Edwin McCain Albums (8)
'Nobody's Fault But Mine'
Release Date 6/24/2008
Tracks 30
Label Time Life
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
One has to hand to it to Edwin McCain. Ten years after his big hit, "I'll Be," appeared on Atlantic's Lava imprint, he's been all over the map and all but lost musically. Yet, he's consistently recorded and toured no matter the economic or critical circumstances. He's also played many different kinds of music, from rootsy, jam-based rock & roll, to introspective solo acoustic shows, to barnstorming Southern R&B dates that are big on covers and crowd-pleasers. In fact, McCain and his band are diverse enough to be able to pull 500 songs out of the hat at any given time. Nobody's Fault But Mine is his first all-covers record and it's solid top to bottom. These covers come from the roots of McCain's raising in Greenville, SC: Southern soul and funk. McCain used most of his road band and some ringers for the date, including the nearly ubiquitous drummer Eddie Bayers; Ivan Neville on various keyboards such as the B-3, Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, clavinet, and backing vocals; and Doug Moffett and Quentin Ware on horns. Guitarist Steve Cropper and singer Joan Osborne both make guest appearances. Produced by veteran Tor Hyams, the approach and mix are loose, dirty, and woolly; the sound Hyams gets here is very immediate and present, nearly live sounding -- and yes, that's a very good thing. It's raw on the edges and warm in the middle. As to the song selection, one can simply say that McCain has cajones: anyone can cover any song, but to be able to take classic soul tracks that have been well defined already and interpret them as if they were your own and/or new songs, while bringing out what made them special in the first place, takes a special kind of audacity, and his song choices are remarkable and terrific. The set opens with a Southern gospel take on Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Can I Get a Witness," which feels like something Delaney Bramlett would have recorded and arranged in his prime. Ike Turner's "Grits Ain't Groceries (All Around the World)" contains all the driving, greasy funk of the original, while McCain's vocal touches on both Ike's and Joe Cocker's, yet remains firmly his own. The horns are killer as they move up against the whomp of chunka-chunka guitar chops. The reading of Carolyn Franklin's "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)," with its female backing chorus, is right up there in the red; it's got the elegance and exuberance of the original, but McCain's gritty approach takes it to another place. It's more desperate -- every minute counts in this singer's universe and the determination in it is based on survival instinct as well as resolve. Another killer is the steamy, nasty rock guitar in the fabulous "I Can't Get Next to You," by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield (famously recorded by the Temptations) that brings out the blues element in the tune; though it's slower, it's smokin'. The set closes with Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams to Remember," featuring Osborne. This ballad reveals the strength and vulnerability in McCain's voice, and though Osborne's vocal was recorded elsewhere, it feels live whether she's singing in call and response or in the backing chorus. It is simply stunning. Covers albums are risky, but McCain pulls this off with swaggering confidence. There isn't a dud in this 15-song set. It seems weird that a covers album might define an artist; time will tell. But this one surely comes close. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Edwin McCain's seventh studio effort, Lost in America, features more of the heartfelt, adult contemporary rock he's become known for. Falling somewhere between the classicist melodic pop of Matthew Sweet and the more contemporary songcraft of Train, McCain has a knack for mixing melodies and lyrics that hark back as much to the workman-like aesthetic of '60s Brill Building pop as it does to '70s singer/songwriters. While nothing on Lost in America stands out as much as his biggest hit, "I'll Be," off his 1999 album Messenger, fans of that song should find much to like here. Notably, such jangly, evocative, and emotionally resonate tunes as "The Kiss," "My Mystery," and "Losing Tonight" are immediately likeable. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide
'Scream & Whisper'
Release Date 6/22/2004
Tracks 14
Label RT. / Utr Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
At this point in Edwin McCain's career, it's clear that he has no plans to deviate from the folk-pop aesthetic he's embraced since his debut, Honor Among Thieves, but instead will spend his time continuing to play the light, jangly music that dominated the light rock airwaves in the early to mid-'90s. With Scream & Whisper, McCain seems to focus lyrically on illustrating his fall from major-label status. His vague references to these apparently troublesome days come along in simple rhymes such as in the opening track, "Coming Down," where he states, "Your mom and dad have missed you and I'm sure your friends agree/There's no substitute of solitude and anonymity." Later in the song, McCain blows any chance of driving home the point he tries to reiterate in each of these label-story tracks -- which is his comfort and optimism in his new, less public life -- when he inexplicably changes from third person to first person and fishes for pity: "When I'm a million miles away, will no one even care?" The trouble with this is not that McCain might be experiencing conflict readjusting to a new pace, or that he feels slighted by the industry, but that it feels as though he's not being honest with the listener. He never taps the anger or hurt that seems to be dogging him, but instead relies on a series of clichés (plenty of references to the dazzling starry sky and burdensome locks and chains pepper the album), which he oddly addresses in the song "Say Anything" with the lyric, "It's not that the words aren't there but they'd only fail my emotions/Just want to feel this way without chaining you down to some old cliché." ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's really impossible to fault Edwin McCain. There might not be anything particularly original about him, but he turns out good, memorable songs. And it seems like recording in Austin agreed with him: The overall sound, a sort of Dire Straits fronted by John Cougar Mellencamp with a touch of J.J. Cale, has a definite homespun, lightly funky charm (indeed, he covers Mark Knopfler's "Romeo and Juliet" here). Kicking off with a strong one-two punch on "Let It Slide" ( folky with a smidgen of gospel) and "No Choice" (folky with a smidgen of Celtic), there's a fairly acoustic groove to the music. That doesn't stop the pop quotient, though -- "Little Girls" could be straight out of the Mellencamp songbook, and "Popcorn Box" has a winning chord sequence. Sure, at times thoughts of Bruce Hornsby and Marc Cohn spring to mind, but in a way that's part of what makes McCain so successful; his songs tend to sound a little like things you've heard, which keeps them velcroed to the mind. And he can tell a good story with his lyrics, as on "Alive." On The Austin Sessions he's not trying to be anything but himself, laid-back and never attempting to be a rocker. Maybe he's really found himself at last. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's tough to fault Edwin McCain for basically making the same album over again, since each has at least a handful of hummable pop rockers as good as his fluke, lighter-raising ballad hit, "I'll Be." Falling between Hootie's bar-brand strum rock and a more aggressive Counting Crows, McCain's honest, sand/honey vocals, along with his knack for a hook, keep this release alive. The material is hit-and-miss, with the ballads and gospelly tracks -- like "Jesus, He Loves Me" -- undoubtedly the strong points and the trashy rockers sounding forced and stiff. The poppy "One Thing Left" strays into jazzy territory and gives some room for McCain's under-utilized sax player, Craig Shields, to open up. McCain missteps on the punky "Get out of This Town," which sounds like lukewarm Billy Idol and sticks out uncomfortably in a disc that should be content to wallow in slow-dance smooch songs like "Kentucky" and "Hearts Fall," the latter of which adds a string section to further tug at the wedding slow-dance crowd. Even a twang rocker like "Sun Will Rise" has hit-single potential in a Train sort of way, sporting a memorably melodic chorus that rhymes "rise," "skies," and "eyes" so simplistically you're almost ashamed to sing along with it. But sing along you will, which makes Edwin McCain a better-than-average strum-rocker with a talent for churning out an album like Far From Over once every few years. No apologies are needed as long as he stays fixed on his strengths and leaves the rock & roll to more competent bands. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Edwin McCain is not flashy, nor does he wish to be. He is perfectly content with writing folk-tinged ballads and mildly anthemic, midtempo rockers, much like his labelmates and fellow South Carolinians Hootie & the Blowfish. Whereas Hootie broke down the commercial doors for this breed of heartland rock, McCain simply follows the path, winding up where Hootie was after Cracked Rear View -- namely, with a solid collection of no-frills rock, one that pleases without being particularly memorable, outside of a handful of singles. He was that way from the first, and his third effort, Messenger, is no different apart from the subtle differences -- stylish, radio-ready production from Matt Serletic (a veteran of Matchbox 20 and Collective Soul) and stronger overall songcraft from McCain. These subtle differences are enough to make Messenger his most consistent album to date, at least sonically, but these are primarily cosmetic changes; beneath the surface, it's pretty much the same album as before, with an equal balance of winners and fillers (most notably an acoustic version of the previous album's hit, "I'll Be," tacked onto the end). That's no great sin, especially since most artists following this brand of trad rock have the same problem, but it is a little frustrating, since production becomes the only way to separate the records. Nevertheless, the best moments from all three records constitute a body of work that stands up strongly to his peers, and the best moments from Messenger illustrate that McCain is getting better each time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Edwin McCain's second album, Misguided Roses, doesn't differ greatly from his debut. It has the same jangly, anthemic rock that made his music a favorite of such contemporaries as Hootie & the Blowfish, only with a slightly heftier electric kick. His songwriting and singing have improved and the best moments on Misguided Roses surpass those on Honor Among Thieves. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Edwin McCain's major-label debut is more polished than his independent record, but his acoustic-based mix of folk, pop, soul, and jazz remains compelling on Honor Among Thieves. The professional production brings out the pop elements of McCain's music and, consequently, makes it more accessible. ~ Sara Sytsma, All Music Guide
