lambchops's Full Review: Ladies' Love Oracle by Grant Lee Phillips
Pop with a passionate folk edge has come to be Grant-Lee Phillips’ trademark sound. He tested the waters throughout the 1990’s with the band Grant Lee Buffalo (and even earlier with the indie band Shiva Burlesque) but it was when he embarked on a solo career that the California native really came into his own.
In the midst of the “grunge” and “post-grunge” musical revolutions of the last decade, Phillips managed to gain a following built upon cleanly appealing pop/folk music. But, unfortunately, Grant Lee Buffalo was rewarded with little mainstream attention and only briefly brushed with mainstream charts thanks to songs Mockingbird and Truly, Truly. In 1999 and long after the band’s disappointing reception, Phillips and company parted ways.
Phillips took his words, guitar, and voice and retreated to Jon Brion’s studio to record a pocketful of solo songs. After touring with the unique E and The Eels, Phillips self-released his debut in 2000. Dubbed Ladies’ Love Oracle, it was initially only available online but soon he scored a record deal with Zoe/Rounder. The album was re-released in 2002, this time to a wider audience, following the success of his second album Mobilize. And today, there is little question as to the innate musical talent possessed by Phillips.
Ladies’ Love Oracle is the kind of album that while not perfect is impossible to dismiss. A simple, wistful guitar and Phillips’ breathy voice open the disc on You’re a Pony. The track is but a primer for the nine excellent songs that follow (eight if you have the original release). The truly outstanding songs are scattered throughout. Heavenly is a light, emotionally rich but musically sparse offering. It is hard not to feel an amount of loss and regret in Phillips’ songs but at the same time I get a distinct feeling that he is speaking from his heart rather than taking his own words as gospel.
The pace picks up with catchy, harmonica-and-guitar jangle-pop track Squint. As one of the album’s most excellent offerings, it is both quirky and appealing and lacks any pretension. Grant Lee Phillips has a certain gentle swagger about him that proves impossible to ignore. Don’t Look Now is an equally fascinating song that winds its way around the soul at the same time it tugs on the proverbial heartstings. He proves himself here and throughout his solo debut as a masterful and at times even humorous singer-songwriter with words like these:
If one night you take to walking
Way up off the ground
Do yourself a favor
Don't look down
As Ladies’ Love Oracle progresses there is little negative that can be said about Phillips. Some songs aren’t as striking as Squint and Don’t Look Down but most of them provide flashes of brilliance. For example, I adore melody and vocal performance on Flamin’ Shoe not to mention the memorable opening harmonica. Lonesome strikes me in much the same way. Also particularly notable is the bonus track, Snow Flakes. It is probably a bit more representative of the second album Mobilize, but here Phillips is particularly poignant as the song builds slowly to the placid chorus.
No song here is horrible; no song here is even close to unpalatable. It’s just that there are some that are so very outstanding that it proves difficult to find the same amount of joy in each track. But with that said, Ladies’ Love Oracle is the kind of album you can pop into your stereo on a languid summer day. It’s the kind of album that allows the listener to slip away into a fantasy land and forget all worries. Phillips is a genuinely talented singer-songwriter.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. You’re A Pony
02. Heavenly
03. Squint
04. Don’t Look Down
05. Flamin’ Shoe
06. Folding
07. Lonesome Serenade
08. Nothing Is For Sure
09. St. Expedite
10. Snow Flakes
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