Elliott Smith
Xo

THE REVIEW

The initial 15 seconds of the first track of the album are more than enough to instill in the listener the conviction that it's worth giving up a few packs of cigarettes to save up for this little gem.
If Americans were to listen to Xo today, they would exclaim in astonishment, “What? You're still doing Beatles stuff in England??” And then they'd happily head to the beach to play frisbee with the album.
Within Smith’s work, one can easily find the strengths of some very talented songwriters.
John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Richard Ashcroft, Neil Young, all gathered under a sixties sound, with a Union Jack printed on it in brighter tones than ever.
The sonic ideas are the same ones that have made and are making the fortune of many rock artists today who, not wanting to venture into a harsher rock, approach it in a softer but no less incisive manner.
The flaw of this album (and it is a big flaw...) is that 14 songs are really too many for this kind of retro sound, and the “work” sometimes becomes, if not repetitive, at least limited in many aspects.
Moreover, it’s the same defect that, albeit in a lesser way, can be found in Figure 8, the last album of the singer-songwriter that marks both the peak and the end of his brief and unfortunate career.

Nevertheless, Xo remains an excellent demonstration of how, based on old ideas, beautiful songs can be created, without advertising for phone companies or destroying hotel rooms.