Hitting the Ground by Gordon Gano

Hitting the Ground

Available from Amazon
Usually ships in 6 to 9 days

Hitting the Ground

Features

Audio CD (August 20, 2002)

Number of Discs: 1

Label: Instinct Records

Amazon.com
The Violent Femmes came out swinging in 1983, and with an all-star, generation-spanning cast of characters tackling an array of new tunes, frontman Gordon Gano proves he hasn't lost his punch decades later. While the likes of PJ Harvey, Mary Lou Lord, John Cale, and Lou Reed contribute as performers, Gano the songwriter holds center ring. And at times he takes to the mike, howling out on the title cut ("Make It Happen") and a duet with Martha Wainwright ("It's Money"), proving at every opportunity that he's still got it. --Andrew Bartlett

Reader Reviews
Gano's Violent Femmes body of work tends to be angry, horny or sad, though a cheerful song ("I'm Free," for example) will occasionally pop through the clouds of pheremones. This album is a quite a departure from that. Whether it's because of Gano's mood -- or the performers covering his songs -- is debatable, but "Hitting the Ground" catches the pride of Wisconsin in a distinctly up mood. That doesn't mean this is a homage to Up With People: They Might Be Giants turn "Darlin' Allison" into a wistful, haunting ballad, and Mary Lou Lord's ethereal reading of "Oh Wonder" has an almost religious quality to it. Most of the songs, though, have a seize-the-day message to them, from John Cale's insistent reading of "Don't Pretend" to Gano's nicely done "Make It Happen." The title track, given two pedal-to-the-metal interpretations by Gano and PJ Harvey, deserves to be a fight song, a bar song and a song for any gathering where a group of people are going out to kick something against them. "Hitting the Ground" would be a perfect album if the lyrics weren't so simplistic. Frank Black's ferocious version of "Run" is neturalized by the 10th grade words he delivers ("I run from the east, I run from the west, I run from the place I feel my best" is just a cut above high school poetry). On some songs, like the charming "Merry Christmas Brother," the simplicity works, but on others, like "Run" and Lynda Perry's "So It Goes," the simple lines call attention to themselves and really say nothing meaningful. This CD is still worth a look, though, particularly if you're a fan of any of the performers on it. Their various approaches to Gano's songs underline the Violent Femmes frontman's substantial and underappreciated talent.

Back To Top