This is Michael Mixerr. Today I will review New Bohemians - Ghost of a Dog.
Geffen was never really supportive of the New Bohemians as Geffen sabotaged every chance to promote the Ghost of a Dog album correctly in a proper manner. Geffen did not properly invest in or promote the Ghost of a Dog album to its full potential. Otherwise this album would've been a success and we would've seen 6 albums from New Bohemians by now. To put it bluntly, Geffen never really knew how to market the band in a proper manner to their full potential in order to rise to success and stardom.
Geffen dropped the ball when they fired Brandon Aly from the band. That was the ultimate worst decision Geffen made for the band overall. Brandon Aly was the spirit, soul, and chemistry behind their band. He was the chemistry of the band. Edie Brickell and her band members were devastated when that happened which ultimately led them to resent their label Geffen. Geffen's decision to fire Brandon Aly can be attributed to why this album's chemistry is much different.
Edie Brickell gave her band members more creative control and business decisions in the recording process of Ghost of a Dog which is why the musical style, sound, art design, and songwriting are different from the last album. The song writing is significantly different from their other album such as It's Like This and Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars. Mostly the chemistry is different as well.
Album sales for Ghost of a Dog were considered a commercial disappointment. Ghost of a Dog sold around 500,000 units almost reaching gold status whereas Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars went 2x platinum selling over 2 million units (over 2,000,000). Overall the sales were disappointing. The album had underperformed on the charts in the years of 1990 and 1991. New Bohemians and Geffen were expecting their sophomore album to go platinum. Geffen kind of overpromised in a way. Disappointing album sales could be the reason why the Ghost of a Dog album was overlooked. Ghost of a Dog was overlooked by critics, fans, and the general public altogether. People have slept on this album.
This album is an album that can truly capture a genuine moment. That statement goes for everyone and anyone including New Bohemians fans. Any moment this album is played, New Bohemians fans will appreciate the sound. New Bohemians fans, old and new, will truly appreciate this album.
Ghost of a Dog is an acoustic gem of sorrow, death, and mystery. Mystery represents the unknown in Ghost of a Dog. The dog is the symbol of death. Mournful sorrow are a couple of words that describe this song perfectly. So is the word mystery. This is a quiet song that is considered to be a calm soothing song. The instrumentation is perfectly appropriate for the mood.
Carmelito is an equestrian tale about 2 free spirits that rode fiery horses. Their names were Carmelito and Vandito. They are wild and free spirits traveling several miles across America; land of the free. Both of the horses represent the wild and free spirits. Freedom is a common element on Carmelito. The mood is playful.
Black & Blue deals with aspects of abuse such as emotional abuse or physical abuse. Child abuse is one example. Overall, Black & Blue deals with abuse. Visions of abuse are replaced with lyrics instead. This is the reason why abuse is so rampant all over the song.
New Bohemians go all out as the band members sing to their hearts content on Woyaho being that Woyaho is a sing-a-long song to sing to. Woyaho resembles rather a chant or a hymn. It is obvious Edie Brickell gave her band members more creative control with this song as all of the band members are included in the song. Woyaho can be deemed as a posse cut.
Stwisted is a mellow acoustic tune written by Edie Brickell herself. Also Stwisted is a raw mellow tune. Stwisted is quite similar to Strings of Love in comparison. Edie Brickell shines very swell on the Stwisted song.
Strings of Love is a complicated love song that proves to be something special. Times Like This is a quiet song considered to be a calm soothing song. The instrumentation selection is perfectly appropriate. Oak Cliff Bra is a raw mellow tune about the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas.
I rate this album, Ghost of a Dog, 4/5****
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