Post by StevePulaski on Aug 29, 2015 1:15:40 GMT -5
Buffet Hotel (2009)
By: Jimmy Buffett
By: Jimmy Buffett
Rating: ★★★
Jimmy Buffett's twenty-sixth studio album Buffet Hotel would pragmatically be called a "return to form" if Buffett had actually deviated from his style in the past rather than sort of hopscotch back and forth from experimental music to his traditional style of soft rock. Recorded late at night following Buffett's surfing sessions, Buffet Hotel bears an undeniable laidback feel, rather than the occasional rowdiness Fruitcakes boasted or the reggae influence that made his previous effort Take the Weather With You so decidedly different. This is a tried and true Buffett effort, thoroughly pleasant and with Buffett's main detraction - the length of his songs - only being a small problem in the grand scheme of the album.
The album opens on a decidedly peaceful note, with songs like "Wings" and "Beautiful Swimmers" carrying themselves thanks to thoroughly beautiful lyrics and relaxing vibes all around. Buffett is a true imagist at hard, always quick with a delicious description of his settings or his current surroundings. "Wings" especially carries a distinct sound, as if Buffett is flying through clouds without a care in the world. We follow up with quasi-rap songs like "Turn Up the Heat and Chill the Rosé," the perfect compliment to the album's breezy nature, in addition to others like "Summerzcool" (read that title loosely) and "Surfing in a Hurricane."
Buffett proves with Buffet Hotel he hasn't lost a shred of his charisma, and his choice to conclude with "A Lot to Drink About," a song that sums up the problems we are facing in the world in a brutally honest but wry manner, cements about how seriously he took this album. Buffett has fun, he kicks his flip-flops to the side, he pours some ice cold Rosé, and, most importantly, relaxes, singing softly and melodically over his beach-influenced beats. I'd take this side of him over his overwrought Fruitcakes-personality or his long-winded, five/six minute melodies any day.
Recommended tracks (in order): "Turn Up the Heat and Chill the Rosé," "A Lot to Drink About," "Wings," "Big Top," and "Beautiful Swimmers."