Ladies and gentlemen, put away your cheesebuger fixings; tonight we've got barometer soup on the menu. It's not as lively or fun as the musical dishes Jimmy has served up in the past, but I think that after a taste of two, you'll find that this departure from the standard recipe is not only palatable - it is extremely enjoyable, and ends up being much more solid fare.
The title for "Barometer Soup" came from Herman Wouk - which should be enough to tip you off about the contents of the rest of the disc. There are literary themes running through the entire album, with influences ranging from Mark Twain ("Remittance Man") to F. Scott Fitzgerald ("Diamond As Big As The Ritz"). Then songs are enjoyable, fun, and have more than their share of the classic Jimmy Buffett wry sense of humor - but they are not "cute" by any means.
"Lage Nom Ai" demonstrates this beautifuly. It's a lively, bouncy song that you should have no problem dancing to; and the refrain is so catchy it's hard to keep from singing along. All this in a song about a man who's heart has been broken so badly by the "melancholy bouillabaisse called letting go" that he gives up his own name in an effort to completely foget his past.
The same goes for "Diamond As Big As The Ritz", which has a lot in common with "Lage Nom Ai" - being a fun, bouncy song about a greed and self-destruction. "Don't Chu-Know" and "Bank Of Bad Habits" are in the same general category, but with a touch more humor. Long-time fans of Jimmy may be disapointed at first with these two; they are more "cute" than anything, lacking the wry humor and plays on words that make many of his other songs so enjoyable to listen to over and over. Since the viewpoint in both these songs is that of an older man - which Jimmy is becomming, like it or not - looking back on his life, I think it's more likely that Jimmy just couldn't keep himself from sticking some silliness in where he was trying to be serious.
"Remittance Man" and "The Night I Painted The Sky" are the only two songs on the album that are instantly recognizable as traditional ballads. Both are very well done - the first time I listened to both songs, I was just a little bit misty eyed by the time they were over. I think "Remittance Man" is just a tad bit better, though - then again, having spent some time at sea myself, it could just be that I can identify with the character in the song a little more.