Search - Patricia Barber :: Modern Cool

It is the Best of Times, It is the Worst of Times...

VINCENT J MULVIHILL | Chicago, Illinois United States | 10/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, when Patricia Barber invites us into her "Winter" of discontent. And discontent is the main currency of "Modern Cool": lovers hide from view ("Silent Partner"), razor-blade women mask, market and manipulate ("Touch of Trash"); meanwhile, the artistic world collapses like a house of postcards from the Museum of Contemporary Art ("Postmodern Blues"). Aided by Michael Arnopol, who deftly changes the upright bass from a solid into a liquid before your very ears, and the broken glass guitar phrases of John McLean, it is a harsh world out there and perhaps an even harsher world in here. Modern cool, indeed.One can almost see this disc as the story of a character who roams the shadows of Orwell's "1984", but has found the methodology not to meet the same fate as Winston. The Doors' raucous "Light My Fire" survives in this world, albeit as a plaintive whisper/prayer, a feeling echoed in "Silent Partner". Peace is found in far and few corners - "Let It Rain", with another grand chorus backing Patricia's dramatic vocals, "You & the Night & The Music", and the wordless yet free "Constantinople." Biting wit breaks up the gloom and doom: "Postmodern Blues" and "Company" are wry - though occasionally self-important - and complex in their modern cool pictures.The allusions to Dickens and Orwell are not coincidental. Patricia Barber is an author in her own right - she simply uses a piano instead of a pen. In many cases, one does not even need the lyrics (sharp as they are) to have the picture painted. One suspects "Modern Cool" drained Barber somewhat, as she would follow up this tremendous album with two 'easier' releases - a short-ish live CD and a cover version disc - neither of which (intentionally?) would approach the majesty of this album. But so what? The artist presently known as Patricia delivered one of the strongest and finest recordings of the 1990s, an achievement made all the more stunning by the fact that most of the recording was done in a three-day period in 1998."

Love it in 2 bars; keep learning it for 2 decades!

Jack Repenning | Santa Clara, CA USA | 05/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is incredible! Give it a spin--just try the on-line samples here at Amazon. You'll be hooked in within two bars of "Touch of Trash." The poetry's inventive, the music sensuous, ambiguous, always dancing from admiration to competition. Then spin another track--it'll be totally different, equally compelling, addictive.This album has been #1 on my "Desert Island List" since I bought it several years ago. Why? (1) Because it's so good, I can't get enough of it, and yet (2) because it's so intricate, I find new things every time I listen, and most of all (3) because even after practically wearing it out, there are new questions, things I'm not sure I fully understand and appreciate.You'll love it in two bars. You'll still be learning it in two decades!"

Makes many other artists sound like little kids...

J. Glenn | USA | 08/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to Patricia Barber is in many ways like reading a novel by a superb fiction writer. Once you're done with their book, you simply can't pick up any old thing to read next, because it won't hold up to the comparison. Similarly, if I listen to "Modern Cool" and then put on music by other modern female jazz artists that I do enjoy (I won't name names), they sound like little girls in comparison. "Modern Cool" is stimulating and edgy without being overwhelming or inaccessible. This is music by a woman who is obviously whip-smart and a great observer of and participant in the human experience."