herb eimerman. & i you and same wish. review by alan haber. buhdge

hot buhdge too good to pass up in a world gone mad

They're hot, alright: the latest releases by music's best. Too good to pass up in a world gone mad, they're must-gets in a world full of must-avoids. They're the cream of the crop, and we review them here.

& i you UnderthedomE (2004) same wish UnderthedomE (2002) Herb Eimerman Herb Eimerman is a folk artist trapped in a pop body. He has the kind of voice that captures hearts and minds, an intimate quality that evokes the sensibility of a sensitive soul even as it betrays some sense of weariness, of having been there and perhaps lost and then, after having learned a thing or two, won. It's the voice of an angel bearing history. Working in a most personal idiom, Eimerman's considered lyrics, set to instantly hummable-along-with melodies and music that harkens back to the Byrds and Beatles, among other classic pop touchstones, paint pictures of life that are always true. That those pictures are sometimes imperfect makes the songs on Eimerman's latest album, & i you, all that more breathtakingly, sometimes heartbreakingly real. The album's title says it all in shorthand terms that must translate to you and me, we are the same, we share the same experiences. What could be more true than that? In the opener, "I Don't Want to Know," an imperfect relationship is rocked by one person's leaving. The other, willing to do what's necessary to repair the bond, is plagued by the fear that whatever happens, his mate will not come back to stay. When he sings "Some days it feels like I'm sinking in sand/If you're washing your hands of me," he is expressing extreme sadness, but he also is willing to do his part: "I'm trying to change how I feel/And someday I'll change more than that." Hope must spring eternal. A distinct Byrds guitar line dominates "All I've Gotta Say," which uses a descending chord structure and an effective step-up chord to tell a story of a faith, of feeling complete. That feeling falls apart in the rocking "Big Dark Secret," where a touch of rage threatens to overtake a calm feeling. "I got beat up in my own backyard/It didn't feel right/Let down my guard/Tonight/I feel like a fight," the narrator sings, even as he acknowledges that "It's a lonely old town when you're not around" and pleads "I need you tonight." And in the heartfelt closer, "I Felt Clean," Eimerman sings about feeling at peace with himself, comforting his listeners: "And in fact if you ever wonder/No need to look/I'll always be here." Same Wish, released in 2002, travels territory similar to & i you, covering many of the same themes and emotions in typically catchy, lyrically strong and melodically superior songs while adding a few new instruments to the usual pop mix, including banjo and harmonica. Eimerman gets down to business in the opening "Love Always Surrounds," which features sterling 12- and 6-string guitar work. The wonderfully-titled "Tin Pan Alley Valentines" is a lovely, balladic paean to old-fashioned romance, although the story here is one of longing, of telling the one who left that she should "Chase your fear and you might find Tin Pan Alley Valentines/You should not have ever let me go." But the yin and yang battle is in the foreground when, in the last chorus, Eimerman sings "I'm so glad I didn't let you go." I guess that sometimes it can go both ways. Slightly ragged voice meets old-time rock 'n' roll and blues in the very cool "Broken Clock," featuring some nifty Chuck Berry-esque guitar licks and harmonica turns. What's it about? Just remember that trying to take credit for something blowing up doesn't always result in a pat on the back. True love, 24/7, is at the heart of the gorgeous, minute-long "In the Morning," which features Eimerman's lovely background vocals. Throughout this album, throughout & i you, and throughout all of his releases (two other albums, 1990's Story In Your Eyes and 1992's From Your Window, and his classic collaboration with Shoes' Jeff Murphy, billed as the Nerk Twins (Either Or)), Eimerman is golden. So goes the folk-married-to-pop aesthetic, Eimerman style. These albums, everything that Eimerman touches, have wings. Alan Haber February 12, 2005
alan haber's pure pop buhdgeblog hot buhdge \| pop buhdge \| buhdge remembers television buhdge \| film buhdge \| books buhdge video buhdge \| buhdge fine print \| links about buhdge \| write for buhdge \| contact home (c) 2004 Alan Haber

& i you
UnderthedomE (2004)

same wish
UnderthedomE (2002)

Herb Eimerman

Herb Eimerman is a folk artist trapped in a pop body. He has the kind of voice that captures hearts and minds, an intimate quality that evokes the sensibility of a sensitive soul even as it betrays some sense of weariness, of having been there and perhaps lost and then, after having learned a thing or two, won. It's the voice of an angel bearing history.

herb eimerman's & i you Working in a most personal idiom, Eimerman's considered lyrics, set to instantly hummable-along-with melodies and music that harkens back to the Byrds and Beatles, among other classic pop touchstones, paint pictures of life that are always true. That those pictures are sometimes imperfect makes the songs on Eimerman's latest album, & i you, all that more breathtakingly, sometimes heartbreakingly real. The album's title says it all in shorthand terms that must translate to you and me, we are the same, we share the same experiences. What could be more true than that?

In the opener, "I Don't Want to Know," an imperfect relationship is rocked by one person's leaving. The other, willing to do what's necessary to repair the bond, is plagued by the fear that whatever happens, his mate will not come back to stay. When he sings "Some days it feels like I'm sinking in sand/If you're washing your hands of me," he is expressing extreme sadness, but he also is willing to do his part: "I'm trying to change how I feel/And someday I'll change more than that." Hope must spring eternal.

A distinct Byrds guitar line dominates "All I've Gotta Say," which uses a descending chord structure and an effective step-up chord to tell a story of a faith, of feeling complete. That feeling falls apart in the rocking "Big Dark Secret," where a touch of rage threatens to overtake a calm feeling. "I got beat up in my own backyard/It didn't feel right/Let down my guard/Tonight/I feel like a fight," the narrator sings, even as he acknowledges that "It's a lonely old town when you're not around" and pleads "I need you tonight." And in the heartfelt closer, "I Felt Clean," Eimerman sings about feeling at peace with himself, comforting his listeners: "And in fact if you ever wonder/No need to look/I'll always be here."

Same Wish, released in 2002, travels territory similar to & i you, covering many of the same themes and emotions in typically catchy, lyrically strong and melodically superior songs while adding a few new instruments to the usual pop mix, including banjo and harmonica. Eimerman gets down to business in the opening "Love Always Surrounds," which features sterling 12- and 6-string guitar work. The wonderfully-titled "Tin Pan Alley Valentines" is a lovely, balladic paean to old-fashioned romance, although the story here is one of longing, of telling the one who left that she should "Chase your fear and you might find Tin Pan Alley Valentines/You should not have ever let me go." But the yin and yang battle is in the foreground when, in the last chorus, Eimerman sings "I'm so glad I didn't let you go." I guess that sometimes it can go both ways.

Slightly ragged voice meets old-time rock 'n' roll and blues in the very cool "Broken Clock," featuring some nifty Chuck Berry-esque guitar licks and harmonica turns. What's it about? Just remember that trying to take credit for something blowing up doesn't always result in a pat on the back. True love, 24/7, is at the heart of the gorgeous, minute-long "In the Morning," which features Eimerman's lovely background vocals. Throughout this album, throughout & i you, and throughout all of his releases (two other albums, 1990's Story In Your Eyes and 1992's From Your Window, and his classic collaboration with Shoes' Jeff Murphy, billed as the Nerk Twins (Either Or)), Eimerman is golden.

So goes the folk-married-to-pop aesthetic, Eimerman style. These albums, everything that Eimerman touches, have wings.

Alan Haber
February 12, 2005