|
Wainwright's directly autobiographical songs are both brutally honest
and extremely funny. Usually he plays alone, but here he gets a full folk/rock
backup, which brings out the pop implications of his music. His fluke
hit "Dead Skunk" is here, and so is "Red Guitar,"
about the destruction of one.
(William Ruhlmann, All
Music Guide)
|
| "A "new Dylan" with critical acclaim but
few fans, Loudon Wainwright III moved to Columbia Records and traded his
prior albums' unadorned voice and guitar for a higher-octane folk-rock ensemble
sound on this 1972 release. The strategy earned the WASP-ish troubadour
the left-field Top 40 hit "Dead Skunk," which is still his best-known
song--a Pyrrhic victory that confirmed Wainwright's wit and roguish vocal
style, but obscured the depth and nuance of his pointedly autobiographical
material. Album III offers more telling, if still funny, glimpses of its
author, as well as more sobering slices of his deceptively concise art.
Most striking of all is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it "Red Guitar,"
which in less than two minutes paints a startling self portrait of the rage
behind the smirk." (Sam Sutherland) |
Plattentipp 
