Precious

by Ours

Overview

Echoes of Jeff Buckley persist, but Jimmy Gnecco also takes some big steps forward on his band's sophomore release. Few of his contemporaries sing with the unabashed emotion he brings to every track on Precious. His screeches on "Kill the Band" and falsetto howls over the gentle 6/8 sway of "Places" reflect a willingness to push to the point of hysteria, yet many of the strongest moments occur between such abreactive episodes. In his rendition of the Velvet Underground chestnut "Femme Fatale," Gnecco achieves a kind of trashy elegance, dripping over the words like silk on the shoulders of a glam poseur. And what impresses most on "Broken" isn't the demented shrieking -- it's the space Gnecco traverses to get there from the whispered, introspective opening. The band's sensitivity to his vocals is uncanny, even at ear-bleed levels of intensity; there's much more immediacy to the instrumental tracks than on Distorted Lullabies, thanks in large part to producer Ethan Johns' propulsive drumming. At peak moments, these performances nearly match the standards for catharsis set by John Lennon's Janov-era exorcisms -- and the songs, though heavy with existential import, aren't bad either. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk

Product Details

Release Date:	11/05/2002
Label:	Dreamworks Skg
UPC:	0600445037328
Rank:	158844

Tracks

1. Kill the Band
2. Realize
3. Leaves
4. Places
5. Outside
6. In a Minute
7. Femme Fatale
8. Broken
9. Chapter 2 (Money)
10. If Flowers Turn
11. Disaster in a Halo
12. Red Colored Stars

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ours   Primary Artist
Jimmy Gnecco   Guitar,Vocals
Ethan Johns   Drums
Dave Milone   Guitar
Zoe Bonham   Vocals (Background)
Tony DeMarco   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Kevin Dean   Assistant
Jimmy Gnecco   Composer
Ed Thacker   Mixing
Ethan Johns   Mixing,Producer
Lou Reed   Composer
Steven Rhodes   Engineer
Ivy Skoff   Production Assistant
Dean Karr   Photography
Nathan Burden   Assistant
Bob Breen   Assistant
Jason Noto   Design,Art Direction
Michael Goldstone   A&R
Craig Conard   Assistant
Jun   Assistant
Dave Milone   Composer
Tom Baker   Mastering
Dean Nelson   Assistant Engineer