Comments for Fleming and John, The Way We Are

Similar artists: Led Zeppelin, No Doubt, Hoi Polloi, Smash Mouth Fans everywhere were pulling their hair out in anticipation of the follow-up to Fleming and John's 1995 debut, Delusions of Grandeur - a grandiose and near flawless collection of quirky pop songs ranging from the punk driven "I'm Not Afraid," to the blissful "Rain All Day," and the sassy middle eastern "Delusions of Grandeur." With "The Way We Are," released in 1999, Fleming and John bring back the quirkiness but with a touch of over-production. And I'll say this - over-production never sounded so raw and passionate. I should start out with letting you know that Fleming and John are a musician's band. John Mark Painter plays pretty much every instrument there is, including everything from the guitar, accordion, trombone, flugelhorn, and violin to lesser known instruments such as the buhl buhl or the dilruba. Yes, those are real instruments. Fleming (McWilliams) Painter has an operatically trained voice. She'll wail like Janis Joplin, soar like Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins), and then sound fragile and frail in a Jewel sort of way - at times in the same song. "The Way We Are" is a musically schizophrenic masterpiece. Initially, we are treated to a cute rendition of a child singing "Twinkle Little Star" until all hell breaks loose with "I'm So Small," showcasing Fleming and John's ability to, well.....rock, not to mention that unpredictable and wailing force a.k.a. the voice of Fleming - which many have come to find an acquired taste. The next song "Sssh!," is a hook laden clash bang of a track complete with timpani drums, which should have set fire to modern rock radio if Universal Records were not so infatuated with promoting Fleming and John's mellow side. On TWWA's first single, "The Pearl," allegedly inspired by the John Steinbeck novel of the same name, Fleming confesses over a lounge rock beat and heavy orchestration that the so called "pearl" could be "our hope our dream our life" or a "demon in disguise." An assortment of love songs, "Comfortable," "Don't Let it Fade Away," and "The Way We Are" precede the ska influenced "Radiate," the jazzy-made-for-pop-radio single "Ugly Girl," and the 70s roller rink disco anthem "Sadder Day." We are also treated to a remake of "Rain All Day." With the exception of the newly added instrumentation, I hardly feel that the song is an improvement over the original, especially in the vocal section. The psycho chaotic rock tango of "Devil's Food" is, in this reviewer's opinion, one of the stand out tracks on the record in which Fleming begs a female subject to flee the presence of a particular male character who is up to no good. "Suppressed Emotions," with its acoustic guitar driven and dulcimer, accordion, and string flourishes, takes a more serious turn on this otherwise up beat pop collection, depicting the life of a woman who's marriage has grown hollow, shallow, and unfulfilling. "I Fall For You" is a catchy modernized Captain & Tenille inspired song. It ends on a humorous note in which Fleming attempts to sing the final words in french, only to "mess up" - as she promptly confesses. The album closer, "That's All I Know," is a speed punk rant where Fleming describes a tale of herself being dubbed a "channel surfing maniac" and becomes the family scapegoat in a finger pointing session resulting from the loss of a television remote control. Fun stuff. The final track is a mellow version of "I'm So Small" during which Fleming proves that Mariah Carey is not the only diva who can show off those mirror-cracking high notes. If you are completely bored and uninspired by music these days, and do not yet own a Fleming and John record, go get "The Way We Are" right now (and "Delusions of Grandeur" while you're at it). And hurry, before both of these timeless gems go out of print (or else live to regret it when you have to pay $50 on eBay for them). - Kit Bovett http://www.thetreasurefine.com/reviews/f/fleming_and_john/the_way_we_are.html

Uh, what she said. Bloody brilliant album.