Search - Mighty Sparrow :: Volume 4

Uneven, but oh, what heights

Dr. Memory | rural Illinois | 07/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are a couple of cuts here that wouldn't be out of place on the monumental Volume One, namely "Mae Mae (May May)" and (especially!) "Monica Dou Dou". The rest is ordinary to solid pop songs. In particular, you get the feeling that Sparrow's audience liked off-color lyrics, as Sparrow was apparently more than willing to provide them; at this remove, they're not so much sly as tiresome. They also apparently were not afraid of misogyny, as this disc features a huge load of it, for which "it was the times" is no excuse. The music is also of an inferior sort to his best, but he often finds a way to get it over; a bit of high-note prettiness to the melody ("Dear Sparrow"), a kick-a horn chart ("Jook for Jook"), a breakneck verbal tempo ("Ten to One Is Murder")."