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REVIEWS BY WILLIAM SHEA
MIGHTY JOE MOON
GRANT LEE BUFFALO
SLASH RECORDS
Tom Rule of Tower Records practically forced be to review this recording. l'm glad he did because "Mighty Joe Moon" is an appealing recording for many different reasons. It is moody, musically interesting, and lyrically sophisticated.
Grant Lee Buffalo consists of Grant Lee Phillips on vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin and harmonica; Paul Kimble on bass, keyboards and vocals; and Joey Peters on drums and percussion. The musical breadth of this trio belies its size. The richly-textured, slow-tempoed rock tunes are vaguely reminiscent of slow Led Zeppelin or Cowboy Junkies. But instead of the heavy dominant bass of Zep or the jangly, surreal guitars of the Junkies, Buffalo's tunes are better balanced. The vocals and instrumental accompaniment are seamed more tightly, resulting in a more consistent sound which is able to carry a number of lyrically different themes throughout the recording.
Grant Lee Phillips is the lead singer and the songwriter on this album. Phillips has the ability to sound vocally different on every song, yet consistent throughout the album. On one number, "Lone Star Song," Phillips rumbles in the lower register; on other tunes, like "Sing Along," he stretches to the upper reaches of his range. This variation helps focus the listener away front a good, yet rather unimaginative, production sound.
Paul Kimble is a good producer. He bathes the overall recording with a reverberant sound. It gives the final production a widening rather than narrowing effect. Everything in the production is big: the piano booms, the drums thunder, the vocals sound expansive - and all this powerful soundscape works The mix is well-balanced. The vocal tracks are never too deep in the mix; they are clear and even. The details clearly defined; the brushes on drums sound natural and appropriate.
Probably the greatest strength of this recording is the lyrics. Like all good poetry, the imagery is just clear enough to insinuate that a listener take a certain direction rather than pushing them into one. The narrative framework in the title tune "Mighty Joe Moon" and the subsequent "Lady Godiva and Me" show Phillips to be more than a mere tunesmith. His work stands strong without musical accompaniment. This does not mean the music is weak. On the contrary, Kimble's support, and particularly Peters' drumming, with their reliable use of dynamics, complements the already strong metric feel to Phillips' verse. No song better illustrates this combination than the beautiful "Side By Side."