Mickey Newbury - Nights When I Am Sane

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Music reviews of Nights When I Am Sane

Music Review: For Nights When You Want To Feel Sane
Rating: 5 Stars

From the first cut to the last, he's stripped each song to it's bare essentials and then belts it out for all it's worth. On "Thirty Third Of August" he sings of "A thousand voices screaming through my brain" and I'll be damned if this version won't haunt you the same way. It's just one of those things that just won't leave your head. The same can be said of the title track. Lines like, "I could take a .44 pistol to me/ put one in my brain just for her memory" can't but help leave a lasting impression. Then he seconds it with "one more for my heart then I would be free". So, if it's dark, romantic woe you're after, step right up.

The sparse accompaniment of two guitars and the author's ragged voice saves the likes of"Earthquake" from the sentimental self-pity. His live treament of "Frisco Mabel Joy" gives Tom Waits a run for his money.

Though the overall tone is one of world weary meloncholy, his breezy version of A.R. Jones' "Easy Street" takes the edge off. Not to mention the self penned, "Apples Dipped In Candy". Yet, "You're My Lady Now" slaps those grey skies back on the horizon. It's a classic tale. A junkie whoring his girl out to feed his addictions. When he screams out, "You're my lady now" you know he's not complimenting her so much as beating her within an inch of her life. And yet, not without eventual regret. Herein lies Newbury's genius as a writer: No matter how violent or foolish his protagonists seem, he never lets you judge them. He always makes a little room for remorse, confounding any sense of immediate justice.

So if it's been long week, and it's a rainy Friday in October, crack open a bottle and give NIGHTS WHEN I'M SANE a listen. Fans of Townes Van Zandt will adore this. The same goes for devotees of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and latter day Nick Cave. Though you won't be wasting your money on the boxed set, this record is all the introduction you need.

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