Top tracks
Listeners also bought
Other Modern Rock albums
Other Modern Folk albums
Put your hands on the remote! browse music »Cottonwood by Barry Thomas Goldberg
view larger image
fave it Modern Rock | Modern Folk
13 tracks | 59 minutes
Released Jan 2004
on HIJ Recordings
Click
for a 30-second preview. All tracks are 192kbps high fidelity sound quality. Protected WMA $0.77 or unprotected MP3 $0.88.
listen album 30sec. shuffle buy CD review album promote album
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:27 Utopia lyrics FREE 04:27 Utopia lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:27 Utopia
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:46 We're All Africans lyrics BUY MP3 03:46 We're All Africans lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:46 We're All Africans
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:38 When Heaven Was Close to the Earth lyrics BUY MP3 03:38 When Heaven Was Close to the Earth lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:38 When Heaven Was Close to the Earth
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:26 Dead City lyrics BUY MP3 05:26 Dead City lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:26 Dead City
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:51 Quiet Man lyrics BUY MP3 03:51 Quiet Man lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:51 Quiet Man
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:42 Rain and Cigarettes lyrics BUY MP3 04:42 Rain and Cigarettes lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:42 Rain and Cigarettes
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:13 Almost Blue lyrics BUY MP3 03:13 Almost Blue lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:13 Almost Blue
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:24 Northern Town lyrics BUY MP3 03:24 Northern Town lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:24 Northern Town
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:52 Come and Gone lyrics BUY MP3 04:52 Come and Gone lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:52 Come and Gone
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:48 Summer Moon lyrics BUY MP3 03:48 Summer Moon lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:48 Summer Moon
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 07:32 World War III lyrics BUY MP3 07:32 World War III lyrics "GIFT MP3" 07:32 World War III
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:51 Portland Sun lyrics BUY MP3 03:51 Portland Sun lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:51 Portland Sun
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:36 Cottonwood lyrics BUY MP3 06:36 Cottonwood lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:36 Cottonwood
Modern Rock - A powerful collection of songs about the world and the streets.
Bio / Background
NEW...."Remember New Orleans" free download of Goldberg's
new tribute song to New Orleans at www.ironweeds.com
Album Description:
The attempt to balance idealism and realism, courage and fear in an increasingly frightening world, is the thread that runs through this powerful collection of songs. Metaphorical and literal, humorous and moody, Cottonwood is Barry Thomas Goldberg's follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed "Empire Moon".
splendid > reviews > 5/6/2004
Given the timing of Cottonwood's release, in the midst of the never-ending Iraqi non-war, it's hard not to hear the album's peace-loving lyrics as a direct indictment of the state of our world. Throughout his long running, although unfortunately fringe musical career, Goldberg has made it a point to speak out for his causes, and Cottonwood is no exception.
↓ more ↓Even the song titles speak volumes: "We're All Africans" and "World War III" certainly offer no nominal PC patina, and the actual lyrics are even more straightforward. "WWIII" heralds - none too sardonically - the arrival of Orwell's imagined nightmare under the flag-waving cloak of the Patriot Act: "Lose your liberty / For security / Don't you want to be free? / Or are you like the enemy?" Meanwhile, "Utopia" contrasts the elusive promised land with "The killing grounds of Baghdad / The blood-stained hills of Korea / People shouting in the streets of Tehran...." and finally, "...The lonely houses of America."
As unequivocal as Goldberg's protestations may be, he nonetheless avoids sounding preachy or partisan. Certainly, George W. Bush would do well to take Goldberg's message to heart, but ultimately, Cottonwood's political lyrics succeed via a healthy dose of moderation. There's no fiery anger here - only a calmly resigned sadness. It's dark and cynical, but all the more effective for its stark portrayal, leaving you with a more heartfelt version of the empty disbelief that often comes from watching the news.
Of course, the political themes, as pervasive as they may be, aren't the album's sole focus. There are also selections that detail love and life, most with a similarly resigned air. Tracks such as "When Heaven Was Close to Earth", "Rain and Cigarettes" and "Almost Blue" call to mind the wistful poesy of country soul, particularly as embodied by Whiskeytown/early Ryan Adams. And then there's "Portland Sun", which is quite simply the loveliest tribute to Elliott Smith yet penned. Over gentle acoustic picking, Goldberg perfectly captures the ethereal quality that so many have posthumously ascribed to Smith. "One more song and then I'm free at last / Now is the past / Freedom's choice, fortune's chance / Elliott Smith, Elliott Smith."
But what of the music itself? Although Cottonwood's lyrics could certainly stand on their own, they don't exist in a vacuum. Rather, they're appropriately underscored with traditional rock 'n' roll compositions. The melodies work, the musicianship (including aging quirk-rocker Michael Yonkers in "Utopia" and "WWIII") is skillful and the recording is adequate. And even it Goldberg's vocal delivery is distractingly eighties-esque, none of these features eclipse the lyrics. Essentially,
the music serves as a foundation - understated, yet strong and fitting - for Goldberg's sociopolitical commentary. Both literally and metaphorically, Cottonwood deserves a listen.
-- Melissa Amos
↑ less ↑








