A review by Leo Kramer from the Dutch music magazine "Heaven":

For the better part of his career, songwriter Larry John McNally has
worked without the benefit of a publisher. So it's no small wonder that his songs
have been recorded by the creme de la creme of pop stars: Bonnie Raitt,
Rod Stewart, Aaron Neville, Joe Cocker, Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan and by Don
Henley on his new CD, for which McNally wrote "For My Wedding," the best
song on the album.

That song also appears on "DANDELION SOUL," a new masterwork
from this sympathetic New Yorker, who also stole our hearts with his CDs
"VIBROLUX" and "THE MAKING OF VIBROLUX." "DANDELION SOUL" was first
released last fall in Japan, where McNally has a devoted following. Finally it is
being released here in Europe by Continental Record Services.

"For my wedding I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
All my dark angels we must part
For I've made a sanctuary of my heart
To want what I have
To take what I'm given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day."

Words that every bridegroom would have liked to say-words that every bride would want to
hear--a future classic in the making. On "DANDELION SOUL" are many more
beautiful things for us to hear.

"I Love To Wake Up In New Orleans", for example, describes his love for that city, with musical support from The Uptown Horns:

"Sometimes I leave the whole day free
And ride the streetcar on downtown
stay on and ride it back uptown
Take myself a window seat
Close my eyes and feel the breeze."

"Goodbye To Chinatown", along with the Chinatown songs from his
earlier CDs, begins to form an epic. (Other great songs include) "Love Is Everything" with Clarence
Fountain & The Five Blind Boys From Alabama, "I Love To Watch A Woman Dance", "Black
Guitar" and "Dandelion Soul".

With his thin voice and beautiful guitar playing, one is reminded of the songs of Chet Baker, almost lazy but full of emotion.

We look forward to seeing him at The Blue Highways Festival.
**** 4 out of 5 stars

[Hey folks! Check out this great review from Songwriter's Monthly!]

Larry John McNally - Loose Ends (Leni Stern Recordings): This is the kind of album a songwriter drools over. Larry is an accomplished writer with enough quality songs to his credit to make his peers just a little envious. This album is a collection of out takes, demos, live tracks, etc., from McNally's personal collection. A fascinating and important selected history.

[Songwriter's Monthly comes out of Philly and is nationally distributed. It's at all Tower Books/Music stores. This is in the March issue, now on stands, on page 16.]

[This article appeared in the January/February 2000 issue of Performing Songwriter, and has been reprinted with permission.]

"Loose Ends" is a welcome collection of demos, out-takes, and even a home recording from one of America's best songwriters. It offers a nice view into Larry John's creative process and highlights not only his writing, but his tender vocals and very under-rated guitar playing. McNally has had his songs covered by the likes of Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Warnes, and I think most recently--fingers crossed--Don Henley. He's also had a history as a recording artist in his own right, having released albums on major labels ARC/Columbia (1982), Atco/Atlantic (1987), and on his own--"Vibrolux" (1996). But it is his recent work with fellow DIY artist Leni Stern that brought this collection into being. The two worked closely together on her "Black Guitar" album, which he produced, played guitars on, added vocals, and contributed songs to. "Loose Ends" features songs the two did together. It's obvious they share a creative spark.

Here's hoping these songs are heard and appreciated--not only on their own merit as they appear here, but also that others will discover and record them as well.

Songs stay alive like that.

It's My Story

by Cis Van Looy

Quiet, quiet, but oh so sad. Larry John McNally is a ghost with dreams of flesh and blood. As a performer he is caught in a limbo, one of the undead. McNally is largely unknown, except among some of the world's best singers who have covered his songs. But where do you go when people like Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, and Chaka Khan have invested their not-inconsiderable personas into your work?

It takes a brave man to get up and try to claim back what is an intimate part of himself. Ask Prince. "Nothing Compares To You" is lost to him forever, since Sinead O'Connor gave it her treatment. Who remembers the guy who wrote "Hey, Joe" after Hendrix electrified it?

McNally probably does. At his gig at the AB-Belle Vue club recently, he presented tracks from his album "Vibrolux." This is raw McNally, an album of ideas dropped onto tape with little concern for marketability. It sounds unmixed. The tempo is mid. The volume is mid. The man himself gives off an air of mid-ness that is plain disturbing.

It would be easy to pan him as another in the endless line of pained writers. But McNally strikes chords, almost despite himself. "Love is a Ruthless Thing" is a simple, neat thought. "Nobody's Girl" (covered by Bonnie Raitt) is appealing. "Mixed Blood" would be a pathetic boyish fantasy if it wasn't for the reference to his mother.

The music is lightly covered in shades of folksy blues, with the occasional soaring electrified guitar. There's no doubt about it, the boy can write. But can he sing? Although the sparse instrumentation is probably intended to throw the spotlight on his tales, it also highlights the unbearable lightness of his voice. How can such big, deep emotions be portrayed with such thin singing? With a single falsetto note, "Many Strange and Faraway Things" is rendered painful, which is a shame.

Kate Jacobs had the job of opening for McNally. She also belongs to the storytelling tradition of singer-songwriters, but her stories lack the drama to reach out to an audience. I might be alone in thinking this, as she proved quite popular with the small crowd.

 

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This page was last modified on Thursday, May 24, 2001 .