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Chris Stills
Chris Stills / self-titled
(V2/Fanista)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2008, Volume 15, #1
Written by John Metzger
Fri January 11, 2008,
06:40 AM CST
Considering that seven years had passed between the release of Chris Stills’
debut 100 Year Thing and his most recent endeavor — which was issued
overseas in 2005 but didn’t hit U.S. shores until 2006 — it almost goes without
saying that his self-titled sophomore set had a difficult birth. After a single
trek through the outing, it’s easy to see why. Where his debut came complete
with lush harmonies that echoed the hippie-folk style of his father’s group
Crosby, Stills and Nash, his latest effort heads in a different direction
entirely. Not only does it strike a blatantly commercial pose by attempting to
fit within the framework of the current adult-alternative pop scene, but it also
features a pair of tracks that are sung in French. The outing is a perplexing
change of pace, to say the least, and it never quite works nearly as well as
Stills undoubtedly had hoped it would.
Since issuing his debut, Stills never really has received the attention that
he deserved, and because the effort so closely followed in the footsteps of his
father’s work, he was knocked around a bit in the press. Sure, it was a little
too neatly trimmed and polished, and without a doubt, he was still searching for
his own voice. Those who have heard Stills in a concert setting, however, can
attest to the fact that he is both an enormously talented artist and a
mesmerizing performer who just might find his own way, if only he’d stop trying
to force himself into unnatural situations.
Unfortunately, Stills’ eponymous set is a step in the wrong direction.
Throughout the 12-track endeavor, he tries his best to sound contemporary, but
the results — which range from the Coldplay-driven, piano ballad When the
Pain Dies Down to the Jeff Buckley-meets-Travis folk flair of Landslide
— are all wrong for him. Likewise, his attempts to tuck an ode to the Steve
Miller Band’s Jet Airliner inside The Wallflowers-influenced rock of Flying High as well as to update Hall & Oates’ brand of blue-eyed soul
on Say My Last Goodbye fall flat. Although the outing bears faint hints of his
true capabilities, it largely is mired in arrangements that fail to distinguish
his work from everything else on the radio. Consequently, Stills comes across as
less self-assured than he did on his debut.
It’s not surprising, then, that the moment when Stills’ self-titled set
succeeds the most is when he taps into something that is organic and timeless.
Settling upon a bed of gentle, finger-picked acoustic guitar patterns, the
simple, unadorned Sweet California sparkles as he blends his father’s
work with wisps of Paul McCartney and Led Zeppelin. From start-to-finish, it’s a
gem of a tune. Stills would have been better served had he continued down this
path, rather than the one he opted to take.  ½
Chris Stills [2005] is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Chris Stills [2006] is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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