Jimmy Buffett

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane" -- these lyrics, from the title cut, sum up the philosophy of Buffett's music, and this album is the definition of his craft. Wistfully funny, with calypso beats next to touches of country, the much-loved singer-songwriter can even make the downward spiral of alcoholism sound appealing, as he does on the hit "Margaritaville."

The wry humor and carefully etched scenes that made Jimmy Buffett's A White Sport Coat
and a Pink Crustacean so endearing have been slowly evaporating. What remains three
albums later are the occasional clever line and a lot of self-pitying drinking songs. The only
notable exception is the desperately sad "In the Shelter," the tale of a very lost young
woman. The drinking tunes, it should be added, probably work in live performa... More >

Buffett's certainly more likable than the average professional rakehell--he's complex, he's honest, he takes good care of his sense of humor, and above all he doesn't come on like a hot sh*t. This is his most reflective album, and though I'm nothing like him--"Wonder Why We Ever Go Home" is hardly my take on aging--I find myself interested whenever he stops and thinks, which happens mostly on side one. "Banana Republics," about expatriates reaping the wages (and pleasures) of imperialism even if Buffett would never put it that way, is my favorite, but I also love this breakthrough insight from his breakthrough single: "Some people claim that there's a woman to blame/But I know it's my own damn fault." (Grade - B+)