REVIEWS FOR UGLY LOVE
The New Yorker Magazine
“Genius... astringently morose ballads about love... his deep, rough-hewn voice will make you think of Leonard Co- hen.”
Washington Post, Mark Jenkins
“His voice proves appropriate for the somber ballads on ‘Ugly Love’ with a gruff whisper that sometimes suggests Leon- ard Cohen’s, the deadpan observations of such songs as ‘Love Her Again’ and ‘Nice Girl’ are often incisive...still it’s the music that insinuatingly creates the mood...the album’s sound is frequently hushed and generally spare, which makes the occasional sax, strings or gospel backing vocals all the more striking...with such canny juxtapositions, ‘Ugly Love’ achieves an astringent beauty.”
Washington DC City Paper
“It evokes a ‘50s music hall at the british seaside or a lounge singer negotiating his own sleaziness.”
Creative Loafing, Charlotte, NC
“And now for something completely different...Spottiswoode’s lyrics drip with gallons of Leonard Cohen...Spottiswoode is a jolt of mellow energy in today’s hyper-beat music world...some songs have a decidedly Paris cafe flavor, but the devilish guitars conjure up alienation and fear...laborious, gorgeous and doomy in the same breath, Spottsiwoode’s bare bones determination and neuroticism is compelling.”
Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC
“Spottiswoode plays it low and slinky, with mood galore. Imagine hanging out with Leonard Cohen, sipping martinis in a dark corner of some hip bar, dissecting Bowie’s ‘space oddity’....Spottiswoode would probably be the band onstage.”
Flagpole Magazine, Athens, GA
“Spottiswoode’s new solo project UGLY LOVE (Groovetown USA records) is an eerie collection of love songs and waltzes reminiscent of the moodiest material by Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Smoke.”
www.nyrock.com
“Backed by instruments ranging from violins and cellos to electric guitars, the lyrics to his tunes all share a common trait of longing and desire. It’s not unlike listening to Morphine with a touch more of the blues. Over the course of the record, Spottiswoode experiments with his vocals and music, but never loses the dark cloud that hangs over the album as a whole, it sucks you in slowly - before you know it you are listening to it again”
Aiding & Abetting
“Amazingly dark songs about love and other pains of life. Spottiswoode utilizes all sorts of cheesy pop cliches, but he invariably strips then down to their cores and inverts them, leaving behind some truly spooky stuff. Not yer everyday album, but those of us with a dark side will partake with gusto. Some really amazing work here.”