Verse

Clearly, I will be in the minority on this, but I do not like this disc. It pains me to admit that, since I count myself as a confirmed Patricia Barber fan. In fact, I like it so little that I considered a two star rating, opting in the end for three based on my overall faith in Ms. Barber's talent. I just don't think she consistently shows that talent here. If you are pretty much a mainstream jazz listener who found Pat Barber fascinating in the past for her edgy, minimalist , ironic writing and playing, I think you would be well served to be a bit cautious about this effort.This is the first disc where Ms. Barber wrote all the music. What that means is that you get precious little melody. Even in her best work: "Touch of Trash", "What a Shame", "Let it Rain", there is not a strong melodic presence. On past albums that have featured her songs, though, this was balanced by her inventive, idiosyncratic adaptations of others' melodies like "Use Me Up", "Ode to Billy Joe", or "You, the Night, and the Music". The steady diet of atonality here is hard to like. You can respect it for its intellectual bite, but it's hard to like it. Even harder to like are the unwelcome excesses of trumpeter Douglas.Under these circumstances, the "verse" of the title carries a heavy load. Sadly, in my view, it's not consistently up to the task. Mostly, it lacks the concrete, edgy irony and sharp wit of her best work. It seems, at times, almost like earlier, less mature work that she's gotten brave enough to put out. At its worst it degenerates into sophomoric, beat era coffee shop listing. Witness the entire content of "Lost in Love" which consists of 32 lines of "where is this or that" coupled with "I'm lost in this love", or "Clues" with its laundry list of 27 of them like "the edge of the knife", "the black of the night", etc., etc. This from the same pen that wrote: "can't you make those downtown hopping/ grocery shoping/ perky, plodding, cheerful folk/ go away"... "c'mon bring down the sky/ let the clouds and me have a good cry/ let it rain." Hard to believe!Is it all bad? Absolutely not. Ms. Barber's too talented for that. "Pieces", despite losing it way at the very end, is quite good; as is, generally, "I Could Eat Your Words". Better yet is "If I Were Blue" which is just Pat and guitarist Neal Alger (a bright spot throughout) with its painterly references, spanish sounding guitar, and gentle (for Barber) poignancy. But the star of this disc is the delightfully smash mouth "You Gotta Go Home". It's the most concrete, direct, ironic, and witty song of the group and features the beautifully layered drums of Eric Montzka (sadly, absent otherwise) and the ever present drive of Arnopol's bass. Dynamite!But those few are not enough, for me, to redeem the whole. After a string of successes for Pat and her band(s), I rate this one as a reverse. Borrow somebody else's copy before you buy it.

Some of the reviewers have said that this recording lacks bass, but on my system it's certainly better than average. I own 2 other Barber recordings, Blue Cafe and Modern cool. All 3 are top notch recordings. I gave this one 4 stars only because I would have liked to hear more of her piano.

Really, it is no surprise that this is the finest recording that I own. It was by Patricia Barber. I have never owned an album of hers that disappointed in either the recording or the performance. If I had to choose a track to skip, it would be the first track. Too 'beatniky' for me. The rest of the album is a better tale. Can only praise the recording, the musicians, and the ability to drop my jaw. It really is that good. I have never owned a GAIN 2 recording, so it could have been just another marketing thing. But in fact, the GAIN process helps insure that ambient sound is improved to the point that it sounds perfectly natural, and not processed.

Incredible talent with superb musical reproduction, a must for Patricia barber's collection.

It would be best to refer you to the 4.5 star AMG review of this album by Matt Collar on [...]I agree with his review completely and could not describe it better.However, what Matt does not mention is the superb audio quality of this recording and the excellent arrangements and musicianship.This is an absolute sonic treat best enjoyed on a quality stereo system.I own nearly 1,000 CDs from Megadeth to Rebecca Pidgeon, and recordings of this quality are rare to find.So that combined with the refreshingly different arrangements make this is an Avant-Garde Jazz album worthy of 5 stars IMHO.

I have eclectic taste, idiosyncratic tastes in music, but I was wary when Amazon's data mining software kept recommending Patricia Barber to me. I listened to the samples and liked them, then I bought "Verse", the samples didn't do it justice. The lyrics are wonderfully dense and asymetrical, with just enough rhyme to hold together. the music is melodic with a nice dissonant edge on some cuts that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up with pleasure and pain. The rhythm section backs eack song flawlessly, the trumpet is lush and sensual like a passionate kiss, while the guitar is like a half conscious caress. Ms.Barber's phrasing and intonation make this a totally passionate but cool CD

Another great album by Barber. If you've been a Diana Krall listener, and don't know Patricia Barber, now's the time. You'll be delighted. Honestly, in my opinion, better piano player. Better singer. Track 9, 'You Gotta Go Home' is so straight forward. I smile each time I hear it.

I'm not an avid jazz fan -- if it's too "jazzy," I'm quickly looking for the remote. Patricia Barber's music ranges from the lyrical jazz one might have heard in a 60's coffee shop to the more contemporary. It's all well recorded, something I appreciate, and well regarded by many speaker builders. In all, great listening, and very revealing of your system's capabilities.

first heard one number on radio 3. What amazing craftsmanship, words and music blending as they should.

Die ersten 120 Sek. empfand ich als etwas schwierig für den Einstieg, doch dann begann für mich der Genuss an diesem Album.Für mich oft ein wenig am Rande der Disharmonie aber gerade noch stimmig genug um interessant zu bleiben ohne mein Harmonieempfinden zu sehr zu strapazieren. Ein wenig wie ein Seiltanz-Akt, immer voll Spannung bei gleichzeitiger, innerer Ruhe. Eben kein Kommerz sondern wirklich künstlerisch wertvolle und außergewöhnliche Musik die es IMHO wert ist sich Ihr durchaus mal hinzugeben.Die Klangqualität empfinde ich als überragend und für den geneigten HighEnder (nicht mit einer Rotwild-Art zu verwechseln;-) als sehr empfehlenswert. Da wird die Raumakustik gerne und oft auf die Probe gestellt...

Ottima incisione. Alti a grana fine, mai invadenti o penetranti. Batteria con piatti e tamburi composti con le giuste componenti armoniche.Voce leggermente limitata sulle basse, solo leggermente, rimane comunque piacevole anche se l'avrei preferita più corposa. Tromba giustamente graffiante ma mai fastidiosa. In complesso incisione di facilissimo ascolto, naturale.Faccio riferimento solo alle impressioni relative all'incisione, ovviamente in relazione al mio impianto ed al mio ambiente di ascolto (piccolo).Per quanto riguarda l'artista, tutti gli artisti, è una questione molto personale. In questo YouTube aiuta ad avere un primo approccio, da approfondire se vi garba

Disco meraviglioso che riassume tutta la bravuradi Patricia.Oltre alla qualità artistica da notare la stupendaincisione considerando oltretutto il prezzo deldisco... Assolutamente consigliato.Un caro saluto a tutti.

Ho incrociato il suo nome mentre ne stavo in realtà cercando un altro .... beh devo solo ringraziare il fato che , dopo aver letto qua è la qualcosa mi ha portato ad acquistare questo cd. E non sarà l'ultimo !!