Christine Lavin & Friends
One Meat Ball
(2006)
“Marrying the ideas of eating and music, One Meat Ball is a collection of 19 songs about, well, food. Being that this record was commissioned by Christine Lavin, the music on it generally stays within the folk-country realm, which fits well with the somewhat offbeat nature of many of the songs. Many of the tracks take a humorous tone . . . but many of them also do what food helps us do best: reminisce. . . . Equally important to One Meat Ball is the booklet with which it comes, which is a collection of recipes from the artists themselves, most of them relating directly to the track with which they are paired . . . The musicians are all top-rate . . . and actually, the food that they’re talking about sounds pretty good, too, which could just be One Meat Ball’s greatest selling point. (3-1/2 stars)”
– All Music Guide |
“This brilliant concept – who doesn’t like music and who doesn’t like to eat? – was cooked up by New York folk singer Christine Lavin, who gathered food songs from 20 friends. She also collected recipes to fit the songs. . . . The songs are mostly good-humored, fitting their subject matter. The Accidentals’ a cappella ‘Betrothal,’ for instance, measures a date's romantic potential by his or her ability to eat "spherical foods" like grapes. Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich’s “Taylor the Latte Boy” delivers more than coffee, and Julie Gold's “The Heartbreak Diet” contemplates the ways in which food can be good when love goes bad. Lavin, whose own song-and-recipe contribution is "French Toast Bread Pudding," is a 30-year New Yorker who once wrote an epic 9-minute ballad about getting into the 10-item express checkout lane with 11 items. . . . [H]er flair for whimsy may help account for the fact this project, on Appleseed Recordings, tilts toward desserts – chocolate mousse, tomato pudding, lemon cream cheese pie."
– David Hinckley, New York Daily News |
“One Meat Ball is the brainchild of the ever-mirthful Christine Lavin, who gathers 19 singer/songwriters to offer witty observations on the ever-popular topic of food. A few classics are here, including Pete Seeger’s ‘Maple Syrup Time’ and Dave Van Ronk’s version of the title tune, but most of the disc consists of original tunes by talented singer-songwriters . . . It even includes a spiral-bound cookbook with recipes associated with the songs. It’s great fun, and offers musical mettle to G.B. Shaw’s oft-quoted assertion that ‘There is no sincerer love than the love of food.’”
– Gene Hyde, CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries |
“The musical fare on One Meat Ball is both savoury and sweet, leavened occasionally by a healthy portion of libidinous innuendo...after all, you don't need me to tell you that eating and courtship are closely linked.”
– Arthur Wood, FolkWax |
| “Short Orders Gift Guide: This is without a doubt my top pick for 2006. Imagine the perfect fusion of food and music, courtesy of Christine Lavin . . .You'll find a smorgasbord of folk talent here, from Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk to Julie Gold and Debi Smith. Jeff Daniels proves he’s more than ‘Dumb and Dumber’ with a marvelous number, and you'll even get Dame Edna as a special guest on the album-closing ‘French Toast Bread Pudding.’ So there's the music, but what about the food? Well, the CD comes along with a cookbooklet containing the recipes which go with each song. I now understand why people like to hang out with folk singers: They've got GREAT food! Mary Liz McNamara's ‘Candied Bacon’ alone is worth the price of admission, and her gloriously carnivorous accompanying song will have you slavering for a BLT. . . . Buy One Meat Ball for any hungry music fan on your list!”
– J. Scott Wilson, food editor, 10News.com, San Diego |
"One Meat Ball is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Christine Lavin, who got a bunch of friends to sing about food and donate recipes for this combination CD/'cookbooklet' . . . The whole presentation is fairly adorable, with cover art featuring a dapper-looking meatball wearing shades, red cowboy boots and white gloves that could’ve been swiped from one of the California Raisins. Those contributing their voices and culinary expertise to the project include folk heavyweights Pete Seeger, the late Dave Van Ronk, Julie ‘From a Distance’ Gold, Tom Paxton and Jeff Daniels. Yes, ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’s’ Jeff Daniels. That Pleasantville’s Technicolor hero also has a fantastic song about and recipe for tomato pudding was probably the single biggest surprise for those gathered on a recent Friday night for a “One Meat Ball” party: an ambitious endeavor to cook recipes from the cookbooklet while listening to the album. The liner notes say you can hire the folksingers themselves to come cook and sing for you, but it’s more fun to do it yourself. . . . A full-fledged “One Meat Ball” party is messier than your traditional folk music experience . . . But for indie rock friends who are at times hostile to the idea of acoustic guitars, there’s no better equalizer than a full belly.”
– Jeffrey Barg, Philadelphia Weekly |
| “In which we find Christine Lavin going back to an area that's been working for her, themed anthologies. Here she rounds up a crew that goes beyond the usual suspects (even though a lot of them are on board) to celebrate food. Packed with a recipe book that has songs that go with each of the tracks, it’s certainly a tasty fusion of many people’s passions. Anyone that fell under the spell of any of Lavin’s previous pioneering anthologies are sure to recognize this as something to take a flyer on sound unheard as there’s nothing here that will disappoint. Not only that, but she makes it safe to venture into uncharted audio waters and come back with a smile. Well done.”
– Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap |
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