CD Review: Faith Hill - Fireflies
Published September 27, 2005
First posted on Mark Is Cranky:
Just a few years go I spent a very interesting weekend down in Northern Kentucky attending a get together of "flea-powered" (1.5 to 5 watt) tube-amplifier aficionados. On a very, very early Friday morning I loaded myself into my old buddy's Volvo wagon and we headed out from Haverhill, Massachusetts. Some fifteen hours (and only one wrong turn...thank you Triple-A maps) later we arrived at our motel. After sipping a couple of well-deserved beers while waiting for the road vibrations to dissipate, we retired to our rooms and konked out.
The next day was spent at audio-fest host Randy's house meeting many of the folks we'd only known through the Internet. While much beer and fabulous barbeque was consumed, the focus of the day was music. Homebrew speaker systems (my buddy brought his single-driver, Lowther-based cabinets), glowing tubes and high-end CD transports.
Late in the evening it was my turn to share some of the music I'd brought along. The last song played (after offering up the score to American Beauty and some more jazz-oriented things) was a simple guitar and voice ballad. As the song neared its end and all of the instruments fell away, the entire room of by now slightly tipsy and very chatty folks became silent. It was the voice of Lori McKenna singing "Hardly Speaking A Word". Immediately after the song ended, somebody piped up with a "Wow, who was that?!"
Faith Hill had a similar reaction upon hearing McKenna's music. In fact, even though her current record was essentially complete, Hill returned to the studio to record "If You Ask", "Stealing Kisses" and the 'new' title track, "Fireflies". Good for her. The added material gives Hill's record real soul, something I find missing from a lot of modern pop and country music.
Fireflies is supposed to be more of a country record than past Hill releases. While nobody' going to mistake this for a Loretta Lynn album, it does have less of that neo-country sheen. For starters, there's the breezy, banjo and pedal steel-inflected "Sunshine and Summertime", the rockin' assurance that Faith hasn't been affected by fame ("Mississippi Girl"), and the hilarious and swingin' two-step that is "Dearly Beloved", the story of a marriage that'll never last (maybe not even beyond the ceremony.)
Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. On his best day, he hopes to channel the ghosts of Lester Bangs and Jack Kerouac. He spends the hours of 9:32PM to 1:37AM carving out music reviews and essays for Jazz.com, Blogcritics.org and other publications.
- CD Review: Faith Hill - Fireflies
- Published: September 27, 2005
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Writer: Mark Saleski
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Comments on this articleComments
For another take on Faith's (whom I can't stand) latest, including her Lori McKenna (whom I love) covers, go here:
http://www.hickorywind.org/000638.php
For ongoing commentary on Faith's "music," periodically check out Jack Spark's blog at
http://blogs.citypages.com/jsparks/
Here's a sample (warning: he, as I, think Faith's music is pretty bad):
"Right after Gretchen Wilson strutted out on stage with a dip in, proclaiming herself a Redneck Girl...Faith Hill is now at or near the top of the charts as...tah-dahhhhh...a Mississippi Girl! No more whispy goddess in designer dress moaning of love from the Eiffel Tower with her bald husband by her side. Dammit, she's DOWN HOME."
good for you. still i don't see the point in ever 'reviewing' music that you KNOW you can't stand.
Robert Christgau only reviews stuff he likes? BTW, I'm not reveiwing anything, only trying to give someone who stumbles across your review another perspective -- sort of a public service.
For yet another take on Faith's latest (warning: bad review) go here:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=613
Here's an excerpt:
"Less an "album" than a goddamn dissertation on everything rotten at the core of mainstream country music, Faith Hill's Fireflies, rest assured, will rank as her sixth multi-platinum record and will likely sweep the country field at the Grammy awards come February. That it is so utterly without substance--it's some kind of engineering marvel that the CD itself doesn't have to be tethered to the ground--certainly won't deter NARAS, People, and Entertainment Weekly (who stand to profit whenever Hill's visage graces their covers), or Hill's legion of fans from shouting me down to the contrary, but Fireflies is flat-out terrible, the end-all be-all example of how the major labels on music row have diluted the soul out of an entire genre of vital popular music."
christgau can do whatever he likes. my point is really that it's a complete waste of time to review, say, Mariah Carey...if i've always hated her.
that review snippet is typical of what i think of as a pointless reivew. they hated Hill and just sat around finding ways to slag both her and the country music industry (which i've pointed out before sure does deserve a pile 'o slagging).
HI!!! Im getting married in a tropical place. I LOVE the Dress Faith Hill is wearing in her music video Mississippi Girl. Does anyone know the style/make/location I could get it from! It is my DREAM wedding dress...
Thank you,
kristi
I just think that someone told her that she was going to win, like an official or something. So when she heard a name other then her own it surprised her. No big deal, just a reaction to news exactly the opposite of what she was told.
The person who told her was misinformed.
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Very good post Mark - I like how you ended it.
I have to swear off new CD's until I can get my *%^($ car CD player to work. I"m SO upset about that..anyway that's another story..
but this was nice, I do like Faith Hill, and that Shania girl is ok too. : )