Customer Reviews

Joshua Judges Ruth

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This gospel inflected, subtle, mature, sublime, and beautiful recording was one of the best releases of the 1990's. "Joshua, Judges," and "Ruth" are consecutive books in the bible, and his clever use of those titles are in some way a microcosm of the multi-layered approach he uses here and in all of his music.

"Church" is a wonderful and engaging piece of music that fully displays Lovett's musicianship, exceptional writing, and subtle wit. "She's Already Made Up Her Mind" is one of the best songs Lyle has ever written and is also one of the best SONGS ever written, ranking right up there with the best of Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and others who have written country-influenced singer-songwriter material. This is a wide-open, West of the Mississippi, haunting and beautiful song, that not only speaks truth, but is filled with longing and sentimental emotion. "North Dakota" is similar in nature; this music is as wide open as the American West. John Denver's influence is evident in these songs, but these are definitely LYLE's themes and motifs, not John's.

A brief note on the sound and engineering of this record: job well done. The silences of this music are as important as the notes, and every single spin of this CD on your player is as professionally processed as a German meatcutter. Gorgeous work, that is properly respectful of this piece of American art by Lyle.

Starting off this set is the bouncy-pianoed "I've Been to Memphis", which is one of my favorite Lyle Lovett songs. The next song you feel like you've stepped into a predominately black church with "Church", which to me, is a masterpiece of vocal arrangements. It is a very fun song. Then, later you come to the brilliantly written "North Dakota", with incredible backup vocals by Rickie Lee Jones. I also very much love the "Flyswatter" song... what can I say, this is a great release from a highly talented man.

Probably my favorite Lyle Lovett album...and I've heard them all! Everyone loves "Church" and "I've been to Memphis." The Large band and the backup singers do their best performance ever. Rickie Lee Jones does a great duet with Lyle on "North Dakota." Plus, no one has ever written about Death better than Lyle does on this album. Listen to "Since the last time..." and "Family Reserve" and "Baltimore" and see for yourself. This will stay in your CD player for months.

Probably my favorite Lyle Lovett album... Everyone loves "Church" and "I've been to Memphis." The Large band and the backup singers do their best performance ever. Rickie Lee Jones does a great duet with Lyle on "North Dakota." Plus, no one has ever written about Death better than Lyle does on this album. Listen to "Family Reserve" and "Baltimore" and see for yourself. This will stay on your CD player for months.

I have been listening to DVD-Audio and other surround formats (SACD and DTS) for about a year now. This release has the best sound of any I've heard (I have about 30 surround audio disks).

Anyone who is likely to buy the DTS version of this release has probably already heard the stereo version, so rather than critique the content, I've chosen to evaluate the sound quality instead.

This is, simply, one of the best recordings of all time. It does not matter what kind of music you like, this recording will win you over. If you are an audiophile and like CDs that make your stereo sound good, you'll like this one. If you like poignant songs that strike that certain chord, you'll like this one. If you like great playing by outstanding musicians, you'll like this one. You can run, but you cannot hide. Joshua Judges Ruth will make you a Lyle Lovett fan, and will just make you love music more altogether. Buy it now; your collection is incomplete without it.

This album is nearly perfect! The glory of it is how much Lovett makes clear that he just plain loves women! He writes so many lyrics that turn traditional love songs upside down, like this one from "I've Been to Memphis":
"Sherry, she has big ones,
"Sally has some, too,
"But Allison has little ones, what hate to go to school..."

(Caught'cha!)

Or this one:
"She likes to rev my motor
and slam my hood
"She makes me feel good, she makes me feel good."

But he doesn't just love women. He loves his family, and talking about families, and funny things that happen in church. Listening to this is like getting a guided tour of a small town from an old friend you've always admired who knows how to tell a story. Lyle, if I'm ever in Texas, can I drop by?

The mix on this CD sets a standard that all other DTS music CDs should strive for. I can't remember who mixed this (I don't have the CD in front of me) but it was obviously a labor of love. I own a lot of DTS music discs as well as DVD Audio. I have never heard another DTS disc that even comes close to this one and I've never heard a DVD Audio mix that was any better. Lyle's voice is isolated in the center channel and instruments are perfectly placed around you in the mix. Turn down the lights and put on this disc and you'll swear you were in the room with the band. On the Church song, the choir is in the surrounds and you'll swear you were in church sitting in front of them. On "She's Already Made Up Her Mind", the smooth, very deep bass is a test for anyone's audiophile system. This disc should be a reference used anywhere surround systems are sold. As a matter of fact, I purchased this disc and took it with me everywhere I demo'd surround systems before I purchased my surround processor and amplifiers. Yes, this disc is THAT good! This album is Lyle's masterpiece. There's not one bad song on it. Don't be fooled if you think Lyle is a simply a "Country" artist. He's capable of jazz, blues, country, soul and gospel and combines them brilliantly on this album. Bottom Line: A masterpiece with a fine surround mix. You can't go wrong with this one!

This is such a great mood album. It's one of those albums that you put on the stereo when you want to turn down or turn off the lights and just listen to the music and do nothing but let your thoughts drift. "North Dakota" is a perfect example of this.

I also love "All My Love is Gone"; "You've Been So Good Up To Now"; "I've Been To Memphis"; and "She Makes Me Feel Good".

Buy a copy of this CD, chase every one out of the house, crank up the stereo, turn down the lights, and kick back in your favorite chair and enjoy!

Well, i never heard any better produced mix. Finally the music was that great. You want do dance ... I heard the Track "Memphis" at an Surround-Sound-Forum of an audio-engineer-convent in Germany. "Audio-Guru" George Massenburg played this title in an especially acustically treated environment on Genelec-loudspeakers for about 50.000 DM.