Search - Jude Cole :: I Don't Know Why I Act This Way

Music's best kept secret

12/14/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is highly underrated--very complex lyrically about a wide variety of human emotions and conditions. A more somber feel than that on "3rd St" or "Start the Car" (don't even try to find his first album unless you want to pay 100+ bucks on ebay when it comes up for auction occasionally) might turn off some. Be patient. This album grows on you and is probably Jude's most "intense" lyrical effort. Musically, he's all over the place here, plenty of good pop hooks and riffs complete with complex arrangements and production and all kinds of little unexpected instrumental twists that have really become Jude's album trademark. The song "Joe" (about the guy who goes to church and then goes home to beat his wife) could apply to some families I've known over the years. Then Jude sings about meeting a women with whom he presumably had a one night stand many years before and she doesn't remember him at all--could have been sad and poignant but he makes it funny and thus different. If you like intelligent music that's very very accesible, get into this guy--he's great."

The older I get, the more I like it.

Ed Wolfe | Greenville, SC | 04/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know if I would have liked this album when I was in my 20ies. Now that I am in my 30ies I think this is one of the best albums I own. There is not a lot of music played on the radio that I like anymore, however that is OK. Between Jude Cole and Del Amitri there is still some good music being made. I wish Jude Cole could team up with Mutt Lang. I can only image how good that album would be."

A beautiful album by a gifted musician

Lucky Lakowsky | Luckyland | 05/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, to tell the truth, I just got this gratis as a promotional from amazon.com, and what a great tool to use to turn people like me onto an artist I otherwise wouldn't have been thinking of purchasing at this juncture. Now, after playing (many times) I Don't Know Why I Act This Way, I have every intention of buying Jude's subsequent albums, 'cause if they're anywhere near the caliber of this one, I'm really looking forward to listening to them - repeatedly. Standouts for me on this wonderfully written, beautifully performed, and meticulously produced CD include Speed of Life, Lowlife, Joe, Madison, and Hole at the Top of the World, but there's not a bad song in the bunch. This album certainly made me nostalgic for the days when I spent hour upon hour listening to Jules Shear, Chris Stamey, and Matthew Sweet - what we need today are more gifted singer-songwriters of their ilk, enriching our lives - like Jude Cole does here - with their unique talents. Thanks for a wonderful piece of work, Jude."