Date: Fri 11-Aug-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Quick Words:

Jimmy-Buffett-Barometer-Soup

Full Text:

Albums Reviewed: Tasty "Soup" Result Of Key West Winter

(with album covers, photo)

By Shannon Hicks

Many of us would love to be able to put down "wintering in Key West" as our

own job description, but until the rest of us can afford to do that, we'll

follow along - mentally, anyway - in the footsteps of the world's luckiest,

not to mention wealthiest, beach boy himself: Jimmy Buffett.

Buffett and many members of his band, as legend goes, had decided in February

they would return to the Keys to work on the album Parrot Heads are now

enjoying: Barometer Soup . The term refers to something fellow writer Herman

Wouk cooked up many moons ago. Between the studio at the Fish Camp and the old

Monroe County Library, Buffett & Co. searched works of their collective

favorite authors for source material, from Mark Twain to Carl Hiaasen. When

the songs were done, they pedaled their bikes and mopeds across town, to

Shrimp Boat Sound, to cook up their Soup .

The result is a fresh melange of sounds Parrot Heads crave year-round, and the

colorful fans of Buffett should be very pleased with this offering to the

always-hungry masses.

The title track starts off with that romantic, mesmerizing calypso sound that

seems to follow Buffett anywhere he goes. "Barometer Soup" opens the album,

which boasts 12 songs and clocks in at 55 minutes.

There are ups and downs to this album: the songs that are going to rock every

house he plays, and the ballads that will calm the happy savages. "Diamond As

Big As The Ritz," "Lage Nom Ai" and "Don't Chu-Know" - with Buffett even

sampling from an old, old song of his (not unlike the title of this summer's

"Domino College Tour") - fits the first bill, and "Blue Heaven Rendezvous" and

the autobiographical "Jimmy Dreams" fill the latter.

James Taylor's "Mexico" closes this album, with a liner note referring to

"that silly plane thing last summer." Buffett swam away from a near-death

experience when one of his favorite sea planes crashed into the waves in July

while he was at the controls. This song came on while he was flying back to

Key West -someone else piloted that plane - and he decided to be more

spontaneous to sudden impulses.

Life is just a tire swing and the rope can break at any time, Buffett says,

and the impulse of that moment was to record a song he'd always enjoyed.

"Bank of Bad Habits," replete with his trademark sense of humor, echoes

"Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost." And that leads to a charge too many

critics have against Buffett: his music always sounds the same. Well, (A) yes

it does, because that's the point of having a style; and (B) that's what his

fans enjoy - all 26 albums of songs' worth - so why mess with a good recipe?

And that's what Barometer Soup is: A good recipe cooked up by the best chef in

Margaritaville.

Margaritaville's

Latest Lagniappe

For that feeling of being completely immersed in the whole Jimmy

Buffett/Margaritaville in New Orleans/pre paring for a Buffett show,

Margaritaville Records has just released Margaritaville Cafe New Orleans (Late

Night Gumbo) . It may not be on the rack next to Barometer Soup , but take the

extra minute or two to look for it. This yummy collection picks up where Late

Night Cafe left off two years ago, only this time with musicians playing at

the New Orleans cafe that Buffett owns (the previous album has acts performing

at his Key West cafe).

As with the prior release, Buffett makes an appearance (two, in this case,

"Sea Cruise" and "Goodnight, Irene") on Late Night Gumbo , but the focus here

is on other artists who are emerging in Margaritaville. A creole-dripping

"Don't Stop" by the Rebirth Brass Band starts off the eating process, and it

slids down as easily as a plate of fat, juicy, raw bar oysters.

Rockin' Dopsie, Jr begs listeners "Please Don't Leave Me," and they won't,

because this is a great album. It bumps, it sways, it rocks the house. It's

full of that fat, succulent sound that makes New Orleans everything it is... a

city full of romance, steam and rain, music and food, and life.

The Iguanas are given two tracks on Gumbo . One of the first bands signed to

the Margaritaville Records label, these boys were relegated to entertaining

Parrot Heads on a parking lot stage for Buffett's summer tour of 1994, then

worked the stage in the house for Buffett's Fruitcakes on Tour season last

year. Very Tex-Mex sounding, The Iguanas' sound - heard here on "Eatin' With

Fingers" and "Got You On My Mind" - has become very distinctive to

Margaritaville Records listeners and Buffett followers. Bluerunners, Jumpin'

Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux are also give time to make their

impression.

Like a salad bar with something for everyone to choose from, Margaritaville

Cafe New Orleans: Late Night Gumbo offers up a little bit of something from

every corner of New Orleans.