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Album Details

• Artist: Crooked Fingers
• Album: Dignity and Shame
• Label: Merge
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-02-24

If you have been reading my site for a few years, you will know that I get excited everytime Eric Bachman releases another Crooked Fingers album. This is one of those projects that just gets better and better as Eric learns the art of this more personal style of songwriting as opposed to Archers of Loaf. Dignity and Shame is Bachman's fourth album as Crooked Fingers (add one EP of covers to that number too) and with the Latin style opener "Islero", complete with a bongo drumline, you know that Eric is about to embark on a bit of a different journey this time around. We kind of get back to what we might expect on "Weary Arms". The songs still has a bit of that Latin flair to it though with they guitar line. Then on "Call To Love" we get one of the best tracks on Dignity and Shame, a duet with Australian Lara Meyerattken, who we hear on a couple other songs as well. It seems that Eric is getting all sentimental on this release and resorts to a lot of piano. Point of reference is the beautiful "Twilight Creeps" and the closing title track. There is some of the most beautiful piano lines right alongside Bachman's awesome voice. And yes, that is indeed pedal steel near the end and we see it surface in a couple other songs. "Valerie" is a very upbeat love song that is the most energetic song on Dignity. The track "Andalucia" is another new direction for the band. It is also upbeat with some pretty cool guitar riffs bringing it home. Dignity and Shame is not my favorite Crooked Fingers album, yet, but it is in no way a bad album, just up a different alley than his previous albums. It's good to see Eric getting comfortable in the more personal style of songwriting. This is an album that will become a favorite over time.

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