High Dive

Amazon.com
Maria McKee’s first studio album in seven years is also her first release on her own label. To go from producing an inescapable global hit like "Show Me Heaven" to funding one’s own recordings in a little over a decade may not seem the ideal career trajectory, but the truth is that McKee was always far more indie rocker than pop diva. "Show Me Heaven" certainly paid a few bills, but it also served to overshadow her sterling earlier work with Lone Justice. High Dive, then, is McKee as she would prefer to be seen--far closer to Kirsty MacColl than Whitney Houston, a wry, literate singer-songwriter blessed with a voice that's both technically pristine and approachably human. Though High Dive is marred in spots by over-fussy production, the best moments here, such as the wise and witty title track and the unabashedly Lone Justice-like "In Your Constellation," justify McKee’s investment in herself. Andrew Mueller

High Dive,Maria McKee,Viewfinder Records,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Alternative Pop/Rock,Baroque Pop,Dream Pop,Folk-Rock,Jangle Pop,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock,Rock & Roll,Rock/Pop,United States of America

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High Dive

Average customer rating: My Album of the Year for 2003 Ambitious and brilliant Maria, you still haven't landed interesting? different? Wow.....What a mess

High Dive Maria McKee Manufacturer: Viewfinder Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Jangle Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Peddlin' Dreams Life Is Sweet You Gotta Sin to Get Saved Late December Maria McKee ASIN: B000089HD8 Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

1. To The Open Spaces
2. Life Is Sweet
3. After Life
4. Be My Joy
5. High Dive
6. My Friend Foe
7. In Your Constellation
8. Love Doesn't Love
9. We Pair Off
10. No Gala
11. Non Religious Building
12. Something Similar
13. From Our T.V. Teens to the Tomb
14. Worry Birds

Amazon.com

Maria McKee's first studio album in seven years is also her first release on her own label. To go from producing an inescapable global hit like "Show Me Heaven" to funding one's own recordings in a little over a decade may not seem the ideal career trajectory, but the truth is that McKee was always far more indie rocker than pop diva. "Show Me Heaven" certainly paid a few bills, but it also served to overshadow her sterling earlier work with Lone Justice. High Dive, then, is McKee as she would prefer to be seen--far closer to Kirsty MacColl than Whitney Houston, a wry, literate singer-songwriter blessed with a voice that's both technically pristine and approachably human. Though High Dive is marred in spots by over-fussy production, the best moments here, such as the wise and witty title track and the unabashedly Lone Justice-like "In Your Constellation," justify McKee's investment in herself. Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews:

My Album of the Year for 2003.......2006-02-24

The Little Diva's first album since 1996's brilliant Life Is Sweet is a tremendous, five-star effort. Since its release in April of 2003, I've probably listened to it - no joke here - at least 1000 times. 2000 times. How's that possible? On the way to work; on the way home; running errands; and here at home. The tracks, in total and apart, have a narcotic-like effect; one listen and you'll be hooked. "In Your Constellation" has a Neil Young-like vibe, a la "Like a Hurricane," that sends me flying into the stratosphere and higher; "Be My Joy" is, well, just plain intoxicating; and the dramatic "Non Religious Building" is as potent as songs come: "Suicide/ever think of suicide/see your friends the day you take your life/kind of helps you decide..." I was hesitant about the remake of "Life Is Sweet"/"Afterlife" ... but, ya know what? It's as good as the original - and the backing vocals are to die for, both there and elsewhere. My album of the year for 2003.

Ambitious and brilliant.......2005-05-21

Pivoting off of the jaw-dropping brilliance of Life Is Sweet, Maria McKee proudly brushes off the major-label record industry and skips off into the sunset with another big album full of surprises. As time moves on, much of the predictable Lone Justice sound of her early years starts to not hold up so well. But this is a good thing because as High Dive shows, Maria McKee has talent to burn. If you are as passionate about this music as Maria herself is, you'll have little interest in going back to the You Gotta Sin To Get Saved days.
High Dive is certainly less focused than Life Is Sweet, but it builds on the rock-opera/broadway play moments that surfaced during the Life Is Sweet tour. "To The Open Spaces", "High Dive", "In Your Constellation", "Non Religious Building" and particularly "From Our T.V. Teens To The Tomb" are triumphant rock and roll blissed out golden moments that would make Pete Townshend smile. One can easily see a theatrical production written by McKee taking shape from these songs. It would have been nice to maybe have a few less songs on this collection, because sometimes it's easy to get lost amid the ambition. If you can excuse that, bring this little gem on a summer night's drive somewhere where you can safely drive over the speed limit. With the volume turned up just right, you won't be able to stop smiling.
If "Life Is Sweet" was McKee's masterpiece, "High Dive" is it's brilliant kid-sister who maybe didn't get enough attention growing up.
Leaving Geffen Records was the best thing that ever happened to Maria McKee. She is a treasure and the arc of the growth of her songwriting has been as exciting to watch as the careers of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.

Maria, you still haven't landed.......2005-04-20

I absolutely LOVE this album -- favorite of the year. I see the user reviews are all over the board. I guess I am not surprised. I was taken aback by her prior album, Life is Sweet. Maybe I was expecting something more like her earlier work then, but I got into it over time and I still love it. So I think I was more open minded and trusting when High Dive came out after so many years, having no idea what to expect. I can't say I love every track on the second half of the disk, but there's just so much that is GREAT and it is so unbelievably ambitious. Just a huge record. Thank you, Maria.

interesting? different?.......2004-03-31

I agree with much in the reviews below, which I found informative enough to put off buying this CD from a dearly loved singer for many months. In the end, I couldn't resist a chance to hear Maria sing new material, and much of what I regret after a half dozen listenings has been said by others. If you liked Lone Justice and/or the first two solo CD's more than Life is Sweet, you may well be disappointed by the music here. This may be a difficult piece of art much more sophisticated than her earlier work that I simply haven't studied carefully enough to appreciate. I think that's a little pretentious for pop music, though. The songs and arrangements do sound like Broadway show tunes, and there are probably a lot of Maria McKee fans besides me who are not especially fond of show tunes. I disagree with a reviewer who suggested that one of the songs sounds a lot like Lone Justice. The re-recorded version of Life is Sweet makes a good song that is otherwise out of print available, but the original version was recorded better, in my opinion. In general, the lyrics lean toward the morbid, bitter, and bleak, when they're coherent and comprehensible. I have no clue what some of these songs are even about and the arrangements, though often creative and original, can also come across as simply strange mixes of genres. Maria lowers her voice enough to sound like a David Bowie imitator on "Non Religious Building," and I think it's no coincidence that several of the reviews below mention Bowie, who also had a fondness for theatrical music. I agree with a reviewer below that the title track sounds autobiographical, but if that's the case, the verse about how she could have made it to the top if she'd been more ruthless is embarrassing. Maria McKee made it close to the top, and she's not the only singer with great talent who didn't enjoy all the commercial success they may have deserved and perhaps would have received if they'd made different choices or simply had better luck. It seems graceless to whinge about this 20 years later, even to a listener who thinks Ms. McKee's singing was one of the musical high points of the 1980's.

The production of this recording, unfortunately, buries her great voice in the mix. The first three times I listened to this CD on a fairly good car stereo, I thought Maria was singing softly, without much feeling, and that her voice must have aged to the point of not being able to belt them out the way she used to. It was only when I listened on an extremely high-end stereo at literally house-shaking volume that I was able to make out that same great voice singing with passion under the accompaniments. And that's what makes me keep listening to this CD. It's a pleasure to hear a favorite voice singing new material, even if that material isn't memorable; I don't think there's one great song here. In the end, if the French horn that accompanies the "playing my trumpet" line on "High Dive" is reminiscent of a Burt Bacharach song, I'd rather listen to Dionne Warwick use that sound with much more flair on a real Burt Bacharach song.

I'm glad to see this singer still performing, and still taking risks, even if her artistic direction is taking her away from my personal tastes. But if your tastes don't run toward Broadway, or if you are not an extremely die-hard fan, I would not recommend this purchase. As an extremely die-hard fan who wanted a complete collection, I don't regret buying the CD, but in the long run I imagine I'll be spending more time with Maria's earlier recordings.

Wow.....What a mess.......2003-12-18

I will start by saying that there was a time when I thought anything this woman wrote or sang was gold. I have listened to this album three times now and, at best, it is sounds like "B" sides and throw aways from other efforts. A few times, I thought I was listening to a bad lounge act. Maria, you can do much more! I wanted badly to like this album. Instead, I got out her "You got to sin to be saved" CD and remembered happier times.

Average customer rating:

High Swan Dive Manufacturer: BTS Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CAJH4I Release Date: 2004-10-19

Average customer rating:

Everything Ends This Way Manufacturer: Balcony Dive ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CAF8NW Release Date: 2002-06-04

Average customer rating:

Dive Into Yourself ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Japan | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000G5S5WE Release Date: 2006-08-01

Average customer rating:

The High Dive Annie Keating Manufacturer: Annie Keating ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Take the Wheel ASIN: B0003U43BO Release Date: 2004-06-01

Tracks:

1. Riddler
2. Saints and Saviors
3. Riverboat
4. Wildcard
5. Baby Jane
6. Weekend Getaway
7. Four Leaf Clover
8. Bearer
9. Summer Waltz
10. High Dive
11. Big Wheel
12. Merry Go Round

Product Description

All songs recorded at Uptime Studio, Manhattan, Mixed by Sammy Clementine, Mastered by Fred Kevordian at Absolute Audio, Inc.

Average customer rating:

High Swan Dive Bermuda Triangle Service Manufacturer: independent ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000LXAZG0

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