It’s one of those things. Rick Rubin can either ruin your name — or make it.
I and Love and You is pure brilliance; a masterpiece constructed very much the same way an orchestra is developed. Each song is in the perfect slot, every instrument is placed behind the correct theme.
The banjo is tuned up, or tuned down according to the acoustic emotion expected. The songs roll on down the album line; pulling you up and in to every sentiment they are trying to portray. Cut as flawless as a diamond, but then again do we expect anything less from Rick Rubin’s record mastering?
The album is a transitioning, not just in their ways as musicians, but as boys growing on into adulthood. It holds all the things any of us have ever felt in our mid-20s and early 30s but didn’t think anyone would understand. This album is the dedication to those years, those feelings translated into songs, so beautifully posed and never before put with such ease. All things concerning love, trust, friends, family, and the struggles within all of those — they are all dealt with here on I and Love and You. The next step is simply to listen.
Everything you thought you knew about The Avett Brothers you realize somewhere down by track seven, you really didn’t know — but you are damn sure learning.
All of this information left me with some feelings of uncertainty. Not so much doubt, but I realized that The Avett Brothers had a lot to prove. If this album were to really resonate as deep as it was meant to sit, I would need to see one hell of a live performance for me to believe all the hype.
Playing to a nearly sold out House of Blues in Boston on a snowy Sunday night, it would seem that neither the day of the week, nor the blustery weather deterred The Avetts from coming in and leaving blood, sweat, and tears up on the stage. The Avett Brothers are not just a duo; the band consists of Seth Avett, Scott Avett, and Bob Crawford. They turned the show into a quartet by adding the very talented cello player Joe Kwon. Nevertheless you would never be able to tell they are not all related, the vibes surging from their performance together was as connected as it ever could be.
Article comments
1 - Donald Gibson
I'm consistently impressed with the craft and thought you invest in your writing. Keep it up.
2 - Cindal Lee Heart
Thank you very much Donald. :)
3 - zingzing
i absolutely love the avett brothers. i lived in charlotte when they released their first few albums. i remember getting "country was" on tape from a friend, then going to see them for free at some place called the wine vault near the university. then i moved to seattle, saw them there and everyone knew the words. then i moved to nyc and saw them there and everyone knew the words. i couldn't love them more, but this new album leaves me cold. cold, i tell you.
i would say they've proved themselves as one of the greatest live bands in america. and they are amazing songwriters. but they are just... i dunno. easily influenced? aiming for the sell out? i don't know. they've been susceptible to ballads and pop throughout their career, but they might have gone overboard here. there's none of the roughness, none of the hootenanny, none of the hollering on this album.
i'll go see them live, but this new one is unfortunate to me.
4 - Cindal Lee Heart
Exactly Zing Zing- Thats what I was trying to say.. "easily influenced" is a great way to put it.
5 - eron
As a long-standing, passionate fan, it's easy to try to find fault with the album that puts them in Starbucks. Their is a consistency to their music and lyrics that comes through on this album just like the rest. I've had a hard time with each of their albums when I first heard them because they contain elements that are so different from the previous album. The Gleams don't rock, 4 Thieves Gone has too much Paleface, blah blah blah...
The bottom line is that this music does fit with their greater body of work. Put their entire library on shuffle and you'll see what I mean. If this is what they needed to produce to achieve the success all us fans want them to have, I think they found the right blend of their hearts and Rubin's mind.
6 - eron
"Slight Figure of Speech" is a great great song. My bottom line is that these Avetts are so good that they can do radio stuff better than anyone just like they do live stuff better than anyone.