Far Side of the World
Jimmy Buffett's 33rd record--his first for his own Mailboat Records--finds the world's most famous beach bum in an uncharacteristically reflective mood. While he hasn't completely lost interest in beer, burgers, and string bikinis, Buffett no longer seems intent on transporting fans to some tropical Shangri-la. Buffettdoestake listeners on a trip to the "Far Side of the World," but insists that you bring your baggage with you--and learn to love it. Buffett skillfully weaves themes of self-acceptance, self-abnegation, and fears for the future into unerringly witty and graphic observations, but his words lack much of their usual frivolity and froth. Buffett seems intent on revisiting the emotional landscape he first explored inLiving and Dying in 3/4 Time, which produced the rather mournful song of love and separation "Come Monday." His rendition ofBruce Cockburn's "All the Ways That I Want You" recaptures that sense of love and yearning, but without the stark lack of hope. Hope is one thing Buffett possesses in abundance. In "Last Man Standing" he allows thoughts of retirement, but vows, "I wanna be the last man standing." In the elegant "Someday I Will," he admits: "I don't have a plan / It's not that kind of thing / I'm not Martin Luther King / I don't have a dream / It's just sometimes I know that's the way I'm supposed to go." Buffett is a man at a crossroads, where he's created his most evocative and daring music in years.--Jaan Uhelszki