Chavez Ravine" account of cultural displacement, politics and baseball. Maybe for that very reason, this is a better listen.
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80Full of curios and cameos, My Name Is Buddy falls short of masterpiece but is dense with wonderful music. [Apr 2007, p.100]
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80It's frequently wistful, sad and nostalgic. Yet Cooder's eccentric storytelling style and his prankish, Sufjan Stevens-ish take on Americana also sounds oddly contemporary. [Apr 2007, p.99]
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80The concept may be laboured, but the music is entertaining.
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80The music can be enjoyed apart from the story, but either way, this is a must-have for true Cooder fans.
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70Another of Cooder's worthy experiments. [Apr 2007, p.117]
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This is not a record meant for parsing, though there are certainly some standout tracks... Instead it's meant to be consumed like you would a favorite book. [May 2007, p.64]
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70Cooder has fine musical companions on his journey. [10 Mar 2007]
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70It's a little long at 17 tracks, and hard to take in one sitting, but these songs present Americana in such an oddly compelling way that it's almost impossible to ignore.
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Musically, Cooder employs the pitch-perfect instrumentation that he's famous for.
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Although the folk songs fit the theme of the album, they don't showcase Cooder's skills as a composer.
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Cooder's guitar work is lyrical as always, but the songs... are oppressively cutesy and faux naive. [9 Mar 2007, p.109]
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The first half of "My Name Is Buddy" may not be for those who get their news from sources other than old social-realist novels, aren't serious cat-fanciers or are older than 12. [5 Mar 2007]
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40Whether anyone outside of the NPR listening audience actually gives a shit about what clever socio-political points Cooder is trying to make metaphorically is difficult to say.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 8
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Mixed: 1 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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MickT8
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JasonK9
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RainerS10