Grant Lee Buffalo Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
With the departure of bassist Paul Kimble, Grant Lee Buffalo became the sole province of singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips; he may still be supported by drummer Joey Peters, but now, more than ever, he is the main focal point. With Kimble left, some of the band's appealingly messy ambition has been reigned in, resulting in a brighter, sharper sound. And that means Jubilee, the group's fourth record, doesn't quite hit the heights of Fuzzy and Mighty Joe Moon, but it's arguably their most consistent effort yet, simply because it puts Phillips' songwriting on full display. He still has eclecticism in his blood -- there's everything from lumbering hard rock to sweet country tunes on the album -- but his skills have grown; he now has the ability to make it all sound like it was coming from the same source, instead of different planets. Consequently, Jubilee does sound joyous -- Grant Lee Buffalo fills the record with more genuine ambition and accomplishment than many of their peers have managed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
1996's Copperopolis is an album that lurks in a strange sort of limbo -- it's a fine record that also happens to be Grant Lee Buffalo's weakest LP. Grant Lee Phillips was still writing fine songs and his voice was as compelling as ever, but the relative simplicity of the group's first album, Fuzzy, had fallen by the wayside as Phillips, percussionist Joey Peters and producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Kimble embraced the possibilities of the studio and while the more layered sound is often striking, the simpler dynamics of Fuzzy are ultimately more powerful. While the group was clearly still capable of making good music together, there's also a sense that Grant Lee Buffalo was starting to reach the end of their possibilities on these sessions, and as strong as the tunes are from a melodic standpoint, lyrically they were becoming cryptic to the point of having no clear meaning. Significantly, most of Copperopolis' faults don't become clear until after repeated listenings; the surfaces of this album are lovely and impressive, but the nooks and crannies don't hold the telling secrets of this group's earlier works. Copperopolis would prove to be the last album from the original Grant Lee Buffalo lineup, and while the music they made on these sessions is often beautiful, it never reaches the heights this group seems capable of, even if they do come close on a few tunes. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With their second album, Grant Lee Buffalo strip back their sound to its bare essentials, which accentuates Grant Lee Phillips' rural myths. Not only does the approach make songs like "Lone Star Song" rock viciously, but it also makes the bittersweet beauty of ballads like the gorgeous "Mockingbirds" all the more poignant. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When Grant Lee Buffalo cut their debut album, 1993's Fuzzy, they had a distinct advantage over most bands making their first trip to the studio -- vocalist and guitarist Grant Lee Phillips, bassist Paul Kimble and drummer Joey Peters had already recorded two LPs together as members of the then-recently defunct Shiva Burlesque, and most of Fuzzy's 11 songs dated back to SB's latter days. This goes a long way towards explaining how Grant Lee Buffalo were able to make an album as confident and solidly crafted as Fuzzy, but it was even more significant that Phillips had a marvelous voice, wrote fine and evocative songs, and was fortunate enough to be working with sympathetic accompanists who had a good idea of how to tap into the mysterious melodic structures of his music. (Kimble was an especially valuable ally in the studio, helping to produce and engineer these recordings and giving this album its full, widescreen sound.) Fuzzy is Grant Lee Buffalo's most satisfying album; while the group would expand on their musical formula over their next three albums, this album's relative simplicity and striking dynamics ultimately serve these songs better than the more elaborate recordings that would follow, and tunes like "Soft Wolf Tread," "Dixie Drug Store" and the title cut fuse the richly American imagery of the burgeoning alt country movement with a California gothic sensibility that was all their own. Fuzzy is deep and mysterious stuff, but also very beautiful and crafted with imagination and care, and it's no wonder Grant Lee Buffalo became critic's darlings shortly after this was released. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
