(2020) Low Cut Connie - Private Lives


Review:
…Since 2017, Low Cut Connie have released two top notch albums (Dirty Pictures Parts 1 & 2) and continued to tour relentlessly with changing lineups. That is, until the pandemic hit. The band used the adverse situation to create one of the longest running livestream shows (more than 50) twice a week called “Tough Cookies”. It’s a brilliant mix of chutzpah and song with Low Cut Connie’s frontperson Adam Weiner and bandmate/guitar maestro Will Donnelly tackling everything from glam to punk to soul to folk to rawk to tunes from a hundred years ago mixed with those from other nations, and of course Low Cut Connie’s past catalog. And they have slowly been mixing in tracks from their forthcoming double album, Private Lives. Each one has been a winner making one thirst for more. The good news is, no—the great news is—Private Lives is a killer. Weiner produced the record and utilized almost 30 different artists to get the sounds he wanted. Although he utilized the studio instead of on-stage performances, it has the feel of a live record. Every song seems to want to break out from the constraints of the workshop in a positive way. This keeps the vibe taut and suggests the promise of liberation. The characters of his songs are looking for something to believe in. They are the have nots who find pleasure where they can even as their situations seem to be deteriorating. Weiner sees their hearts and flaws. He knows life can be rough and not everyone makes it. Consider his (apparently unintended) sequel to Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”, called “Look What They Did”. Weiner begins by singing over a soft piano melody, “Tough shit for the little guy / Livin’ like a chump with his back to the wall” as he bewails the modern day plight of those dwelling in America’s Playground. These chumps are the everyday people who populate his songs. Weiner has a generosity of spirit that expresses itself in unfiltered ways. He invites those in need to “Stay As Long As You Like” in a firm but gentle voice. When he asks someone for assistance on “Help Me”, it’s so he can “be a good man” and to be kinder to others. On the title cut “Private Lives”, he admits that he depends on the emotional support of his fans to survive. He knows it’s cheesy to say that out loud but being undignified doesn’t stop him from acknowledging his own needs. Weiner puts his emotions right in the forefront. He’s the James Dean of our time, rebelling against the societal constraints that limit our connections to our feelings and to others. We’re the Sal Mineos and Natalie Woods welcomed into his orbit. That doesn’t stop Low Cut Connie from being funny. Humor is just one weapon the band employs as a tool to survive with heads high and a bounce in their step. He jests over a slinky beat that “The Fuckin You Get (for the Fuckin You Got)” that sometimes life just doesn’t work out the way one expects. He knows “It Don’t Take a Genius” to understand his motivations. He just wants to have fun. Life can be a “Wild Ride” even if it means that one is just planning to “Take a Ride Downtown”. Perhaps it’s because so much of the album was recorded while he was on the road, but the songs always seem to be in motion. “You got to boogie for yourself,” he sings on the jubilant “Nobody Else Will Believe You”, and it seems like he’s almost always in boogie mode. When he’s just chilling, on songs like “Let it All Hang Out Tonite” and “Tea Time”, it’s just a way of gathering strength before moving on again. Let’s face it. None of this would matter if Weiner wasn’t such a charismatic and talented performer. His empathy for others is noble and part of his charm, but there is something more magical happening here. Private Lives captures the spirit of the times in which we find ourselves—the weird world that like Low Cut Connie defies easy categorization—and offers musical solace to help us do more than just survive.





Tracklist:
01 - Private Lives
02 - Help Me
03 - Now You Know
04 - Run to Me Darlin
05 - Take a Little Ride Downtown
06 - Wild Ride
07 - If I Die
08 - It Don't Take a Genius
09 - Look What They Did
10 - Tea Time
11 - The Fuckin You Get for the Fuckin You Got
12 - Quiet Time
13 - Charyse
14 - Nobody Else Will Believe You
15 - What Has Happened to Me
16 - Let It All Hang Out Tonite
17 - Stay As Long As You Like


Media Report:
Genre: rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits