Michael Penn: Rating the Albums
Submitted by ash_campbell on Thu, 08/05/2004 - 11:40
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- 1. Resigned (1997)
- Penn complements his natural talents as a songwriter with some wonderfully subtle layers of music. Standouts include All That That Implies and Small Black Box. This is an album that simply flows from one track to another in a nearly perfect way.
- 2. Free-for-All (1992)
- From the great opener Long Way Down until the close of Now We’re Even, Penn evokes a strong set of depressing themes that center around pain and deception. It’s not as dark as it sounds, but it’s not bubbly pop either. The best track may be Coal.
- 3. Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 (2005)
- Giving Free-for-All a run for its money, Penn has crafted a haunting and beautiful work, considering the narrow scope that the title implies. The opening track, Walter Reed is a fabulous song, while Room 712, The Apache is classic Penn material. Along with the odd connecting tracks, like The Television Set Waltz, Penn continues to amaze.
- 4. March (1989)
- Penn’s debut is clever at points (Cupid’s Got a Brand New Gun), but always solid, with his most commercially successful song being the first track, No Myth.
- 5. MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident (2000)
- It says a lot about Penn’s solid output that his latest work is his weakest, considering that it’s not bad, or even average. Lucky One is brilliant, and Footdown continues to show off his songwriting and musical abilities. Good stuff.
Penn, the older brother of actors Sean and Chris, is a talented folk/rock singer/songwriter who has found a faithful audience, but hasn’t been able to reach much beyond it. His collaboration with filmmaker PT Anderson has been rewarding, and he and his wife Aimee Mann have toured together. Here’s how his albums rate.