Not too long after Glenn Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's he went into the studio and recorded what he said would be his last album. It's rare that an artist sets out to record their final musical statement, but that's what Campbell did and so he has given us Ghost on the Canvas.I am a big Glen Campbell fan, but I will be the first to say that what appeals to me about Campbell are those special moments that he and it seems that only he can create. Jimmy Webb has written a lot of great music, but no one has ever been able to do to his songs what Campbell could do. If you sit and listen to a Campbell album from start to finish you may just see it as passable country pop, but at least once an album he'll hit you in the gut with something really special. Campbell is one of the rare artists where I would recommend a greatest hits album over any single album.
All that being said brings me to this. None of those moments exist on this album. That doesn't make it a bad album, but there is nothing special here. Back in 2008 he put out an album called Meet Glen Campbell where he covered the Jackson Brown song "These Days." That song made listening to the album worth it. It was simply a fantastic cover and I had put on this album hoping to have at least one of those moments. Problem is it never came.
Personally I think the producers got in the way of Campbell on this album, but it could simply be that there were no songs in this collection that really touched Campbell in the way that makes his work so special.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 1 out of 5 stars for Just OK.
Lord, I love that voice. It will not be matched in my lifetime.
ReplyDeletethat's a good song.
ReplyDeletethat's an awfully good song.
ReplyDeleteYeah I was probably too negative on this album and should have given it 2 stars. I think part of my problem is it made me sad to listen to it knowing this would be his last album.
ReplyDeleteMe too...
ReplyDelete