Washington Post and Brandon Sun

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Fluff Daddy: Bacharach's 'Time' seeks street credBy Christian Toto
November 8, 2005

What the world doesn't need now is for Burt Bacharach to turn into Joan Baez.
Mr. Bacharach, he of the deceptively complicated "easy listening" hits that held the center through years of rapid change in popular music, drops the bomb on the Bush administration with his new release, "At This Time."
The legendary composer has never seen fit to write the lyrics to his chart toppers, and after a few spins of "Time," it's pretty clear why. Rare is the songwriter, or the music for that matter, less suited to polemics.
Reading the lyrics of "At This Time" is like getting a lecture from a relative whose beer buzz isn't doing anyone any good. He bemoans a world where "nobody is safe" but wraps the sentiment in cranky nostalgia.
The diatribe deepens on "Who Are These People?" with guest crooner Elvis Costello. The pair's first collaboration, the sumptuous "God Give Me Strength," hinted at the heights they potentially could climb, a promise mostly fulfilled on their subsequent album, "Painted From Memory."
This seems like a sad bookend to their union, should it stop now.
It's hard to conjure a more jarring experience than hearing those trademark Bacharach strings swelling to a crescendo -- then giving way to an antiwar yelp.
"This stupid mess we're in just keeps getting worse," Mr. Costello sings, a line bereft of maturity or nuance.
Guest singer Rufus Wainwright fares better on "Go Ask Shakespeare," in which the words draw parallels between the disappointments of modern times and a romance gone wrong.
Elsewhere on "Time," Mr. Bacharach chips in some vocals, and his voice is even thinner than we remember. Perhaps he sought that wounded sound for "Where Did It Go," a track mourning the loss of safety in society. He might have convinced us if not for the song's inherent shallowness.
"At This Time" finds its groove whenever the voices fall away, yet it's a far cry from Mr. Bacharach's radio-friendly past.
The saxophones on "Is Love Enough" soothe, and the instrumental "In Our Time" purrs out of the speakers.
Mr. Bacharach's latest wades through pleasant but forgettable horns and some ghostlike piano playing without denting our subconscious. We're even treated to some drum loops cooked up by Dr. Dre, of all people, but beyond making for an odd, cross-generational pairing, the move is more gimmickry than rewarding.
Mr. Bacharach became an iconic figure in the music industry of the 1960s and '70s by sticking with his brand of lushly orchestrated middle-aged pop in serene defiance of rock's growing dominance of an increasingly young market. He has never sounded more like an anachronism than in straining for contemporary relevance with "At This Time."

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http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=9532

Brandon Sun, Online

Sunday, November 6th, 2005
This time, Bacharach not so easy to listen to
By: Grant Hamilton Email Story Printer Friendly Version

Burt Bacharach

At This Time

(Sony)

As the King of Easy Listening, Burt Bacharach has ruled a certain slice of North American popular culture for decades. He’s one of the classic Vegas-style lounge acts, with a crooner’s voice and a deft songwriter’s touch that has made him perennially popular.

But all those years of musical luminescence can’t help him here. Even the appearances on the album from Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Dr. Dre don’t do a whole lot to spice up what is, at root, a thoroughly boring CD.

That’s not to say that Bacharach doesn’t try. Indeed, for a man of 77, that voice is incredible, and some of the songwriting compositions border on good, but too much of the time Bacharach seems to be resting on his laurels. There aren’t any breakout singles on this album — nothing with the punch or allure of What’s New Pussycat or Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.

Although Bacharach tries to keep himself relevant with references here and there to politics and social issues, but this is mostly an album of love lost and found. It would be wrong to call this a bad album, exactly, since no one of Bacharach’s talent or obvious commitment can help making a minimum level of quality, but there’s precious little here that showcases the songwriting genius of old.

Besides the obvious orchestral arrangements, the addition of Dr. Dre to the lineup produces some brief moments of poppy timeliness, but they’re far too few and far between. Like the occasional Bush-bashing lyric, Dre’s beats mostly sound dissonant and out-of-place on a Bacharach album. Kudos for trying, but a little more work has to be done before the two styles are really ready for their closeup.

Released: Nov. 1

Rating: 1 out of 5

Effort: B

[Bill]

Boy are these reviews way off the mark. This particular line really galls:

"This stupid mess we're in just keeps getting worse," Mr. Costello sings, a line bereft of maturity or nuance.

The lyrics are truthful and straightforward! When has the Bush-Cheney White House ever been either of those things (or "mature" or given to "nuance," for that matter)? The review is not unexpected, though, seeing that it came from the newsprint version of Fox News.

[guest]

C'mon Bill (is that Bill Maher?) - we've already debated the politics. What is really being addressed in these reviews is the artistic merit of the new album compared to BB's earlier works. Building a song around Dr. Dre's drum loops is as bad as Dionne bringing the Hip Hop Nation with Bobby Brown aboard for her 1998 version of "What The World Needs Now Is Love". Come to think of it - Burt utilized part of that lyric on the first cut of his new album "Please Explain" As far as Burt's politics and current frustrations are concerned - he might get his message across more effectively by appearing on Bill Maher's HBO program where he could debate the issues with others.

[Peter Greenhill]

[quote="guest"]C'mon Bill (is that Bill Maher?) - we've already debated the politics. What is really being addressed in these reviews is the artistic merit of the new album compared to BB's earlier works.
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It would be very unusual for any Murdoch publication to give praise to any book, film, tv show or album that critisises Geoge Bush, regardless of it's artistic merit.

Sad but true.

[guest]

Peter:

Do not lose sight of the fact that the mainstream media questions and is critical of everything George Bush "does or does not do". Why must a talented composer like BB do anything to minimize the exposure and acceptance of his great music. If he has something to say politically he should write a book, do guest editorials for the press or appear on television talk shows and debate his positions. What Burt has done is so reminiscent of those award shows where the presenters and recipients voice their political and social positions. There is a time and place for everything. He certainly has the right to verbalize his stance on these complex issues; however, AT THIS TIME may not have been the the right place!

[GehVorbei]

But the review is not from the Post but from the Washington Times which is a hardcore Republican-leaning paper. It is about politics.

[heartlight]

[quote="guest"]Peter:

Do not lose sight of the fact that the mainstream media questions and is critical of everything George Bush "does or does not do". ) end quote

Excuse me, but are we living on the same planet ?? If you truly believe the mainstream media is critical of this Administration, then you are the one who has lost sight of reality. Unfortunately, here in the good ol' USA of 2005 our media has never more resembled PRAVDA than it does now. It's pretty pathetic when a President is so insecure ( and rightfully so ) that he cannot bear to hear or read ( if he does read ) any opposition.

quote:
("Why must a talented composer like BB do anything to minimize the exposure and acceptance of his great music. If he has something to say politically he should write a book, " ) end quote

Burt is not an author of books , but an author of music....So why can he NOT express himself through his medium ? As you admit, he is a talented composer AND he obviously felt the need to vent his disillusionment with the present situation....SO, bravo to him for his efforts and his courage to do so. Perhaps he'll lose an insignificant listening audience but at least he will have the satisfaction of having followed his heart and his convictions.