Full Service No Waiting
Case, a onetime new-waver (remember the Plimsouls' 1983 hit "A Million Miles Away"?) has slowly grown into a folksinger. More obsessed with the past than his previous solo albums--"I'm numb and I'm cold and I'm so goddamn old," he sings on "Green Blanket (Part 1)"--Full Servicehas a wistful feeling that goes well with the singer's reflective voice. It's filled with well-crafted turns of phrase such as "the bridge where the winter turns spring" and "the monkeys wearing crowns," and Case plays consistently sharp electric guitar and harmonica solos. The harp riff on "Let Me Fall" may not have returned him to radio playlists, but it's a nice upbeat break from the album's melancholy mood.--Steve Knopper