Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Very nice sounding, well produced album by Eddie Seville. Eddie Seville is a multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter from Connecticut. Seville, a veteran of the music business, has played and collaborated with a number of artists over the years. His music meanders from classic country to roots rock to rock and roll. One thing that is always a constant is solid and thought provoking song writing.
Ragged Hearts starts off strong with A Crooked Mile (Track 1) which is written as beautifully and in a similar style as Greetings From Asbury Park. Definitely has some early Springsteen written all over it. There are elements of “Growing Up” but it is not a clone. Just took some great components from a classic song and incorporated that into his own style. Very strong writing on this number.
“Well, I traded my soul for a bag of fool’s gold,
Somewhere along that trail,
And I changed my name to get into the game,
But I would up chasing my tail.”
Some pretty heady lyrics about giving into something that he is not. Trying to fit into a scene or a situation that he didn’t belong. Very relatable to all of us. I am sure this is a universal theme that we all have experienced at least once in our life time. Seville wrote it and presented it in a very intelligent and creative way. The lyrics are a perfect match for his singing and instrumentation.
The Last Train (Track 9) is another great song with powerful lyrics and vocals. It is about the death of rock and roll and the end of society as we know it. This is an anthem in the making, again with very catchy and thought provoking lyrics.
“So hallelujah and bless my soul,
There ain’t no such thing as rock and roll,
There was a time it rang loud and clear,
But it caught the last train out of here.”
A Zevonesque tune that is very intelligent and most importantly, a great song. It is one thing to have a well written song, but it still has to be sonically pleasing. The Last Train fulfills both requirements.
Love’s Got A Hold (Track 4) is a really nice rocker. No need to explain what this song is about. Seville does a great job of explaining what it feels like when someone is newly in love. That feeling that is pleasurable yet torturous at the same time. Definitely a bittersweet, emotional roller coaster and Seville captures those emotions perfectly in this song. Overall, this album gets a solid A in my book.
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