This story of parting manages to be poignant and pretty yet not cloying and the rhythm will move you as much as the words.
None of the tracks here are likely to bring as much chart success as his last single, but "Heroes and Heroin" might be his best chance. Instrumentation is limited, mainly reliant on guitar and drum, but does gets more diverse with a flute and even an accordion making an interesting appearance in "Ghosts". The album starts down-tempo, picks up pace in the middle and culminates in the foot-stomping finale "Push". Melody is heavy throughout these anecdotal tales of life on the West Coast. Some of the lighter tracks stray into the Joshua Kadison's "Jessie" camp which is a shame because he's capable of much more than AOR mediocrity. With the risk of sounding sadistic, this deeper, more passionate side finds Jules at his best. This is particularly apparent on "Owen Down" which starts darkly with the lyrics "Baby I would smash your pretty face".
It lurks in the lower ranges giving it a world-weary feel. Yet on other songs, with the exception of "Bluefish", Jules voice is more reminiscent of Michael Stipe. The title track "Greetings From The Side" features beautiful harmonies that remind me of Cat Stevens. However, the album does have rockier moments courtesy of Counting Crows engineer J Bradley Cook. "Barstool" for example takes the country twang as far as it will go (which may be too far for some). If you're looking for the wistful melancholia that Gary Jules displayed in his Christmas smash "Mad World" you may well be disappointed with this re-release of his 1998 debut album.Īlthough Michael Andrews also worked on the LP, the sound here is much more alt country.
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