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 Mike Doughty Just Grows On You Nov 10, 2009
Sad Man Happy Man is the latest is a string of terrifc Mike Doughty recordings. While I'd have to say this one is just a bit off compared to his others, his work is so terrific that it's a must have anyway. A great modern poet, songwriter, and musician, his songs grow on you the more you listen.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 +1/2 -- Ex-Soul Coughing lead dovetails his group and solo work Oct 19, 2009
Mike Doughty's had a solo career that's long enough to nearly obscure his years as lead singer of Soul Coughing. His latest reels back in the guitar, bass, drums and keyboard layers of last year's Golden Delicious, and though his acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument here, he doesn't retreat fully to the sound of his solo debut Skittish. His syncopated strumming and vocals hold down the center with the usual level of energy, and there are low string drones that add weight, drums to further propel the beat, and some twangy trills, skittish violin notes and sonic washes that make this more than rock reduced to folk. Doughty not only returns to guitar-and-voice centered productions, but also the beat-rap poetry style he favored earlier in his career.
Doughty's lyrics include lost and reconsidered love, introspective questioning and optimistic possibilities, and stretch out to carefully constructed rhymes and elliptical couplets. The latter flow smoothly, but leave their deeper meanings for listeners to decide; it's enough to make one long for an annotated lyric sheet. College DJs should track down the Hombres' "Let it All Hang Out" for a good segue with Doughty's "Pleasure on Credit" (though you'll need to watch out for the s-word 32-seconds in). Twelve originals and a cover of Daniel Johnston's "Caspar the Friendly Ghost" will please fans of Doughty's early solo work, and fans of his earlier work with Soul Coughing will happily welcome his lyrical and sing-rap style. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]
I should be and am doubly gratified. Oct 17, 2009
Love it. This CD will probably melt in the dashboard of my car from over use. If you like any Doughty, but this record. If your friends like any Doughty, buy this record. Your grandchildren will thank you.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Boxing up the days Oct 16, 2009
4.5 Stars.
Mike Doughty's post-Soul Coughing career has been pretty impressive. His initial solo recordings (Skittish and Rockity Roll) had a unique homemade sound, which emphasized the quality of his witty, often sarcastic but also sometimes frighteningly honest songs. He took a step back towards a more produced sound with 2005's Haughty Melodic, probably his best recording to date. The songs on that album are some of my favorites of all time, and I can think of few other albums I come back to as often as that one. Perhaps this is why I found the follow-up, Golden Delicious (2008), to be missing something. Although it has grown on me, too much of that record still sounds like paint-by-numbers Mike, or Mike not really challenging himself.
This new release does a lot to correct the mistakes of the past one. The songs are once again consistently engaging, and Mike has returned to a more homemade sound. This suits him well and gives the songs space to breathe. This song cycle deals a lot with overcoming hard times, be it rejection from a girl or just rough experiences in general. It fits the stage Mike is at in his life, as a recovering addict who has obviously learned his lessons the hard way. Other songs are bouncy fun (albeit with some dark undertones) such as "Pleasure On Credit." I also enjoy the engaging story-songs, which are written with enough detail to make them relatable. The closing cover of Daniel Johnston's "Casper The Friendly Ghost" is touching and suits Mike's style of playing very well. The stripped-down instrumentation (augmented sometimes by a cello) is just enough to make the point, which for Mike is all that is needed.
Although I am still hoping for another recording of the same quality as Haughty Melodic, this is pretty close and well worth your time. I'd say I am already addicted.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Happy with Sad Man Happy Man Oct 10, 2009
When I was a kid my uncle would give me his Led Zeppelin 8 tracks because he wore them out playing them over and over. It's a good thing that times change and Haughty Melodic and Golden Delicious easily work overtime on my iPod. Haughty Melodic was such a masterpiece part of me thought it had to be a fluke. I was expecting Golden Delicious to be Haughty Melodic II. It wasn't. It was every bit as well crafted as HM and over time has taken on a life of it's own.
There is plenty of ink slinging on Sad Man Happy Man. "Sweet lousy cupcakes of lies", "Bangkok to Antioch" and "incredible bulk" go hand in glove with "I'm a roustabout And I'm bound to roust you out" and "skin so fine and red lips rose-like now". Where SMHM really distinguishes itself from the previous two albums is it's mostly done on acoustic guitar and the cello. Either way, it still rocks.
I would never recommend that you see Return of the Jedi if you somehow managed to miss Star Wars and Empire. This is a slightly different. If you do not own any Mike Doughty albums you are missing out. Get them all and listen to them in any order you want.
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