Songs from Another Season by David J (CD, Jul-1990, RCA)

Album Features
UPC:	078635226126
Artist:	David J
Format:	CD
Release Year:	1990
Record Label:	RCA
Genre:	Gothic, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. I'll Be Your Chauffeur
2. Fingers in the Grease
3. Longer Look, A
4. Sad Side to the Sandboy
5. New Woman Is an Attitude
6. Sweet Anaesthesia
7. On the Outskirts (Of a Bad Dream)
8. Moon in the Man, The
9. Little Star
10. Stranded Trans-Atlantic Hotel Nearly Famous Blues
11. National Anthem of Nowhere, The
12. Nature

Details
Distributor:	BMG (distributor)
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
With Love and Rockets on hiatus and the unexpected backing of RCA thanks to that group's fluke 1989 success, David J was able to realize the first stateside release of a solo album, his attractive and quite under-rated Songs From Another Season. Recruiting old Jazz Butcher/early solo assistants Alex Green and Max Eider, among others (including Janis Zakis, a mate from his pre-Bauhaus days, for a guest spot on accordion), he delivered a set of reflective, softly passionate songs touching on everything from his newfound success to the ups and downs of love. The aggressive, heavily produced semi-industrial edge of then-recent Love and Rockets is noticeably absent outside of the clattering "On the Outskirts (Of a Strange Dream)," as is the earlier dreamy psych of that band. Instead Songs favors primarily acoustic performances with a bluesy tinge noticeable throughout. Starting with the demi-alternative radio hit "I'll Be Your Chauffeur," a sweet, folky number that also appears later in a drumless alternate take, Songs makes for great late-night music where the mood isn't always sleepy. J plays a number of tracks strictly solo, tackling everything from saw to "finger taps," while those songs with accompaniment demonstrate his good taste in selecting side performers who know exactly what to contribute where. His lyrics continue the thread of sometimes cryptic but often very poetic portraits of situations and people, often with his sly wit intact, as the fashion designer-referencing "New Woman Is an Attitude" shows. The most affecting track is doubtless "Stranded Trans-Atlantic Hotel Nearly Famous Blues"; there may have been plenty of on-the-road songs in rock before, but his savagely funny and melancholic effort here is one of the best. It all concludes with a lovely version of the old Eden Ahbez/Nat King Cole standard "Nature Boy," with one last the-bar-is-closing touch of atmosphere. ~ Ned Raggett

Editorial Reviews
Q 3 Stars - Good