COMICOPERA

Wyatt's latest effort is broken into three different "acts" with each covering 5 or 6 tracks. The first one is titled "lost in noise" and is probably the most grounded of the three, dealing with love and relationships. The second song "Just As You Are" grabbed me immediately: it has to be one of the least romantic, and yet most beautiful, love songs ever written. Two people basically looking at each other and saying hey, we're not perfect, we could both split, or we can love each other without trying to change each other. In my opinion, that is true love.cherishing someone without trying to change who they naturally are, even if it means your life with them may not be the storybook you were told you were entitled to. Quite a rebellious notion these days when children are told from school age that they are special and can "have it all" which they then apply to people by expecting partners to make them happy. Wyatt's lover in the song (portrayed by Monica Vasconcelos) lays her feelings out there and his fragile, yearning response is gripping. He says please accept me warts and all, but leaves the door open that one day he may not "be weak and stupid" any longer. But no promises, love.Were the whole album as direct and simply beautiful I may call it a masterpiece but it does not remain this good throughout. Act 2 "the here and the now" will take some shots at Christianity and Islam ("put a sock in it") while lamenting the position of the non-believer as well ("I feel so sad and lonely, no one to tell me what to do.") I still enjoyed much of Act 2 with its delicate, often sparse arrangements and Robert's beautiful frail voice speaking honestly about the human condition. Not to mention his deliciously wicked sense of humor, his horn, and the other fine instrumental sections. It is Act 3 "away with the faeries" where he lost me. As much as I love both foreign language progressive and experimental music, I never bought his take on either here. I thought this section sank into rather forced, pretentious, cerebral for-the-sake-of-it doodling-which can sometimes be a great thing.but here I found it a mess. Not enough to tank the album for me, but enough to lower the rating to merely "good." The lyric booklet is very well done with the tasteful art shown on the cover in larger form. 6/10

Share this ROBERT WYATT review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Finnforest
• Report this review (#172366)
• Buy ROBERT WYATT music online with PA partners
• Show all ROBERT WYATT MP3/Stream
• Go to ROBERT WYATT page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Comicopera page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ROBERT WYATT related discussions