Given that (1) Austin, Texas, is heralded by many as the \u201cLive Music Capital Of The World\u201d and (2) Bob Schneider has ruled the Austin music scene for more than a decade now, is it safe to say that Bob Schneider knows how to put on a hell of a good show?<\/p>\n
I remember when I took a friend of mine to see his band live for the first time.\u00a0 Before the show, he asked me, \u201cSo what kind of music does he play?\u201d\u00a0 I struggled to answer the question, because he plays, well, everything.\u00a0 Schneider\u2019s ability to expertly span genres \u2013 from mellow rock to mambo to rhythm and blues \u2013 is staggering.<\/p>\n
After eight solo studio albums since his debut in 1998, he must know a thing or two about songwriting, too.\u00a0 If you\u2019re exploring his recordings for the first time, Lovely Creatures<\/i> is a great place to start: \u00a0it epitomizes his performances, boasting virtuosity in a variety of genres and exhibiting the vocal and instrumental talents of Schneider and his crew.<\/p>\n
Track one, \u201cTrash,\u201d is the antithesis of the shock-and-awe opening track with its plodding pace and mega-chilled disposition.\u00a0 He even tells you that straight-up with his opening lyrics, \u201cWell, here I am \/ Walking down the street again \/ Like a scene in a movie \/ Just me and the garbage cans.\u201d\u00a0 The chorus, however, displays Schneider\u2019s vocal talents as well as any other track on the album, as he holds out \u201cTra-a-a-a-a-sh\u201d for a good seven seconds \u2013 which if sung by most other singers, would probably be about five seconds too long.<\/p>\n
Schneider occasionally adopts a vocal style that is not shackled by the confines of rhythmic structure, in a manner reminiscent of Paul Simon.\u00a0 He uses it to great effect in the album\u2019s lead single, \u201c40 Dogs (Like Romeo And Juliet).\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Rapidfire vocals in each verse contrast with the much slower, more deliberate chorus that inevitably sticks with you for hours.\u00a0 If syncopated rhythm and a simple but memorable repeating theme on guitar don\u2019t make \u201c40 Dogs\u201d a perfect pop song, then maybe some thoughtful, mushy lyrics do (\u201cYou\u2019re the color of the colored part of the Wizard Of Oz<\/i> movie,\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019re like good times that haven\u2019t happened yet, but will.\u201d).<\/p>\n
Bob doesn\u2019t do it all by his lonesome, however.\u00a0 Oliver Steck challenges Schneider\u2019s vocals for the listener\u2019s focus with sometimes-flamboyant, sometimes-subdued trumpet accents, especially in \u201cSlower Dear\u201d and \u201cYour Head Holds Gold. Your Heart Holds Diamonds.\u201d\u00a0 The omnipresent backing vocals rarely command that level of attention, except for Patty Griffin\u2019s gorgeous cameo on \u201cChanging Your Mind,\u201d a devastating duet that painfully illustrates the helpless sorrow of heartbreak.<\/p>\n
It was a risky move to attempt to capture the sheer energy experienced with his legendary live performances of \u201cBombanaza\u201d and \u201cTarantula.\u201d\u00a0 The studio recordings on Lovely Creatures<\/i> don\u2019t quite cut it, but the bar admittedly was set unrealistically high.\u00a0 Still, hip-shaking rhythms and vibrant brass and percussion sections effectively add Latin spice to the album, which otherwise would be too bland to really savor.<\/p>\n
Lovely Creatures<\/i> closes nicely with \u201cBicycle Vs. Car,\u201d a poetic anthem dedicated to the role of irrationality in romantic endeavors, proclaiming \u201chead versus heart equals bicycle versus car.\u201d\u00a0 Schneider weaves theme after theme together, beautifully meshing a repeating piano motif with vocals at varying dynamics.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s impossible to deny Bob Schneider\u2019s musical talents as a performer when you\u2019ve witnessed him live at Antone\u2019s or the Saxon Pub in Austin, and it\u2019s difficult to find fault with his abilities as a veteran singer\/songwriter when spinning his albums.\u00a0 Lovely Creatures<\/i>, complete with a radio-worthy single and a handful of other substantive, buoyant tracks, is surely no exception.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":30497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[8646],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-42162","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-bob-schneider","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42162"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}