Marshall Crenshaw
#447
(Razor & Tie)
Maybe it's no coincidence, but the most relaxed sounding album of Crenshaw's career also happens to be his best in a decade. The wordplay's sharper than it's been in some time, the tunes unforced and engaging and, even though I'd like to hear a few of the cuts here backed up by a proper rock and roll band, the semi-acoustic approach does give the material an appropriately reflective quality. After all, Crenshaw's not a kid anymore. But, unlike lots of pop-rockers who find themselves all grown up with no place to go, he's also far from ready to surrender the beat.
Rating: 8
Marshall Crenshaw (live)
Cincinnati, Ohio
It was with much anticipation that I walked through the door of the Deco 20th Century Theater on a quiet, humid Thursday night. I have been a fan of Marshall Crenshaw since I bought his first album when it was released in 1982. I have not followed Marshall's 90s output as closely as I did in the 80s. I was thinking that this could be a reunion of sorts -- my teenage musical buddy and I together again.
I was not disappointed. I was somewhat surprised by his appearance. In all his early albums (I have his first four), Marshall is visually portrayed as an almost pixyish neo Buddy Holly. He looks tall and rail thin on those old albums. The real Marshall Crenshaw wore a hat (which reminded me of a hat I had in college), a gold and blue open shirt worn over a white t-shirt, and jeans. He had some serious stubble, his trademark glasses, and looked like he stood about five-foot six. In all, before he started playing he came across as more of a distracted and kinetic beachcomber than anything.
Being this was a solo acoustic show ("I get to keep ALL the money"), he sat down by himself and tuned up, and made a comment about being a fellow midwesterner. This first song he played was "Kick out the Jams" by the MC5. And I was completely floored by his voice -- it was that voice that I had spent so many hours intently listening to, listening to in the background of everyday life, listening to in the car in trips across Indiana, in dorm rooms, in my room at home. It was like one of those bullets with a wake from "The Matrix" that hit me right in the chest. I LOVE this guy, I thought. I was so happy -- my pal was back. More than that, he was right there 25 feet in front of me.
He played with a lot of energy -- considering he was sitting down, and had nothing more than an acoustic guitar. I did notice that he had a piece of wood his foot rested on that was mic'ed -- a little percussion when he needed it. Kind of a neat trick. His voice was strong and clear, and boyish as it ever was. And his guitar playing was nothing short of amazing. His songs are actually pretty complex from a melody and chord perspective. It doesn't sound like it, but his average song probably uses eight to twelve chords -- most of which were unidentifiable to me. No three-chord-wonder, my buddy Marshall.
He played some early material like "Cynical Girl," "You're My Favorite Waste of Time," "Someday Someway," and "Little Wild One". He also touched on some of his 90s output like "Television Light," "What Do You Dream Of," and "Truly, Madly, Deeply". While he played his songs with a lot of gusto, he was only half-joking that he was playing his songs so he could "get some slack from us" and play songs that he really liked.
So, yes, there were many covers, all inspired, and many that he has recorded before. Highlights included "Walk Away Renee," "2541" by Grant Hart, "Endless Sleep," and an impromptu version of the Beatles' "I'm Only Sleeping."
His great playing and singing were complemented by comedic running dialog between songs. When commenting on the coolness of the Moderne architecture of the theater, he said "Ninety percent of contemporary American culture makes me sick. When I drive by a multiplex, I want to puke". It was probably this slightly skewed view of things that attracted me to Marshall and his music lo, those many years ago. And it's the thing that keeps me interested in hearing what Marshall has to say down the road.
In all, a wonderful evening with a wonderful guy.
- Scott Aaron
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