My Better Self

by

Dar Williams

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Over the years, Dar's album formats have taken on a certain similarity: A few bouncy originals to kick things off, then a cover or two, a few stripped down acoustic "folk" tunes, a confessional or two, all infused with a vocal or two by the occasional guest artist. This time, we get Marshall Crenshaw, who lives near where Dar recorded this album in Woodstock, NY, and Ani DiFranco and Patty Larkin, plus the members of Soulive. This is a pretty record. It's got what seems a first: a straight-ahead attempt at a blues: "Two Sides of the River." It's better for its instrumental qualities than its lyrics. Also, Dar's got a bit of a river fetish going this time. "Hudson" also refers to one, though river metaphors, in general, are a tad hoary. I think "Teen For God" is among her wittiest originals. And I guess I'm the only one who's never heard Neil Young's ancient "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," so this cover sounds pretty cool to me, and I think it fits Dar's style very well. "Echoes" reminds me of nothing so much as Julie Gold's treacly "From A Distance." Overall, this adds positively to Dar's discography, though it won't make any dent in the pop charts, which is too bad, though she's not that kind of artist anyway. If anyone reading this is still a Dar novice, which seems unlikely, try "The Honesty Room" first. It's her first, and still best, album.

I went to Borders ten minutes before opening the day this album was released. Listening to the CD beforehand seemed like a waste of time because I love (LOVE) Dar Williams and was certain I would love this album. It stayed in my car's player for about 4 weeks before I and my fellow Dar-loving roommate admitted the sad truth: we hated (HATED) the CD. I like the lyrics for the most part, but she didn't pull the songs together this time. I don't know what sound she was going for with songs like, "Liar" and "Two sides of the River", but it doesn't work for me, and doesn't work with her voice and style in my opinion. I like the tune of "So Close to my Heart," but the repetition of the phrase 'close to my heart' immediately gets (and stays) really annoying. To be fair, I am a fan of Dar's raw stuff - Dar and guitar, and minimalist everything else and feel that to mix the honesty of her voice and lyrics with mainstream pop-culture-esque accompaniment seems vulgar. Listen before you buy - this certainly is a departure from Dar's norm; and honestly, are you all serious about loving this album so much?