"A STRONG CONTENDER FOR THE TOP TEN OF 2000 LIST"

The following review was printed in Good Times Magazine No. 773. участие адвоката в гражданском судопроизводстве . fool with do best casino games gain many a time . elvis presley mp3

Review:
Tony Hightower - A Single Angry Word - Independent

Tony Hightower is a native Long Islander who spent much of his life living in the Great White North, in Toronto, Canada. However, he's back in the NY Metro area, performing regularly on Long Island and in Manhattan. A Single Angry Word, his 2nd full-length CD, and the follow-up to his 1996 debut Messiahs Galore, finds him at the top his form as both a performer and a songwriter. In fact, this new album is shaping up to be a strong contender for the Top 10 of 2000 list.

Hightower's style is a manic kind of acoustic, equal parts wry social commentator, humorist, poet, and serial killer. Many of the songs are frantically paced, with unusual time changes and chord patterns. The effect is gripping, and highly entertaining.

Hightower's voice is strange, but appealing, and his guitar-style is somewhat unique. Nevertheless, it is as a songwriter that he really shines, weaving together musical stories with well-drawn and (usually) sympathetic characters. From the star-crossed barroom lovers, Rita and Toucan, of the title song, to the wistful narrator of "Christie Pits Story" Hightower consistently draws us into identifying with the all-too-human occupants of his unique world. There are at least five excellent songs on the CD, and a number more that are at least very good. (Compare this to the next 12 songs you hear at random on any Top 40 radio station today, and you'll realize that this is an amazing batting average).

Some of the highlights of the CD include The Waves, a first-person account from an obsessed would-be boyfriend ("I'd kill another Beatle / If I thought it would impress you"); the sad and poignant Annex in February ("There's more smoke than air in the air in here / I can hear you, but I can barely see you"); the clever and frenetic Dina Doesn't Talk To Boys; and So The Hell What, a clever tale of a couple that just can't stop torturing each other ("And if you're trapped in a prison of your own design / Then so the hell what, so the bloody hell what!"). A special bonus is a cover of Toronto indie musician Max Metrault's Picaresco ("They say I'm jaded and tres blase / They say I don't give a damn what they say / They say I've got no business being sooooo / Picaresco!").

This is a very strong album from an artist who is just beginning to reach the height of his powers.

– Richard Hughes