Search - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians :: Ghost of a Dog

Jimmie D. (Starbuck) from FORT WORTH, TX
Reviewed on 12/27/2006...

One of her best.

Exquisitely captures Innocence, Love, Loss, and Rebirth.

John NY | ny, ny United States | 05/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few albums come along that can truly capture a genuine moment, an emotion trapped in time that you forever associate with a certain time of your life. Ghost of a Dog is that album. I can still remember being in high school and having a crush on the kid that lent me this cassette tape and changed my life. That was 3 years after the album came out, in 1993 and I was 15 and confused. I used to take walks on the beach near my school and every now and then, close my eyes and look up to feel the sun beaming against the lids of my eyes just as a warm breeze gently touched me--that moment is captured in "Me By The Sea".Here we are, 11 years later and Ghost of a dog is a cd which is now in my Ipod.If you're a lover of breakup songs, they dont get more bittersweet than "He Said". If its yearning you feel, try "10, 000 angels" (come to me, I really want you...).Ghost of a dog itself truly is a gem of an acoustic strum. Anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a pet will find this song both amusing and sad. In my humble opinion, there are no weak songs on this album, but if i had to choos one, it would be the opener, "Mama Help me". Perhaps this is why the critics were not in love with it? As a whole, that song just doesnt mesh well with the others.If your a constant lover of songs about Life, Love and Death, you must own this album. I can guarantee you will fall for at least half the songs on it."There's a big door with a little window and the whole world is peaking through...Lay your head on my pillow, I want to take care of you...""

Beautiful Music - Expressive Edie is in a class by herself!

Rich Latta | Albuquerque, NM - Land of Entitlement | 11/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, I should confess I have a sort of soft spot for this band. Some of my old friends and acquaintances in Dallas jammed with these guys when they were known as simply the New Bohemians. Geffen stuck Edie's name up front - probably a good commercial move but it did cause some tension in the band. The first album is great, but I think they really matured on GHOST. Especially Edie who had a hand in the songwriting of each song. Many (and some of the best ones) are all her own.



Mrs. Paul Simon may deserve to be the focal point, but the band is top notch. The drummer, Matt Chamberlin, is very good. I'm not sure, but I think he went on to play with Tori Amos (The original New Bo's drummer was sadly kicked out for his inconsistant time-keeping). Too bad everything fell apart after this album. The reason for the dissolution is typical of rock n' roll bands (drugs - I'll digress from this point because anything I could say would really only amount to he said/she said B.S.). At least Edie is still doing well. I haven't heard about guitarist Kenny Withrow since Billygoat. Actually, there is a "best of" collection which seems a bit funny since they only released 2 studio albums during their lifetime. There are some terrific selections on that collection, but most of them aren't quite as good as most of GHOST OF A DOG.



NOTE: The first 2 tracks on GHOST annoy me and I always skip them. My guess is that more than a few people quit listening after hearing the nursery-rhyme-style line "Baby baby black and blue/ Time sure took a toll on you." And that's too bad because, apart from these two, they're missing some really great songs.



"Mama Help Me" - Great song, great slide work, but I personally don't like the notion of begging my mother to tell me what to do. ***



"Black and Blue" - Too sing-songy for my tastes, but it has some nice breaks. **1/2



"Carmelito" - A raunchy little tale of a friendship gone bad delivered with an accordian and sort of a Mexican/Country flavor. ****1/2



"He Said" - One of many relationship songs this band does so well, this is a gorgeous downer. *****



"Times Like This" - A quiet song, very calm and soothing. Love the rain sticks. *****



"10,000 Angels" - A strange one, very beautiful and dreamy. *****



"Ghost of a Dog" - A small tune picked out on an acoustic guitar. Lovely, evocative vocal from Edie. *****



"Strings of Love" - An ambitious tune with a complicated arrangement that manages to be something really special. Withrow proves he's a world class talent on this one. (Hey, even Eric Clapton asked for pointers when he saw Kenny play once!) *****



"Woyaho" - a favorite. So raw and open and vulnerable and honest - Edie is truly one of a kind, one of the most expressive vocalists I've heard. *****



"Oak Cliff Bra" - is another mellow little tune, mostly vocal and guitar with some nice atmospherics thrown in. Incidentally, Oak Cliff is a rather poor section of Dallas where Stevie Ray Vaghan spent much of his childhood. ****1/2



"Stwisted" - A stunning, heart-wrenching beauty. Edie's portrayal of unrequited love here cuts deeply. *****



"This Eye" - Had to warm up to this one, but when it finally broke through for me it made me cry . . . When Edie Brickell downed a shot and jumped up on a stage to join the New Bos for an impromptu romp, who could've know she would end up joining the band and eventually writing such a sad and lonesome masterpiece like "This Eye?" *****



"Forgiven" - Dreamy and swirling, this is a heavy, throbbiing cut. While some of these songs are fairly simple, quite a few others are pretty sophisticated. "Forgiven" is a sophisticated one. It goes off in a number of different directions including a riff-rock break and an extended, jammed-out solo at the end. (note: so-called Christian band Switchfoot ripped off the vocal melody from this song for their hit "Meant To Live") *****



"Me by the Sea" - is melancholy and sweet. A nice, mellow album closer. ****1/2"