Neil Halstead Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
While no one was watching, Neil Halstead has become one of the most reliable singer/songwriters around. First with shoegaze heroes Slowdive and then with the always excellent Mojave 3, he's been crafting lovely melodies and quietly hooky tunes like some kind of machine that runs (and runs) on broken hearts, melancholy glances, and teardrops. His first solo album, Sleeping on Roads, was a lush and warm almanac of hushed vocals and Nick Drake-inspired songcraft that typically slipped under the radar. His second solo album, Oh! Mighty Engine, released on fellow surfer Jack Johnson's Brushfire imprint, features a similarly laid-back sound built mainly on Halstead's nylon-stringed guitar but with plenty of piano, pedal steel, and atmosphere in the mix. The vibe throughout the record is pure summer afternoon when the warmth of the sun gets you in its grip and won't let go, leaving a quiet strum and some melancholic nostalgia as the only options. Each song conjures up this feeling, one after another as the album unspools. There are no moments of clamor, and no raised voices. Instead, the record relies on Halstead's gently comforting voice and light touch to set the mood, and settles for nice turns of phrase and a good-natured calm to get the emotions across. Like most of his post-Slowdive work, this album isn't going to win Halstead too much favor critically or commercially, but anyone who holds songcraft, emotional restraint, and melodic grace in high regard should give the peaceful and sincere Oh! Mighty Engine a chance. It's ranks right up there with Halstead's best work, which is saying plenty. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In which Neil Halstead is finally able to show everyone that he is the real talent of Mojave 3! Hurrah! OK, maybe not: Anyone who has looked at songwriting credits on a Mojave 3 record will tell you that the idea of a Halstead solo record sounds completely pointless. Even a casual fan is led to believe that Halstead's band is his band -- meaning he writes the songs and calls the shots. With a Halstead solo record a reality, you have to fight the urge to throw your arms up in puzzlement because the wrong member of Mojave 3 has made a solo record. History says that the second fiddle goes off to release a work of his own; the one who writes most of the material -- or, in this case, almost everything -- doesn't need another outlet. But apparently listeners have been duped and Mojave 3 is more of a democracy than had been imagined. More importantly, Halstead is too prolific and restless to leave these previously orphaned songs unrecorded. So, after a relationship bust-up that left him homeless, he set up shop in a hospitable studio and made a record with some friends pitching in. One of those friends was Mojave 3 drummer Ian McCutcheon, so it could be said that this record is a la-la-la and a few basslines away from a Mojave 3 record. It certainly doesn't sound that much different from a Mojave 3 record, if not quite as excellent due to the less than prime quality of some of the songs. Aside from a prominent synth shading here, an uncharacteristically loud burst of guitar there, and Halstead's preference to pick instead of strum, this is a logical, if rather slight, progression from the third Mojave 3 record. And that's just fine, actually. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
