June 2000
Case is at his best here on songs like "Paradise etc" -- "the land of bliss and la-di-da / Paradise etcetera" -- clever, but never merely so. He spins lines that draw attention to his lyrics, and stories, as much as the melodies and playing. Case is a fine guitarist and plays harmonica in spots, but his complete sense of craft is what makes him so listenable. One moment his songs sound like rock, the next folk; the blues are never far away either. The musicians play it all, but you know whose show it is. All of the songs on Flying Saucer Blues are written by Case -- no covers. I'm not about to complain as even the songs like "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" that seem like filler are more stimulating than anything you'll hear outside of NPR. This is a good first Peter Case CD to own because his hard-core fans will love it too. And if you get the desire to explore, try another Vanguard release, Torn Again, or the great CD with the extra-long title. GO BACK TO: |
Peter Case - Flying Saucer Blues
![[Reviewed on CD]](../format/regcd.gif)
Like
the comedians on Whose Line is it Anyway?, Peter Case can seemingly write
a song -- a good song -- about anything. But he has his preferences, often probing
relationships and life's other deep mysteries with wisdom that's a byproduct of a rich
inner life. While Flying Saucer Blues doesn't quite equal Case's early-solo-career
masterpiece, The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar,
it is as solid as anything he's done since.