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Bachelor No. 2

Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 Audio CD

A fair review of the Aimee Mann "Bachelor No. 2" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Aimee Mann reviews here, or go back to the Aimee Mann tabs.

Band: Aimee Mann
Title: Bachelor No. 2
Rating:

Release Date: 2000-03-28
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: How Am I Different 2: Nothing Is Good Enough 3: Red Vines 4: The Fall of the World's Own Optimist 5: Satellite 6: Deathly 7: Ghost World 8: Calling It Quits 9: Driving Sideways 10: Just like Anyone 11: Susan 12: It Takes All Kinds 13: You Do

Just Buy It!
I cringed every time "Voices Carry" came on the radio, which was about once every 10 minutes. I lived in Boston when Aimee Mann arrived on the national music scene with Till Tuesday. It was more fun to hear Gang Green at the Rat cover the song as an angry punk song.

I knew that Aimee Mann had a solo career but really didn't know much about it. I mean, it's not like her record company ever *promoted* her or anything. (And now that rock 'n' roll radio is dead, you'll *never* hear Aimee Mann's music on the radio. )

In 2003 or so, my wife and I caught her at UCLA in Los Angeles. The show was great. The shining moment of the gig was when they played Deathly. It was one of the most memorable experiences of any concert I've ever been to, and I've been to more than most people.

After that, I was hooked. My wife bought me this album and I went out and bought all the others.

So buy this album. Buy all of Aimee's albums. You won't be sorry.

Fires on all cylinders...
Still, precious few manage to stay in constant rotation. We live in an age that gives most of us access to virtually every recording ever made, and as a result some of us have 1000's of albums. For me, "Bachelor #2" is one of them.

There is some prime, desperate music here. My personal favorite, "Driving Sideways" is not only lyrically searing, but that guitar solo is one of the most powerful in recent memory, particularly from this genre that leans more towards structure than the shreds. Great tune.

My second favorite, "Deathly," manages a feeling of dread and cynicism that's gonna ring true with a lot of people. And, interestingly enough, it sports more crunchy, ethereal guitar work. While I generally gave up air guitar once I hit my 30's, I still get caught now and again with this one. Damn that's embarrassing.

There is a manifest Beatles influence here, and I'm willing to bet that you'll find few people who object to this. It also appears in her husband's (M. Penn) work. It's most clearly evidenced with the ultra-pop backing harmonies, but also sneaks in with subtle trumpets here and there. And, like the Beatles before her, the hooks here are infectious and instantly addictive.

The content here isn't puppy dogs and rainbows, not by a long shot. But the marriage of desperate (again with that word) lyrics and the consummate pop craftsmanship makes this one of THE best albums I own. I have turned many people on to it - people cut from all sorts of cloths, and every single one of them LOVE it. And though five stars is an almost perfunctory rating given by fanboys and tossed around with as much depth as "I love you" or, "The check is in the mail" - in this case I dole out the 5 because this album is a true masterpiece. I'm not the ultimate arbiter of Taste and you should take my opinion for what it is. But wow, I hope for your sake that you get this album. I'm taking this one to the grave. .

America's Answer to Sarah McLachlan
2 was a comeback album for one of the breakout hits of the 80's, Til Tuesday's Aimee Mann. Bachelor No. With hits like "Love in a Vacuum" and "Voices Carry," the Boston-based band seemed to be on the verge of superstardom; however, the band broke up and Aimee tried for years to establish herself as a solo act more interested in artistic merit rather than commercial success. It wasn't until 1999 when Aimee, after establishing her own record label, broke through and succeeded in her goal. The intricate detail in her writing is evident in every track on this album, particularly on the song, Deathly, my personal favorite due to its moving orchestration and the way she uses her voice like an instrument to draw the listener into the emotion of the piece. Other standouts are Cigarettes and Redvines, The Fall of the World's Own Optimist, Save Me, the song nominated for an Oscar from the soundtrack of the movie "Magnolias," and Calling it Quits. If you haven't heard much from Aimee and are looking for some sort of comparison, I believe that she and Sarah McLachlan have a lot in common. They tend to take a long time in between producing albums, they try new approaches when they do produce their music, and they are both geniuses as writers as well as performers which their albums plainly demonstrate. Aimee Mann is a fantastic artist who writes deadly-accurate lyrics. You would do well to purchase this album along with her other, "Lost in Space. " .

Ignore The Review Below--This is a Timeless Classic
I love a lot of the stuff that Aimee has done, but this is my favorite from start to finish. This CD never gets old. "Red Vines", "How Am I Different" and "Deathly" (to name 3) rank with Aimee's finest work--thoughtful, original lyrics set against highly melodic, catchy, almost Beatlesque rock. What strikes me about Bachelor #2 is how it stands up to repeated (and repeated) play. I buy a lot of music, and this is definitely one of my Top Ten of the last ten years or so. Take my word for it. If you like good music, you'll love Bachelor #2. .

Her songs exhibit an excellent voice who is betrayed by the quality of these songs.
Mann considers her lyrics/songs on Bachelor No. I am pretty sure that Ms. 2 to be profound and poetic, but in reality her songs are relentlessly repetitious and simplistically negative, not to mention virulently and bluntly anti-male. She really needs to listen to the songs of Mindy Smith and Patty Griffin to get a handle on how to write songs.

Ms. Mann has a lovely voice and her Christmas album is good and even brilliant at times. But this album buries emotions, truth, love, hate, sorrow, hurt etc under a mountain of negativity.

I understand that Ms. Mann has quite an assertive and strong personality who fights record companies and probably anyone else who disagrees with her. Nevertheless, she should take some advice and start singing songs written by other writers--her lovely voice is betrayed by the mediocrity of her own songs.

You can see a complete list of all Aimee Mann discography, or go back to the Aimee Mann tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.