DavidByrne.com - Grown Backwards reviews

GROWN BACKWARDS ALBUM PRESS/REVIEWS

Rolling Stone Magazine's Critic's Poll of '04 picks Grown Backwards
"Who else would have the balls to tackle a couple of arias — and who else could make you want to listen again?"
Chris Rubin, Rolling Stone 1.05

DB Portrait

David Byrne [interview with Dave Eggers]
"The act of singing [live] recreates the emotions that went into the songs in the first place — like adding water to freeze-dried food."
The Believer, Music Issue, 6.04

Binary Stars
Sensually syncopative Brazilian and American alter egos do their part for global warming
Village Voice, 4.26.04

Intended or not, the album physically reflects and inserts the listener.
With its themes centered on the amusing and tragic nuances of seemingly mundane human behavior, Byrne has crafted a personal album for all, confronting us with our greatest fears and flaws — mainly mortality.
www.Pitchforkmedia.com, 4.2.04

Music Growing Old Gracefully
Columbia Spectator, 3.23.04

...But opera?
...Yet the tracks are oddly compelling, and play a key role in "Grown Backwards," Byrne's most melodic and accessible solo album....
Associated Press, 3.22.04

Inside the mind of David Byrne;
Misunderstood genius or cold-hearted egomaniac or both? Peter Ross goes head to head with a truly enigmatic star.
Sunday Herald, Glasgow, 3.21.04

The signs point toward a pretentious disaster...
...However, this is no vanity project — it's a lighthearted, occasionally satiric romp....
Philadelphia Inquirer, 3.21.04

Byrne takes quirks in new direction
David Byrne's "Grown Backward" blurs the line between rational and absurd by melding delightfully confusing lyrics with an unlikely orchestral backing...
Associated Press, 3.20.04

Not just a talking head
It's not unfair to say that David Byrne is a strange man...
Guardian Unlimited, UK, 3.19.04

For the aptly titled and absolutely lovely "Grown Backwards,"
Byrne started the songs from melodies he hummed into a tape recorder, then subsequently built the tracks around his aural sketches....
Chicago Tribune, 3.18.04

Byrne not just a Talking Head
When lead singers of rock bands go solo, the shadow of their former selves can't help but loom large. Yet that hasn't been the case for David Byrne...
Daily Herald, 3.18.04

David Byrne has always tried to push the boundaries of pop music
by incorporating world and other influences into his songs. He takes things a step further on "Grown Backwards," his latest album, with a pair of arias....
The Hartford Courant, 3.18.04

With True Stories, Byrne made a movie about how weird Texans are.
With Grown Backwards, he has made a CD about how eloquent Texans are...
Dallas Morning Herald, 3.18.04

David Byrne's new album starts with a melody that seems to be a
lullaby, and then — after it woos you — it breaks your heart...
Live Daily, 3.17.04

Grown Backwards
No sense burying the lead: David Byrne wants to be an opera star....
Washington Post, 3.17.04

Byrne puts the melody ahead of the beat
David Byrne says he recorded his new CD "Grown Backwards" (Nonesuch) from the "top down," starting with the melodies that he hummed into a microcassette recorder. It shows....
Newsday, 3.16.04

David Byrne, Grown Backwards
For a while, it looked like David Byrne couldn't get any weirder--but then he did. The former Talking Heads member's last solo album was a collaboration with the peeps from Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian...
E! Online, 3.16.04

A singing head keeps his creative edge
NY Newsday, 3.16.04

Ride with Byrne bumpy but fun
What to make of David Byrne, jack of sundry styles, master of none?
On "Grown Backwards," the ex-Talking Heads innovator tries French pop,
electronica, bossa nova, chamber music and Broadway...
Washington Times, 3.16.04

The last time we heard from David Byrne, he was shaking
maracas, making screwball techno records and threatening to sue...
San Francisco Chronicle, 3.14.04

Byrne's latest displays no fear of classical music
On the surface, David Byrne singing opera makes about as much sense as
Pavarotti tackling punk...
Star Ledger, 3.14.04

David Byrne, Grown Backwards
Long a sonic shape-shifter, David Byrne's latest effort abandons the make-believe mambos and trip-hop detours of past albums in favor of something a little more elegant: stately chamber pop, with a splash of opera....
Daily Camera, 3.12.04

David Byrne, Grown Backwards
...is one of his most rewarding experiments yet, an exploration of songwriting over decades and even centuries...
Guardian Unlimited, UK, 3.12.04

Byrne hits high notes on 'Grown'
Now defined by his own genre, the ex-Talking Head ventures into opera
with his new album
Oregon Daily Emerald, 3.11.04

Essential Reviews
For his first Nonesuch outing, David Byrne offers a series of intimate songs in
which his voice takes center stage...
Billboard Magazine, 3.11.04

Reviews
Even by his own musical standards, David Byrne's latest outing is something of a
head-spinner, what with the variety of styles and offbeat collaborations...
Barnes & Noble, 3.11.04

Classical gas
David Byrne fuels his melodic new pop CD with strings & arias
New York Daily News, 3.1.04

David Byrne Looks 'Backwards'
Billboard, 2.4.04

David Byrne, Rufus Sing Opera
Former Talking Head tackles another genre on upcoming solo album
Rolling Stone Magazine, 1.29.04

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