Rolling Stone Review of Elsie (3.5 Stars)

From http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/elsie-20110906

On this side project, Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon trades his main band's Springsteenian punk for pianos and ballad choruses - moving up the East Coast corridor not far from Billy Joel country. Fallon drops his trademark cheap-scotch growl to a whisper, singing about loneliness ("Cherry Blossoms") and missed opportunities ("Blood Loss"). The songs are more subdued, but he doesn't skimp on conviction, often playing the patron saint of hard-luck cases (including his own). And while this is sometimes just a softfocus version of Gaslight's bruised romanticism, his weathered tenderness makes it stick. "Did you say you were afraid of dying?/I ain't lived a single day without you," he sings on "I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together." Call it corny - in his broken timbre, it's sad-sack gospel.

I don't really see how Blood Loss is about "missed opportunities" as opposed to the emotional slavery that lost love can impose.

I agree with you about "Blood Loss" what are they talking about?? R.S. is usually way on or way off. This time they missed the mark, IMO. Their review of new albums is usually the first one I will read though, LOL. They will give Lil' Wayne albums 4 1/2 and 5 stars.... He's entertaining, yes, but c'mon the guy isn't even on the same wave length lyrically as Brian. I can't hate on R.S. too much they're the reason I found TGA I take their reviews with a grain of salt anymore though b/c they don't have the credibility that they used to.

Ive read a lot of reviews now and none of them reall seem to know what theyre talking about. With some of them its like theyve only listened the album once and maybe before that hadn't even heard of the Horrible Crowes. Yet more cringeworthy Springsteenian references too. Will they just let it go and give the band the credit they deserve without dragging Bruces name in at every opportunity.