TOM MCRAE

TOM MCRAE
TOM MCRAE (2000)
320 KBPS

Tom McRae's self-titled CD is a revelation. In part, it sounds so wonderful because it is so unlike the cookie cutter releases being put out by the major labels. McRae's lyrics are quintessential, deeper than a well, mystical. His melodies are unique and distinctive. This is not a party CD; this is a mellow mood CD for reflective moments. "You Cut Her Hair" is a dreamy landscape where keyboards wash pensively and the cello cries. "End of the World News" has a gypsy feel to the music, "Sponsored by God," as Tom sings in hushed vocals. "2nd Law" opens and closes with radio space talk as Tom sings, "I'm living up here where the air's thin, where gravity don't bring you down, I'm living up here & I'm watching you, the universe slowing down." The most addictive melody is "Bloodless," a pretty ballad with strings and vocals that reminded me of Seals & Crofts, "Tell me again, what am I feeling?" Tom does a wispy Nick Drake vocal on "Draw Down the Stars." "One More Mile" is a soft ballad that builds while McRae's vocals float like clouds in the sky, "Do I have the will?" I don't really know what "The Boy With the Bubblegun" is about, but Tom Havelock's cello gives this great folk song a sense of foreboding, "If words could kill, I'd spell out your name; if songs could kill, this one's for you." "Hidden Camera Show" is a catchy pop tune, "Swallow your tongue; this is not your fight; sometimes it's braver just to run." "Though time slips away," Tom sings on "a & b song." The jungle thump of the drums highlight a dark and dense arrangment, "He's whistling 'Hotel California', still living out the dream." "Language of Fools" has a pretty melody on the chorus, at home on the Five for Fighting CD. Piano dominates the pretty ballad "Untitled," "We'll sail out on the high tide, drift on the open sea; I've been waiting for so long." A sense of cleansing comes in the soft breezy vocals of "Sao Paulo Rain," "Shelter me from this sky, dance with me one last time." The CD concludes with strings & piano on the haunting "I Ain't Scared of Lightning." McRae has a substance, both lyrically and musically, that is rarely matched. Enjoy this gem!

1. You Cut Her Hair
2. End of the World News (Dose Me Up)
3. 2nd Law
4. Bloodless
5. Draw Down the Stars
6. One More Mile
7. Boy with the Bubblegun
8. Hidden Camera Show
9. A and B Song
10. Language of Fools
11. Sao Paulo Rain
12. I Ain't Scared of Lightning