STRANGER THINGS - EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS
Edie Brickell’s enormously underrated “Volcano,” released two years ago, marked an exciting departure even though it was not a hit album. Now, the singer/songwriter attempts to recapture the past by reuniting with the New Bohemians, the band behind her 1988 calling card “What I Am.” One can hear that these old friends are having a lot of fun, but “Stranger Things” turns out to be excruciatingly unproduced. While “Volcano” sparkled with acoustic guitars and lush licks courtesy of Charlie Sexton, here the musicians simply jam without ever creating mood. Loose, jazzed-up garage improvs with ’80s rock guitars and percussion leave little room for Brickell to breathe real life into her escapist, nature-loving tales. With the right production, songs like the catchy title track or the outdoor reverie “Buffalo Ghost” could have been magical. Billboard
