Dar Williams, End of the Summer - 43m 51s

Tracks & Durations

1. Are You Out There	3:04
2. Party Generation	5:09
3. If I Wrote You	3:52
4. What Do You Hear In These Sounds	4:30
5. The End Of The Summer	4:12
6. Teenagers, Kick Our Butts	3:36
7. My Friends	4:07
8. Bought And Sold	4:35
9. Road Buddy	4:20
10. It's A War In There	2:55
11. Better Things	3:24

Note: The information about this album is acquired from the publicly available resources and we are not responsible for their accuracy.

Review

Dar Williams's End of the Summer finds her following in the techno-folkie footsteps of Suzanne Vega and Rickie Lee Jones. Most of the tracks feature muscular rhythms provided by Sammy Merendino's programmed drum loops, and thickened textures provided by layers of electric and acoustic guitars. This new approach pays dividends for a singer/songwriter whose thin soprano and coffeehouse lyrics have often proven underwhelming in the past. Here she is encouraged by producer Steven Miller to cram as many words as possible into the herky-jerky verses and then release the tension with a chorus of simple statements and catchy melody. This allows her to run verbal riffs on slackers in "Party Generation," on therapy in "What Do You Hear in These Sounds," and on middle age in "Teenagers, Kick Our Butts." Some of these riffs are witty and some aren't, but they pay off in satisfying refrains where Williams's wispy voice is surrounded by belt-it-out harmony singers. While the title tune is Williams at her dreary, maudlin worst, another ballad, "If I Wrote You" (with harmonies by Shindell), proves the techno-folkie formula can work even at slow tempos. --Geoffrey Himes

Please note: we do not provide any Dar Williams music downloads, have no any mp3 music including music samples and music ringtones, and can not assist you where to buy music CDs and used CDs. You can search for it on music sites all over the Internet or visit one of our advertisers. We appreciate any ideas and comments about this experimental music database.