Edie Brickell And The New Bohemians
Ghost Of A Dog

THE REVIEW

It's true... in terms of sales, this "Ghost Of A Dog" didn't achieve the same results as the debut, but curse those who say this record isn't up to par with the previous one.

For the one who writes, this record was the definitive blow to the auditory system but, especially to the heart...
This second album loses freshness but there are some little masterpieces here too... "Mama help me" welcomes us with open arms with a jingly-jangly guitar and a loose, vaguely funky rhythm. Perhaps the only limitation of this track arises when a little devil appears on my shoulder suggesting: "nun è che 'sti texani vojene rifà uoraiemm??" but the angel quickly reassures me with: "ma noo!! è troppo bluesy..".

Be that as it may, "Black and Blue" is a beautiful, childlike, and danceable gallop that ironically and cheerfully speaks of violence against children. "Carmelito" transports us to the deep Texan south where, thanks to alcohol, a man confesses to his friend about having "the best time of his life" with his wife, suffering the obvious consequences. The tear-jerking ballad is "He Said" with a beautiful text, at times recitative yet melodic and minor, about the end of a love with a beautiful vocal melody in the chorus successfully underscoring its dramatic nature. Chilling is the interpretation by the now Mrs. Simon. A true jewel of Brickell's style is the slow, delicately penned "Times Like This" where a slowly strummed little guitar accompanies Edie in the description of those few perfect moments that life as a couple all too rarely grants us.

With "10000 Angels", Edie pays her debt to the period she was conceived, delivering a somewhat generic ballad drowned in the electronic-keyboard tapestry typical of that time, not a bad song but not memorable. The next track is the "usual" Brickellian gem where her voice takes center stage, telling us, between the magical and the everyday, about an old dog. Just a patched-up suitcase full of hopes and a smile takes us back on the road with "Woyaho", a track with faster and more pressing rhythms that warns us of the greater importance of the journey itself rather than the destination. A beautiful Brickellian scene awaits us in "Oak Cliff Bra" where Edie, sitting on the roadside, sees passing by, besides cars, a mother with her little boy on her shoulders but without a shoe, and a squirrel risks its life due to a massive (for him)... and from here the small Brickellian magic repeats in "This Eye" and "Me By The Sea".

Inspired ballads where the New Bohemians are more prominent are "Stwisted" and "Forgiven", of which the most inspired is, without a doubt, the first, especially in the exquisite bridge that welcomes the chorus while the second is noted for a vaguely anthemic atmosphere à la Led Zep...

Perhaps today is not the day to listen to this album, it will not add anything to your repertoire of musical knowledge, but if, like me, you have lived this album, do not let it go.
It is waiting for you out there in the less tended backyard (the one with a few too many weeds) where you hang out the laundry...