Grant Lee Buffalo "fuzzy" 1993****

I just returned from watching a concert in The Hague, featuring Grant Lee Buffalo's Grant Lee Phillips and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb. Grant Lee had a cold and apologized for his ragged voice but he was easily the better of the two, although admittedly he couldn't hit the high notes on "Fuzzy". I came back, poured myself a drink, slipped the cd in the stereo, turned on my laptop and started writing. "Fuzzy" is a record I've bought twice, since the original lp didn't survive the great vinyl purge of 2004. In retrospect the great vinyl purge was a bad move but my collection was just sitting in the old family house as it was too big for my bachelor's apartment. I salvaged a small portion (maybe 400-500 records) and emptied out my old room to clear space for my baby nephew. This album from 1993 was the Buffalo's first and a mini-masterpiece that may not have set the charts on fire but got a lot of praise from those who knew best. R.E.M's Michael Stipe for example declared it "The best album of the year, hands down" and asked them to support R.E.M in their tour. The music is alternative rock with folk elements, lyrical piano and acoustic guitars alternating with distorted electric ones. Neil Young, R.E.M, Pearl Jam, 16 Horsepower and The Waterboys are some comparisons that spring to mind. "The Shining Hour" is a fast piano-led song while "Jupiter And Teardrop", "Stars N' Stripes", "The Hook" and (lead single) "Fuzzy" are gorgeous ballads that nevertheless also sport some great electric guitar. "Wish You Well", "Soft Wolf Tread" and (second single) "America Snoring" are alt.rock and "Dixie Drug Store" Americana with blues and soul elements. Listening to this album again so long after it first came out, I can verify that Grant Lee's marvelous voice and strong songwriting remain relevant and impressive 20 years later, which means that it can now rightly be declared a classic. Time for a new generation of music lovers to discover it.

***** for Fuzzy

**** for The Shining Hour, Jupiter And Teardrop, Wish You Well, Stars 'N' Stripes, Dixie Drug Store, America Snoring

*** for The Hook, You Just Have To Be Crazy
** for Soft Wolf Tread, Grace

Grant Lee Phillips and Howe Gelb on stage at the Paard van Troje, earlier tonight