Funny Cry Happy Gift

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The overcrowded female singer-songwriter genre receives a much needed breath of fresh air with Tiffany Anders's full-length debut, funny cry happy gift. Produced by PJ Harvey, the CD bears little resemblance to that venerated artist's catalog, as it's more inclined toward a Neil Young feel. There is also a sense of mystery here lacking in the majority of folk-rock and alt-country acts that clog the indie/college circuit. Miss Anders's material, which is all self-composed, reveals a depth of songwriting belying her 26 years. Songs like "Solitude's Ring" and "White Frost Hills" are subtle meditations on the vagaries of love and love lost sans cliché or easy truths. This disc is an empathetic call to the lonely--assuring one that emotional upheaval is universal and sometimes the best medicine is reflection rather than self-pity. Anders comes on like some sort of modern-day Bobbie Gentry in that she is frustratingly hard to pigeonhole. Too rock for the Ani crowd and too folk for the Sleater-Kinney enthusiasts, she bravely charts her own course by merely being herself. A stunning debut. --Mike Johnson

Funny Cry Happy Gift,Tiffany Anders,Up.,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Average customer rating: I'll be interested to see how she grows as an artist First heard her in the movie "Things Behind The Sun" personally, i LIKE this album I keep trying to like this... Dying cats

Funny Cry Happy Gift Tiffany Anders Manufacturer: Up. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005A0JY Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

1. Person I Knew
2. Flooded Starry Night
3. White Frost Hills
4. I See How Much Has Changed
5. Here I Forget
6. Disappear So Fast
7. Summer Gold
8. Concrete Like Quicksand
9. Solitudes Ring
10. Intangible

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

I'll be interested to see how she grows as an artist.......2004-02-05

After only a few listens, there are several songs that have captured my appreciation. I enjoy the sound of Anders voice. It has this piercing yearning quality that has always appealed to me in singers. Alex Chilton of Big Star singing a song like 'I'm in Love with a Girl' conjures up that same feeling for me.

I can understand how some might now appreciate her vocal delivery though, and I was quite amused by some of the descriptions below. She does have a limited range, and there is a sameness to some of her vocals, so I can understand some being put off. Perhaps joining a band having dual or mutliple singers would be the best showcase for her, thus masking and enhancing some of her limitations as a vocalist.

All I can say is that I'm touched by this melancholy record. It was better than I was expecting. Good slow to mid-tempo rock record, with contributions by rock legends, PJ Harvey and J. Mascis.

Can they by so wrong? Decide for yourself.

First heard her in the movie "Things Behind The Sun".......2002-11-08

personally, i LIKE this album.......2002-09-02

your fairly stereotypical folk female musician, but backed by producer (and multi-instrumentalist) PJ Harvey. Peej plays instruments on all of the tracks and does back up vocals on a couple as well.

Tiffany's voice is unique. and it's not something everyone's going to like, but if female folk musicians are something you enjoy, then i recommend this CD.

I keep trying to like this..........2001-08-06

I came into this CD with high hopes - After all, I had heard various magazines praise Tiffany Anders, and I knew that PJ Harvey was producing this particular CD. After listening to it for about two months, I'm both disappointed and more than a little frustrated.

The songs themselves are slow, sparse, and acoustic. If you have a tendancy towards Low or Cat Power, you would most certainly appreciate the background music.

As to the quality of Anders' voice... well, this is where I'm forced to take away the stars. I do not require perfect vocals, (heck, my favorite artist is Liz Phair) but there is a piercing, whiny quality to Anders' voice that is simply unlistenable to me. I can appreciate "unique" voices like the above-mentioned Phair, Sarah Slean or Kirsten Hersh, but Anders' sheer nasal whines sound, like a reviewer said before, like nails on a chalkboard.

On certain songs, like "Here I Forget" her vocals have been toned down, and the resulting song is a gorgeous and lilting meditation of the persistance of memory. "I've Seen How Much Has Changed" is practically a trio with Anders, Harvey, and a male singer (Who is this guy?) singing together. The contrasting styles between the strong, weary tenor, Harvey's powerful background vocals, and Anders' own noise serves to weaken Anders' already dismal efforts. I literally cringe whenever she starts up her third of the song.

This CD had much potential - It is easy to see why Harvey would want to help Anders' exploit her talent for song writing. However, Anders' either needs some more vocal training or needs to join a band where she would not be the lead singer.

Dying cats.......2001-07-16

Average customer rating:

Funny Cry Happy Gift Pete Diamond Manufacturer: Red Delicious ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005R8O4 Release Date: 2000-02-17

Tracks:

1. BB Eyes
2. A For Apple
3. We Ate It Up
4. Feel My Way Through
5. Scattershot
6. Miss Believer
7. Pinhole
8. Old Guitar
9. Show Me

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