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Spare Change by Luther Russell
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fave it Folk Pop | Folk Blues
11 tracks | 35 minutes
Released Jul 2001
on In Music We Trust Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:11 Broken Man lyrics BUY MP3 03:11 Broken Man lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:11 Broken Man
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:07 Thick and Thin lyrics BUY MP3 03:07 Thick and Thin lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:07 Thick and Thin
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:41 Without A Trace lyrics BUY MP3 03:41 Without A Trace lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:41 Without A Trace
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:27 Tell Me If My Love's Too Late lyrics FREE 03:27 Tell Me If My Love's Too Late lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:27 Tell Me If My Love's Too Late
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:45 Right Way 'Round lyrics BUY MP3 01:45 Right Way 'Round lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:45 Right Way 'Round
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:29 Bronwyn lyrics BUY MP3 04:29 Bronwyn lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:29 Bronwyn
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:08 What She Said lyrics BUY MP3 01:08 What She Said lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:08 What She Said
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:02 Someday lyrics BUY MP3 03:02 Someday lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:02 Someday
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:34 Everybody Had It Made lyrics BUY MP3 03:34 Everybody Had It Made lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:34 Everybody Had It Made
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:28 Friday Night's Dead lyrics BUY MP3 04:28 Friday Night's Dead lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:28 Friday Night's Dead
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:11 Old Dirt Path lyrics BUY MP3 03:11 Old Dirt Path lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:11 Old Dirt Path
Tender, folk-y solo acoustic pop music from producer/musician known for his blues band The Freewheelers (DGC/American Recordings).
Editorial review
An earthy, raw, but surprisingly refined modern folk record, all of the tracks on Spare Change are Luther Russell performing solo and acoustic (on guitar or piano), with positively no overdubs. Because of this, the songs themselves are the main focus, and involve the listener in a kind of psychic house of mirrors, and the effect is truly revelatory and wholly engaging. One thing that strikes the listener is the fact that Spare Change is sort of a modern-day protest record. However, some of the politics that Russell is writing and singing about are emotional politics of the present tense. The opening song bears this out. "Broken Man" is a slightly surrealistic litany of character faults that subtly attacks materialistic values. Without anger or heavy-handed sentiment, the emotion here retains a realistic bitterness that most listeners have felt. The fact that Russell performs solo here underlines the statement. In fact, although this is a "record," it is really more a series of performances, and everyone is all the better for that. Russell is indeed a great record-maker, as his rock albums by the long-lamented Freewheelers and his productions of several Oregon-based artists will attest. Yet as a songwriter, he is also clearly carrying on the tradition of songwriting troubadours. Despite the limited format of the album, the troubadour in Russell shines from start to finish. Sonically, this record is a direct, living-room recording with great bottom-end acoustics and some interesting, low-fi production techniques, such as the "room" ambience that he achieves on "Someday Blues." This record will certainly not receive any engineering awards and that clearly isn't the goal here. It is, however, an accurate and emotional chronicle of the human condition of the early 21st century. Looking for "live art," or "the folk process" at work? Look no further. ~ Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
Intimacy problems run wild in relationships. They also become problems for musicians who feel the need to hide behind the noise of a band. Stripping away any nervousness or fears of allowing the listener an intimate performance, Luther Russell's third solo album, Spare Change, comes clean.
Like sand paper, Spare Change is very rough and unsettling. After all, it is just a man and his guitar, raw and alive. No multi-tracked vocals, no over dubs, and no slick production. What you hear live is what you get on disc, which is rare in this day and age of studio wizardry, lazy live bands, and a Pro Tools-centric recording industry.
After a solo acoustic blues album (that included traditional songs and covers) and an instrumental funk album, maybe Spare Change is Luther Russell's way of letting his fans know what he's all about: laying it all on the line without worrying about what people will think, because he knows this is what he does and this is what he loves.
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