House of a Thousand Guitars...Thanks A Million!

I must admit that I've never been a Willie Nile fan. I'd heard very little of his music and I was under the impression that he was nearly a Dylan / Springsteen knock-off. Boy, was I wrong. Someone sent me the latest release (thanks, Gary!) and I figured that it couldn't hurt to give it a listen. House of a Thousand Guitars is nothing short of a top notch pop record.

I never thought of Willie Nile as pop. I doubt if he does. This collection of songs runs the gamit from protest songs to anthems, to introspective pieces...and they're all outstanding. But I'm a pop guy so it's those songs that I focus on. While you may think of Nile in terms of Dylan like protest songs or Springsteen like social commentary, this guy writes pop hooks that stick like bubblegum. You can't ignore it. The irresistible "Her Love Falls Like Rain" makes me think of Tom Petty, who's songwriting has as much in common with Nile as anyone else in my estimation. In fact, had the Traveling Willburys done this song we'd all be hearing it on the radio as it would be in constant rotation. The anthemic "Give Me Tomorrow" is likely about the hope and promise of a new administration in Washington (a viewpoint I do not share, by the way) but one can't deny how catchy this song is, with a hook that will grab you and carry you away until you find yourself shouting along "Give me tomorrow, nah, nah, nah, Give me tomorrow, nah nah nah, Give me tomorrow nah, nah nah, right now". Great stuff. Nile and power pop mutually exclusive? I think not! Give "Magdalena" a listen and tell me you couldn't see the Romantics doing that number. With another undeniable hook you simply cannot escape, you'll be humming this one for days. In short, go out and buy this CD. It's an order.