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Album Details

• Artist: Devendra Banhart
• Album: Cripple Crow
• Label: XL
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-11-07

Man, I get pissed off at some review sites. Devendra Banhart gets another big pat on the back for Cripple Crow, his follow-up to his two critically acclaimed albums of last year. I think Banhart has some talent but the thing is that his albums need much editing. Think about it. If some new artist came out with a ridiculous track like "I Feel Like A Child" critics would slam it so hard. There is nothing redeeming about this song whatsoever. Then he goes and reverses the vibe with "Some People Ride The Wave", which is probably the best song on the album. Then there are others that could go either way like "Mama Wolf". Devendra still has that funky warble that got him all the attention to start with. And instead of releasing two albums this year, Banhart chooses to give us 1.2 hours worth of material on his XL debut. Some of the songs are indeed beautiful like "Korean Dogwood". It's a gentle track that shows just what Devendra is capable of. There just isn't enough of these on Cripple Crow to go nuts over.
Sure, Cripple Crow is a good album but it is far from great. I would look forward to a Banhart compilation in the future. This would be a perfect way to compile the 4-5 best tracks from all his albums. Check out the latest CocoRosie for a bit more eclecticism instead.

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