Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly

January 21, 2009

Various Artists

A Few Uneven Rhymes: A

Tribute To Winter Hours

Main Man Records

Tribute records can be a very

hit or miss proposition.

Oftentimes they feature a few

good tracks, and the rest are,

well, not as good. So it must

have been gratifying for

longtime radio personality and

WBJB Music Director Jeff

Raspe when his call for artists

to contribute to this tribute to

his favorite band resulted in

such a talented line-up of

artists. The result is one of the

most consistently satisfying

tribute albums in recent

memory.

More than anything else, this

album provides testimony to

the sound that Winter Hours

created. It’s interesting that

these 27 tracks, recorded by

different artists in different

studios, hang together well

enough to have you believe

that this music was all recorded

by one band. That is a powerful

legacy indeed, and a tribute to

the power of melody to which

Winter Hours aspired.

Because all of the

performances are so strong,

it’s difficult to pick one or two

tracks, but The Aquarian‘s own

John Pfeiffer provides some

great guitar work on Christian

Beach’s version of “I Want,” as

well as on In Between Dreams’

cover of “Say The Word.” The

Winter Hours classic “Hyacinth

Girl” is beautifully interpreted

by Jack Bragg with Deena

Shoskes.

There will be release parties

for the album at 1978

Maplewood Arts Center on Jan.

24, Maxwell’s in Hoboken on

Jan. 31, and the Strand Theatre

in Lakewood on Feb. 7.

This is perfect music for the

winter hours ahead.

In A Word: Timeless

Grade: A

—by Ken Shane