Vic Chesnutt: Ghetto Bells
Vic Chesnutt's changed labels very frequently; six or seven for his ten solo albums alone. But he's been with New West Records for two consecutive records now, with the bonus of their purchasing the rights to, and rerelease of, his first four records. So it looks like he might have found a home. And maybe that's showing; Ghetto Bells follows Silver Lake pretty closely in sound and mood - a continuity that we haven't seen from Chesnutt in a long time.
Ghetto Bells, though, is the superior of the two; Silver Lake was recorded with lauded session players and lacked soul. Ghetto Bells brings Tina Chesnutt back to play bass, incorporates Chesnutt's niece Liz Durrett, and brings in Van Dyke Parks and Bill Frissell. The sound is very similar, but over these more soulful performances, it's less stifling. There are a great bunch of songs here, especially Forthright (more of that falsetto gorgeousness he's been developing) and What Do You Mean?, a duet between Chesnutt and a choir of Liz Durrett's. To Be With You and Got to Me rock in that urgent About To Choke way, and The Garden lets Vic jam it solo style, with the nylon strings and the lips-pursed trumpet accompaniment. And lyrically, well, Chesnutt isn't slowing down. I couldn't get the line "Christian charity is a doily over my death boner" out of my head for days. Marjan just about killed me; I couldn't remember any of the other lines but kept singing it. This is a good album. I hope the next one's a little messier still.
Vic Chesnutt: Ghetto Bells. 2005, New West Records.
review by jep, Bad MonkeyX. May 2005.