The Tigers Have Spoken
*The Tigers Have Spoken* finds Neko Case rendering an eclectic batch of self-composed material and covers from far-flung sources. Recorded live in Chicago and Toronto, the album’s highlights include two new compositions, the poignant title track and the twang-laden “If You Knew.” She also dips back into her catalogue for the tormented, atmospheric “Blacklisted” and the countrified “Favorite.” Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Soulful Shade of Blue” is the sort of honky tonk heart-tugger that Case excels at. A brisk, punky version of the Nervous Eaters’ “Loretta,” a hard-charging treatment of the Shangri-La’s “The Train from Kansas City,” and a pugnacious rendition of Loretta Lynn’s “Rated X” are equally impressive. An unexpected pleasure is the celebratory “This Little Light of Mine,” served up as a folksy sing-along. With The Sadies providing spirited backup, Case displays her trademark passion and finesse throughout this fine in-concert release.
Tigers is a charged collection of new original material, selective covers, and one previously hard-to-find cut--"Favorite," the first song Neko ever wrote herself from start to finish. The Tigers Have Spoken highlights the vibrant, joyful side of Case's music--a side which, though it doesn't often get mentioned in the press, her listeners have wanted to hear preserved for some time. "When we play," says Neko, "people always come up and say, 'Are you going to do some upbeat stuff? Are you ever going to bring a drummer?' This record's sort of for them."
Neko Case's first live album isn't the usual collection of slightly re-touched studio favorites. In addition to a few requisite live staples, this collection also includes new originals, covers of songs by Loretta Lynn and The Shangri-La's, and a couple of public-domain tracks. Members of The Sadies ably serve as Case's backing band as she moves between vintage torch-and-twang, otherworldly blues, sweet soul music, and plain old rock'n'roll.
Check out our album review of Artist's The Tigers Have Spoken on Rolling Stone.com.
In the press release that accompanies Neko Case's 2004 live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, the singer (and her record company) insist quite strongly that this isn't meant to be a stopgap release on the way to her next studio project.