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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Quote..Amazon.com review... "this is easily his most overtly rocking album...
Sorry Amazon.com., stand corrected, after you listen to his actual OVERLTLY rocking albums...
Perfectly Good Guitar
Live at Budakon
Both records feature the massive lead guitar of Michael Ward who left soon after to waste his talent with Jacob Dylan's band ...The Lame Wildflowers.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
As others have written, the sound is muddy and the songs all sound alike. One of the appeals of other John Hiatt records is the change of pace, from ballads to country to power rock. Here, there is only one sound, and I can barely listen to a whole album of it. Buy Bring the Family instead.
Format:Audio CD
An album needs to be more than merely loud to "rock," and that's why "Beneath This Gruff Exterior" fails. There is a whole lot of hooting and hollering going on but very little substance. If I want to hear a sound like "Uncommon Connection," all I have to do is go sit by the railroad tracks for a while and wait for the next freight train to pass through. Just as you can almost palate the song's manic banging, shuffling and spitting, it blasts away in a storm of dust and chaos. Hiatt and the Goners blast through these songs like bullets through a cake. At best, this is a collection of demos; at worst, it should have been kept in the vault Hiatt dug it out of. The general weakness of the album makes more distinctive songs such as "My Baby Blue" sound like tossed-off singles rather than the great songs Hiatt has delivered in such abundance over the years. I really think it's time for Hiatt to sever his ties with producer Don Smith, who seems hell-bent on overcooking every Hiatt project that runs through his fingers. "Walk On," Smith's 1995 production with Hiatt, suffers from the same lack of discipline. Albums like "Beneath This Gruff Exterior" really make a fan thankful for the rawer glories of "Crossing Muddy Waters" or "Bring the Family." One can only hope that this album's gorgeous coda, "The Most Unoriginal Sin," is a foreshadowing of things to come from Hiatt, still one of the most authentic performers in the world today.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
I love John Hiatt too, but this sounds like a rush-job to me
Yes this rocks, and there are some catchy hooks, but I felt little emotional connection with the material. Read more
Published on April 18 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oh happy day: new John Hiatt
I had sort of lost track of John Hiatt until a recent live acoustic show (with Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, and a few others), where he stole the show lock stock and perfectly good... Read more
Published on April 14 2004 by Addison Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another classic album for JH & the Goners
This one's one of his best - right up there with Bring the Family and Slow Turning. The only thing better than listening to the CD is seeing Hiatt in concert.
Published on Dec 12 2003 by Benny
5.0 out of 5 stars
A solid offering of Hiatt at his best!
It's hard to top some of the fine reviews posted, so I'll only add my take. John Hiatt is arguably the most talented songwriter in pop/rock music on the scene, as well as being a... Read more
Published on Sep 13 2003 by Dennis Hawley
5.0 out of 5 stars
This "Gruff Exterior" Is A Fine Return To Form
Any album whose opening line is "Well I do my best thinking sitting on my ..." has got to be a winner, and BENEATH THIS GRUFF EXTERIOR is just that. Read more
Published on Aug 30 2003 by Jef Fazekas
3.0 out of 5 stars
Weird production masks a strong set
The sound on this album is so noticeably awful that John Hiatt either wanted it that way or made some terrible choices in the studio. Read more
Published on Aug 29 2003 by A. Butterfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
...Lies The Soul of A Truly Gifted Songwriter/Musician
Being a John Hiatt fan for quite a long time now, I find myself looking forward with eager anticipation to each new release. Read more
Published on July 14 2003 by Adam Kenny
1.0 out of 5 stars
Awful production
So glad somebody mentioned the sound quality (or lack thereof) among all the rave reviews. The album was mastered by Doug Sax, one of the best in the business....what went wrong? Read more
Published on July 11 2003 by Andi Gisler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hiatt keeps me hooked
Hiatt has this reputation of being a great songwriter. He hooked me with a live show in Philly in 88. I was blown away. Read more
Published on July 9 2003 by Francene P.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still having a blast after all these years
Most of John Hiatt's albums fit into one of two categories; great or very good. While Gruff isn't the best album Hiatt has made, it has a number of songs that can hold their own... Read more
Published on July 2 2003 by Wayne Klein
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