Shawn Colvin has always been a rather charming artist of smart sentiments and pleasant arrangements - it leads to lovely, not especially challenging songs, and a general feeling of goodwill towards Colvin. I'm a fan, I suppose, but I'd never think of her as one of the great "artists" of her time. I suppose that's still the case after These Four Walls, but I did find myself compelled to buy it, and, a good year and a half after purchasing it, it strikes me that I still listen to the songs regularly, and that there's not a clunker in the bunch. "Fill Me Up" begins the set with charming guitar and a vulnerable, winning melody, and "These Four Walls" capitalizes on it with rather lovely anxiety. Throughout the records, though, Colvin seems to be on a songwriting roll, and songs surprise you with ways they creep up in your memory - "That Don't Worry Me Now" with its sweet, soulful satisfaction, "Ventian Blue" with its rainy-day malaise, "Let It Slide" with its old-person-feeling-young kick. I can't say that the album as a whole adds up to anything more than a good collection of songs, but I suppose that's plenty to ask from an album anyway, and on "Summer Dress" I'm reminded of all of the great musical moments Colvin's career has given us over the years - and I'm very much given another.
April 21, 2008Not even close to "Cover Girl" or "Steady On". The songs on this album all sound the same. And this album is all studio work. Shawn is best when she's performing all by herself, or when she has a small band behind her.
April 15, 2008I have nearly all of her work and this is my favorite by far. If you're a fan, you will not be disappointed with this one!
October 13, 2007If you are a Shawn Colvin fan this is a must have CD. The first track, Fill Me Up, has a tempo reminicent of Sunny came home. I like the dark feel to the title track and Summer Dress. Cinnamon Road is another song that is well done.
Shawn's music just feels right to me. She has a folk rock style with a little edge. If you have Born in the USA stuck back in your collection somewhere pull it out and listen to My Hometown. Shawn's songs are like that. They are about life and the truth. She tells it like it is,(Let it slide, Tuff kid). The whole album takes me back to some of the good artists of the 70's. She does a good cover of the Bee Gees Words. Other songs remind me of artists like Carole King, James Taylor, and even Bob Seeger. If you like folk and want to sit back, have a beer, and listen to what a great artist has to say you wont be disappointed. If you like Brittney or Shania and want your music sugar coated keep looking...
August 23, 2007As a fan of Shawn's music since I first listened to Sunny Came Home, I was hesitant to buy this one as I wasn't sure if it would live up to my expectations. Then I heard the title track "These Four Walls" and bought it immediately. Shawn delivers 11 original songs and two covers - "Words" picked up from the Bee Gees and "Even Here We Are" from Paul Westerberg. The album is low-key yet haunting and beautiful, and one you'll listen to a lot once you get into it.
July 25, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(38 reviews)
