Myth America - Explore American Legends & Folklore | Perfect for History Buffs, Storytellers & Cultural Enthusiasts

Over the last 35+ years, Walter Egan's career has seen it's ups and downs. To some , he's the "Magnet & Steel" guy. For many die-hard fans, he's an excellent singer/songwriter who just never got the (second) break he was so richly deserving of. Part of the problem lay in the sporadic nature of Egan's releases. Virtually invisible for most of the 90's (there was a 16 year gap between 1983's WILD EXHIBITIONS and WALTERNATIVE in 1999), this trend continued in the new millennium, with 2002's APOCALYPSO NOW being his sole release. Now, on his first new album in twelve years (I'm not going to count 2011's RAW ELEGANT, as it was a digital-only release, and many of us didn't get to hear it. Hmmmm....maybe his new label will consider a hard copy reissue down the line!), Egan has returned with the darker (yet still captivating) MYTH AMERICA. Full of many of the qualities that caused listeners to stand up and take note of him in the first place, MYTH AMERICA (love that title!) is also (sadly) plagued by occasional problems that have continued to pop up in Egan's work over the years. Probably the biggest of these problems is evident in the opening track, "Faith Comes Crashing Down", and again ~ even more so ~ later on on "Dyin' For Love." Egan is at his best as a songwriter when he just lets his lyrics flow, both out of his head and his heart. Conversely, he's at his worst when he gets topical and "deep", with the work often coming across as preachy, calculated and/of forced. This song has a strong melody, but the lyrics are a bit stilted and cliched. We'll call this one a draw. Far superior is the seductive "Cool Crazy." There's an almost Brian Wilson vibe to this hypnotic shuffle. The arrangement is relaxed, ebbing and flowing, while the lead vocal just spills out of the speakers. No question about it, THIS is what Walter Egan does best! Love it! There's a foreboding quality to "What Lurks Inside A Heart", but there's also a delicate beauty. The minimal instrumentation perfectly cushions the heartfelt lead vocal, resulting in a cut that is both chilling and endearing. And I love the line "Time, no friend of mine." Another winner. The aforementioned "Dyin' For Love" is just painful to listen to, but not in a good way. Props to Egan for tackling the issue of AIDS (and other S.T.D.'s), but most of the lyrics here sound like bad pre-teen diary poetry. In fact, the entire first verse and the later line of "Good girls are giving what used to be wrong" boarder on being down right sexist. The album's only real clunker. To quote Snoopy...."Bleagh!!!" Things get back on track with "Her Smile." The soothing arrangement is classic Egan, allowing the smooth, yet sweet, lead vocal to just wrap around you like a cozy, comfy quilt. No doubt about it, this is Egan's sweet spot!(And, once again, I love the line "I'm dancin' with despair!"). I'm not crazy about "Nothing Can Save Us Now", but at the same time I don't hate it. The lyrics are a little run of the mill, but the catchy arrangement lopes along, full of strong instrumentation. We'll put this one in the "Win" column....with reservations. There's not a whole lot to "Lililovin'", but that's O.K. ~ in the old days, you would have found a cut like this on Side 2, track 4. Advancing the disc as a whole, it's just a solid album track. Graced with a full-bodied lead vocal, the song serves it's purpose (And great bass line!). Not quite as strong is "Stop Being You." Wordy and a tad bit too clever for it's own good, Egan trips on his word play here (The arrangement is also flat and unimaginative). I mean, c'mon...."Life is just a trip/Be careful not to fall" and "You can fool some eyes/In your new disguise." Walter, you're SO much better than that! This one falls squarely in the "Miss" column. "Time The Master" is also a prime example of Egan at his best...everything just works here. The arrangement is economical, yet fresh and clean, while the vocal is stately, yet succinct. Toss in thoughtful lyrics ("Running in circles day after day/Spinning my life away/Looking for reasons, looking for truth/Searching for what to say") and you have one of MYTH AMERICA's true gems. It's clear that Egan's gone through some rough times over the last few years, something that is made evident in the next pair of songs. Pained and painful, dark and down, both "Like A Nail When It's Bent" and "Can't Cry No More" showcase a man in turmoil. However, there's also a bluesy groove to "Nail" that's almost intoxicating. And there's a certain power/strength to the closing lines of "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe life's like a song/Though the record's been played/The melody stayed." (Great guitar riffs as well!). "Cry" veers awfully close to being a bit whiney, but the pseudo Calypso bridge is kind of cool. Up next is another album high point, the gorgeous "Gone Away." If I didn't know better, I would swear this was a Lindsey Buckingham cover! Beautiful melody, a stirring lead vocal and brilliant lyrics (lines like "When the best of days are all yesterdays" and "When onlyness turns to loneliness/And loneliness ain't no friend/And your confidence fights your common sense/For the chance to contend/For the chance to pretend" just sparkle!) all come together perfectly, resulting in MYTH AMERICA's premiere cut. Things wrap up with the power pop of "Yeah", a fun little ditty. Enjoyable in it's exuberance, I still would have preferred the disc to close with the far stronger "Gone Away." So where does Walter Egan go from here? Well, hopefully MYTH AMERICA's follow-up doesn't take another twelve years. At the same time, here's hoping Egan realizes that he's at his best when he just opens up, being true to himself, and being thoughtful without thinking too much. (As with all my reviews, I'm docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics).