Page 3, Toad the Wet Sprocket

Diversions Review by John Lalande, 06/17/94

Toad the Wet Sprocket, Dulcinea

Sony

3.5 stars

Toad the Wet Sprocket fans expecting Fear Part II will be disappointed 
when they hear the band's latest offering, Dulcinea. But once they get 
over their initial disappointment, they'll probably like it for what it 
is.
 
Dulcinea is totally stripped down, not nearly as polished as Fear. Most of
the songs on the album have a raw, almost live feel to them. Loyal Toaders
can expect the same well-written lyrics they've come to expect from Glenn
Phillips and the crew, but the band has gone back to their pre-Fear roots
on some tracks and broken new ground on others.

The disc starts out on a high point with the spiritual "Fly From Heaven."
The song is thick with religious connotations and centers on the relation
between Jesus and St. Paul. The song starts off simply and builds in 
intensity as Phillips questions faith: "If he's all you say, would he fly
from heaven to this world again?"

"Stupid" (it took me a while to realize that on the CD jacket track 4 is 
stupid spelled backwards) is another of the choice songs on the disc. It's
a campy song with a catchy intro and lyrics reminiscent of Nirvana.

"Windmills," the seventh track, is the only song directly related to the 
album title, Dulcinea (the whore Don Quixote defended), and is by far my 
favorite song on the disc. With its acoustic guitar, simple melodies and 
quiet percussion, the song is one of the few throwbacks to some of Toad's
best ballads, which are noticeably absent on Dulcinea.

"Inside" is a song Phillips described as "a personal prayer." This is 
another track where Toad strips down the music, with harsh guitar cuts and
fervent vocals surrounding the calming prayer inside.

The disc ends on a low note with "Reincarnation Song." The lyrics are as 
good as one would expect from Toad, but the delivery is 
uncharacteristically bad--the singing is so bad that it can only be 
deliberate.
 
All in all, Toad's new sound is a step forward in some areas, a step back
in others, but still definitely worth buying.

As to the band's more stripped-down sound, check out Toad's concerts July
21-22 at the Metro in Chicago. The differences in the live version and the
CD version are likely to be minute.