Edge Of The World

Please tell me that's not a drum machine in the opening measures of "Fast Hearts."

A horn section at the intro and throughout "Everybody Lies"? Yes, it's a horn section. A HORN SECTION. Lord, step aside, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Billy Bob's comin' to Vegas.

Billy's band discovers acid for the lengthy opening of "Do God Wop," and passes the bong for the equally lengthy (and utterly pointless) spoken narrative/outro.

Either Billy Bob borrowed Cher's pitch correction software after she was finished using it for "Believe," or somebody has done something damn funky with Pro Tools digital editing, because held notes seem a bit too unnatural. (Note: for those who have no idea what pitch correction is, let me sum up my feelings on the matter: better for a human voice to be natural [albeit a few cents flat or sharp] that to sound like a robot [a la "Believe"]).

A sitar on "Edge of the World (Reprise)"? Billy Bob, come on, man!

Oh, I see: repeating the vocal melody throughout the album is artistic. Gotcha. Now I understand. Goes along with the "Part II" and "Reprise" thing. Right.

The studio musicians are most definately LA studio musicians. Oh, yeah. LA studio musicians.

Oh, yes, that IS pitch correction! Check out "Island Avenue": not only disgustingly obvious enough initially, but intentionally used for robotic effect on the words "In a monotone".

But, there are a few good points, folks: "The Desperate One" is a well-produced tune, without being overbearing. Harmonies are top-notch; Joe Walsh does some fine guitar work on "Pieces of a Man"; and "Midnight Train" and "To the End of Time/Edge of the World, Part II," without the way-overused pitch correction (though it's still there, for cryin' out loud), overproduction, horn sections and sitars, comes closest to conveying Billy Bob's voice and soul.

Yes, I was always told, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," but when you take a blessedly unpolished, soulful songwriter/vocalist like Billy Bob Thornton, add musicians who know that this is a voice meant for acoustic guitars and maybe a little B-3 organ, keep the arrangements tastefully performed and musically supportive of such a voice, and allow the music and vocals to come forth naturally -- raw, unprocessed, and natural, ie: MUSICAL -- you end up with with darn good music that's a pleasure to listen to over and over again.

I truly hope Billy Bob Thornton keeps making albums. But, a return to the realness, the unpretentiousness, the unpolished would be a most welcome thing, indeed.
Drop the LA guys, the digital pitch correction and the horn sections, Billy Bob. Damn, son, a guitar, bass, drums and organ is what your voice and lyrics cry for. Get back to the real, the gritty, the passionate, the painful reality.
And leave the overproduction and pitch-correcting annoyances to Cher.

I know this has come off rough, but honesty ain't always pretty. And if I didn't appreciate Billy Bob's work as deeply as I do, well, I guess I'd just hold my tongue. It's because I admire his work so much that I can say that, in my humble struggling musician's opinion, he can do a heck of a lot better than The Edge of the World. Want proof? Listen to Private Radio. Then try to tell me that ain't real.

Well, everyone knows that Billy is a great actor and everyone knows what happens to most famous people who try to move into another area that their not already known for (they usually get slammed for it) , so I'm going to skip right through all of that and get on with what is really important here...THE MUSIC.

"Private Radio" was a very different move for an actor making a record. It had next to no radio appeal, no pop, and no commercialized videos with lush scenery to go along with the songs on CMT, but what it did have was an honesty and a realism that brought me back listen after compelling listen to the land of Waffle Houses, back porches, cotton fields and one night stands. THAT was an amazing record with more replay value than just about anything I've heard over the last five years. Truly remarkable.

Now, two years later, here we are at "The Edge Of The World". I wasn't qutie sure what to expect here, but I knew that this would be more rock oriented and there would be a loose story line. From the opening licks of "Emily" I knew that I was in for another treat. If all you know of Billy's singing is from "Private Radio" then this will blow you away. Frankly, it doesn't even sound like the same guy. On the last record everything was low and Cohenish, here he sings out and loud, backed by Michael Shipp's awesome guitar playing and a mighty fine band.

When "Emily" gives away to "Everybody Lies", you won't be surprised if Billy has a bonafide hit on his hands here. This is everything a great rock tune should be. It's just such a blast to listen to and the lyrics burn in deep. Now, with "Island Avenue", Billy had released this tune a couple of years back on a wildlife benefit cd called "Hollywood Goes Wild". It became one of my favorite songs and everyone I played it for loved it. Here, we're treated to a slightly different version which features back vocals by James Young and Tommy Shaw from Styx. Also, Michael Shipp's playing really shines through. It's another winner.

Now, I'm not going to go through all seventeen tracks here but I will say that with your first listen, by the time you have made it to the beautiful instrumental of "The Edge of The World" (reprise) you might agree that this is one of the most exciting and original albums of 2003 and see for yourself that Billy is indeed, the real deal. This is music about life, in a language that we can all identify with and understand.

Thank you Billy Bob!!! See you on Tour