HIS NAME IS ALIVE - Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth / Last Night

10'02

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HIS NAME IS ALIVE
Last Night
(CAD2210CD) 4AD 2002
13 Tracks. 63mins35secs.
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Warn Defever: the exclusive interview here...

A complete departure from the usual HNIA sound, the predecessor to Last Night, Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth, took the band’s enormous and devoted fan base completely by surprise, alienating a fair few in the process. For ten years, during which time band members changed a few times, Warn Defever had driven his project from the dark ethereal ambiences of Livonia and Home Is In Your Head to the indie rock of the following three albums. Someday… however was the result of Defever’s fascination for singer Lovetta Pippen’s voice, who debuted on the band’s previous album, Fort Lake, after he managed to convince her to leave her gospel choir to join His Name Is Alive. Built around her singing abilities, the album explored the realms of classic soul and R’n’B.
Further fruit of the Defever/Pippen collaboration, Last Night is, in Warn’s own words, more an extension of Someday… than a continuation. Ditching the hi-tech sound of the last album for a more organic touch, this album, recorded while the pair was considering touring, marks a return to guitars and more conventional rock forms. The charges of electricity, characteristic of the HNIA of the past, are replaced by more intimate acoustic soundscapes, unearthing on the way some of Defever’s funk and jazz influences (Someday My Prince Will Come, Train), occasionally turning the power back on (I Have Special Powers). Daring enough to play Jimi Hendrix on his own terrain with the cover of In From The Storm, Defever keeps remarkably in the background for the rest of the album, leaving Lovetta to capture the imagination of the listener. The epic and haunting title track, possibly one of the best songs heard this year, establishes the more straightforward and direct approach to the soulful melodies carved by Defever, bringing all the beauties hidden behind Someday’s polished production in full light, Lovetta appears more fragile and vulnerable, yet she drives the performance with confidence and determination. Her rendition of Teardrops, originally penned by Eddy Grant’s Equals and I Have Special Powers is breathtaking, while she captivates equally on the more laidback Devil’s Night and the beautiful and stripped down I Can See Myself In Her, where her gentle emotional touches acts as many spots of colour on a blank canvas.
Last Night will no doubt reconcile Defever with his usual fans, possibly bringing them round to open up to Someday in the process. He has found in Pippen the ideal partner to bring out the best of his musical abilities.

Warn Defever: the exclusive interview here...

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TRACK LISTING

01	Deep	08	Do You Want To Come To My Party
02	Last Night	09	Someday My Prince Will Come
03	Crawlin'	10	I Can See Myself In Her
04	Teardrops	11	Maybe
05	Devil's Night	12	Storm
06	I Been Good Up To Now	13	Train
07	I Have Special Powers

WARN DEFEVER EXPRESS INTERVIEW

Five all time favourite records?
The Steps Krontjong Warna Warni
Misfits Static Age
Pharoah Sanders Tauhid
Don Cherry Brown Rice
The Pogues Rum, Sodomy & The Lash
Jesus & Mary Chain Psychocandy
Carter Family No Hiding Place Down Here (78)

Song you wished you had written?
Bruce Springsteen Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Fleetwood Mac Show Biz Blues
Outakst The Whole World
Bob Dylan Shelter From The Storm
Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers Roadrunner
Janis Joplin Mercedes Benz
Satans Cheerleaders Tribute To Elvis
Misfits Astro Zombies
Carole King So Far Away
Karen Dalton It’s So Hard To Tell Who's Gonna Love You The Best

Best HNIA track?
Are You Coming Down This Weekend. It’s short and doesn't have a lot of words.

Best mood to record?
Hungry, starving.

What would you like you epitaph to be?
1969-2069.

08'01

HIS NAME IS ALIVE
Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth
(CAD2101CD) 4AD 2001
13 Tracks. 42mins15secs.
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As Hudini was a master of escapism, Warren Defever is a master at renewing himself. His Name Is Alive’s first two albums were very much living in the realms of label boss Ivo Watts-Russell’s This Mortal Coil project, before Defever turned to electrified twisted rock. For this seventh album, the man changes once again direction inexpectantly, as he works with gospel singer Lovetta Pippen.
If Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth engages in RnB frolicking, we are far from the commercial end of the genre. In fact, this album is closer to the roots, as HNIA linger towards the musical expressions of the likes of Billy Holiday or Aretha Franklin. The mood here is laidback, the atmosphere slightly tensed, as songs come crashing into one another. As ever with HNIA, Defever alternates between short interludes and longer tracks. The album is not devoid of tuneful moments, with the radio-friendly Write My Name In The Groove or the heart-felt Nothing Special or Your Cheating Heart leading the way. There are traces of the old HNIA here too, on the beautifully crafted Our Last Affair, Interlude (2) or Are We Still Married, reminiscent of the unapologetic dark pop of the early days. Are We Still Married was actually first featured on the band’s second album, Home Is In Your Head, in a totally different version however. Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth celebrates ten years of HNIA wanderings with their most accessible record to date. Commercial success is not the point though. The compositions are as uncompromising as ever, only slightly more polished perhaps. The heart warming vocal performances by Lovetta Pippen, ranging from classic jazz (Solitude) to natural blues (Karins Blues), give the necessary emotional input to any HNIA record. Wrapped up in less than fifty minutes and thirteen songs, Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth is as dark and complex as ever, although this time, Defever allows some light to come through.
With arguably the best album title of this year so far, Warren Defever and his variable geometry orchestra go deep beneath the surface to carve some of the most emotionally charged RnB songs heard for years. Far from the hype, HNIA continue their journey through music, adding one more star to an already very consistent carreer.

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TRACK LISTING

01	Nothing Special	08	One Year
02	Interlude	09	Interlude
03	Happy Blues	10	Karins Blues
04	Solitude	11	Are We Still Married
05	Write My Name In The Groove	12	Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth
06	Your Cheating Heart	13	Last Time
07	Our Last Affair

ALSO CHECK

LIVONIA 4AD 1990 Buy this CD on line now _	As We Could Ever E Nicolle (Introduction) If July Some And I Fossil (Verse) E Nicolle Caroline's Suppose Demon Fossil Reincarnation You And I Have Seizures How Ghosts Effect Reltionships Darkest Dreams _
HOME IS IN YOUR HEAD 4AD 1991 Buy this CD on line now _	Are You Comin' Down This Weekend? Her Eyes Were Huge Things The Charmer / Song of Schizophrenia i Hope Called In Sick ii My Feathers Needed Cleaning iii The Well There's Something Between Us And He's Changing My Words The Phoemix, A Pool Of Ice Are We Still Married? Put Your Finger In Your Eye Home Is In Your Head Why People Disappear Here Eyes Are Huge Save The Birds Chances Are We Are Mad Mescalina Sitting Still Moving Still Staring Outlooking Very Bad A Bitter HanD Beautiful And Pointless Tempe Spirit And Body Love's A Fisheye Dreams Are Of The Body _
MOUTH BY MOUTH 4AD 1993 Buy this CD on line now _	Baby Fish Mouth Lip Cornfield In Every Ford Lord, Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace Drink, Dress, And Ink Where Knock Is Wide Open Can't Go Wrong Without You Jack Rabbits Sort Of Sick Blue Moon Ear Lemon Ocean The Torso The Dirt Eaters _
NICE DAY 4AD 1996 Buy this CD on line now _	Nice Day Baby You Feel Me Up Hot Tonite Wet Come Man _
STARS ON ESP 4AD 1996 Buy this CD on line now _	Dub Love Letter This World Is Not My Home Bad Luck Girl What Are You Wearing Tomorrow The Bees What Else Is New List Wall Of Speed Universal Frequencies The Sand That Holds The Lakes In Place I Can't Live In This World Anymore Answer To Rainbow At Midnight Famous Goodbye King Across The Street Last One _
FORT LAKE 4AD 1998 Buy this CD on line now _	Don't Glue The World Everything Takes Forever The Waitress No Hiding Place Down Her Can't Always Be Loved Wish I Had a Wishing Ring Red Haired Girl Spirit Needs A Spirit Tool Up Your Legs Forever How It's Gotta Be Always Turn Me On Rock ‘n' Roll Girl From Rock ‘n' Roll City Last American Blues _
ALWAYS STAY SWEET 4AD 1999 Buy this CD on line now _	Are You Coming Down This Weekend Her Eyes Were Huge Things E-Nicolle If July How Ghosts Affect Relationships Chances Are We Are Mad As We Could Ever Are We Still Married Why People Disappear Blue Moon Cornfield Home Is In Your Head Underwater We Hold The Land In Great Esteem Last One Still Moving Still Standing Still The Sand That Holds The Lake In Place In Every Ford Baby Fish Mouth The Dirt Eaters Man On The Silver Mountain _
SOMEDAY MY BLUES WILL COVER THE EARTH 4AD 2001 Buy this CD on line now _	Nothing Special Interlude Happy Blues Solitude Write My Name In The Groove Your Cheating Heart Our Last Affair One Year Interlude Karins Blues Are We Still Married Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth Last Time _
LAST NIGHT 4AD 2002 Buy this CD on line now	Deep Last Night Crawlin' Teardrops Devil's Night I Been Good Up Till Now I Have Special Powers Do You Want To Come To My Party Someday My Prince Will Come I Can See Myself In Her Maybe Storm Train

THE SURFER'S GUIDE TO HIS NAME IS ALIVE

4AD
The legendary label of the eighties has survived well and is more active than ever.

TIME STEREO
The official HNIA site offers, amongst other things, a comprehensive listing of releases by the American band, including official releases and bootlegs.

EYESORE/HNIA
Another extensive HNIA discography is available on the 4AD unofficial data bank Eyesore.