Review: Lisa Loeb: No Fairy Tale

All right. Lisa Loeb: No Fairy Tale. This one came out in February of this year, 2013. I was lucky enough to snag a signed copy of it, when I preordered it from newburycomics.com. I know that I’ve mentioned No Fairy Tale several times in every other Lisa Loeb review that I’ve done. It’s probably because it’s the one that is most fresh in my mind, it was the tour that she was on when I got to see her, and besides, it’s just a surprisingly good record.

 

I had a few reservations about this record before I got it. First of all, Lisa collaborated with a couple of people, who I don’t have any idea who they are; Chad Gilbert, and Tegan Quinn. It is very punchy, very electric, and very rock, and at its core, still very Lisa Loeb.

 

It was almost nine years between The Way It Really Is and No Fairy Tale’s release reaching into KISS territory of long waits between studio album releases for active bands. I have to say… I feel like it was worth the wait.

 

Lisa comes in this time and completely redefines herself. The album is almost completely, not hard rock, but definitely more electric and heavier than the rest of all of her other records combined. Very few tracks on this record even have an acoustic guitar even in them.

 

All of the vocal and lyric work is top notch Lisa Loeb. Even with the change in instrument style, there doesn’t feel like there is much of a change deep down at the core. Initially it was a little bit of a shock. The only song that feels like straight up, classic, acoustic Lisa is Ami, I’m Sorry. I was very pleased with this record as a whole, and very surprised at exactly how much I ended up liking it in the end.

 

When I went to see Lisa play live, I was floored by the fact that she had this record available on vinyl at her merchandise table. If you’ve been following me so far, you know how I feel about vinyl records, and here I come across Lisa Loeb: No Fairy Tale on vinyl.

 

I was very happy with the vinyl as well. The value was quite impressive, considering this is something that seems that it’s going to be a concert exclusive deal. The first thing that is noticeable of the vinyl is the fact that the cover art reflects the Japanese version of the record. This is something that Lisa pointed out when she was on stage, and she also made mention of the fact that the title of the record was mistakenly left off of the cover art where the title of the record didn’t appear(a fact that I noticed as soon as I got my hands on it). On the original Japanese version, the title actually appears on the cover of the book that Lisa is holding on the cover. Lisa even volunteered to write in the title for anyone who got their copy of the record signed after the show.

 

The vinyl itself, like I said was a really good value. Although not the coveted 180 gram heavy vinyl, the record itself is the standard weight, but being brand new, is very solid. The pressing is very nice, and the label mirrors the cover art of Lisa sitting on her throne. There is also a ten inch sheet that contains the line notes and lyrics, there is even a big picture of Lisa from the cover of the International version of the record on it. It’s on a nice glossy paper, and has plenty of little photos on it. The content itself is identical to the booklet in the CD version of the record.

 

The sound quality is phenomenal. It is spot on. I found this very surprising. The sound quality of the vinyl is comparable to that of the quality of the CD. Considering some of the other new releases that I’ve gotten on vinyl, I was very impressed.

 

The price was right, perfect in fact, at $20. Considering how nice it is and how potentially rare that it’s going to be, it was a downright steal. If you have a chance to see Lisa live, and these are still available, snag one. They’ll be great for vinyl lovers and even if you don’t particularly care for vinyl, they’ll still make a great collectable in the end. If you’re a Lisa Loeb fan, buy this record. Get it on CD if you can’t get it on vinyl.

 

Track List:

Side A:

1. No Fairy Tale
2. The ’90s
3. Weak Day
4. Walls
5. A Hot Minute
6. Sick, Sick, Sick

Side B:

1. Matches
2. Married
3. Swept Away
4. He Loved You So Much
5. Ami, I’m Sorry
6. The Worst