Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eugene Chadbourne & Paul Lovens: Young At Heart/Forgiven

Eugene Chadbourne & Paul Lovens: Young At Heart/Forgiven

By Glenn Astarita
July 1, 2000
View read count

Eugene Chadbourne & Paul Lovens: Young At Heart/Forgiven

When guitarist/vocalist/improviser Dr. Eugene Chadbourne sings a ballad or standard he certainly won’t erase memories of Nat King Cole or Sinatra yet Chadbourne melds his acerbic wit and time-honored sense of humor with his often-stunning technical finesse as a slick picking guitarist. With Young At Heart/Forgiven Chadbourne aligns himself with drummer Paul Lovens for 2 CDs worth of original material and unlikely covers of such familiar pieces as Johnny Mercer’s “Skylark”, Willie Nelson’s “I Let My Mind Wander” and others.

Chadbourne’s warped sense of humor surfaces on more than one occasion as he interjects sound clips or as stated in the press release, - celebrity freakouts of Marlon Brando complaining about Burt Reynolds in a dressing room, John Wayne (sounding drunk) speaking to the ROTC and more! Chadbourne could also become the next Rich Little (of the avant-garde scene) as he turns in commendable imitations of John Wayne and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. –

Throughout these 2 discs, the duo performs as a slightly twisted pop unit from beyond. Yet, the good Doctor and Lovens do engage in some turbo style crash and burn dialogue, which adds yet another curiously interesting and somewhat bizarre slant to the overall affair when viewed as a whole. In any event Young At Heart/Forgiven is a gas as the musicians playfully and good-naturedly mimic some of the silliness behind standard pop fare. Here, Chadbourne’s glib musings and comedic talents resurface yet his brilliant improvisational skills along with Lovens inventive accompaniment sends the listener on a blighted journey to some abstract world of entertainment and song. Recommended!

* * * * (out of * * * * *)

Eugene Chadbourne: Acoustic & Electric Guitars; Banjo, Voice: Paul Lovens: Selected Drums and Cymbals, Stradivarius Singing Saw

Leo Record website: www.atlas.co.uk/leorecords/

Personnel

Eugene Chadbourne

guitar

Album information

Title: Young At Heart/Forgiven | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Leo Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

A Chat With Eric Alexander
< Previous

Meet Carla Bley
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.