Seth MacFarlane: Music Is Better Than Words | Music Review

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Seth MacFarlane
Music Is Better Than Words
***

by Jonathan Keefe on September 27, 2011
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Whether he's having Stewie Griffin share the stage with Frank Sinatra Jr. or a hard-up Brian Griffin serenade his best friend's wife, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane frequently punctuates his show with musical interludes and full-on production numbers. It's one of the most self-indulgent tendencies on a series that's defined by its self-indulgence, but there's also an underlying sincerity to the usually wiseass MacFarlane's fondness for the classic-pop stylings of the Rat Pack. That affinity for pop standards comes to a head on Music Is Better Than Words, MacFarlane's dead-serious big-band album.

MacFarlane has built a lucrative career on gleefully peddling rape jokes, below-the-belt jabs at celebrities, and homicidal toddlers in primetime, so it's something of a surprise that his album sounds, above all else, classy. Collaborating with Joel McNeely on arrangements, MacFarlane casts Music Is Better Than Words as a tribute to the big-band swing and sterling pop of the Rat Pack, but he wisely avoids choosing songs that were recorded by his musical idols. There's a timelessness to the melodies of James Van Heusen's "It's Anybody's Spring" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Something Good," and McNeely's tasteful horn and string arrangements are flawless recreations of the sounds of Sinatra's mid-century records.

To that end, the album is effective both as a reserved mood piece and as a tribute to a recording style that went out of vogue more than a half century ago. But the limitation of pop standards is that they don't lend themselves to a greater point of view or thematic statement, so the album has nothing to offer beyond MacFarlane's attempts to preserve and honor this particular style of music. MacFarlane has a handsome baritone, and he sings Rodgers and Hart's "It's Easy to Remember" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Two Sleepy People" (a duet with Norah Jones) without any trace of the smug, ironic remove that characterizes his voiceover work on his various animated shows.

Beyond that, Music Is Better Than Words doesn't have any greater purpose than to allow MacFarlane the opportunity to indulge in his desire to record an album of standards. In other words, it's a novelty record. Sincerity marks a refreshing change of pace for MacFarlane, but it never transcends the gimmick of hearing the guy who created Family Guy sing like the Rat Pack.

Label: Universal Republic
Release Date: September 27, 2011

Comments

franklinshepard on September 27, 2011, 11:56 AM

Just a quick correction—Hammerstein was dead when "Something Good" was written; the lyrics were also by Rodgers (as were the lyrics to "I Have Confidence.")

Jonathan Keefe on September 27, 2011, 07:20 PM

Thanks for the heads-up. My review copy didn't have liner notes or a press kit, and All Music Guide credited the song to both Rodgers and Hammerstein, so I deferred to that source.

anonymous1999 on September 30, 2011, 11:35 AM

I'm confused—what "greater purpose" is an album supposed to have other than to entertain the listener? I happen to love Seth's voice, and have been a fan of his singing for several years, so I am sold on that alone. Combined with the genre of music and the way he chose to record it (straight to analog tape, live with an orchestra), this album is a winner. It serves its purpose quite well to this listener.

No-Personality on October 6, 2011, 06:28 PM

I sort of agree with you, Anonymous1999. About an album's greatest purpose. Even though I likely wouldn't give this album any more credit than Keefe already did.

GMatlock on October 7, 2011, 01:50 AM

I have to agree with anonymous1999 and No-Personality, regarding the part of the article about the limitations of pop standards. Is Mr. Keefe saying that pop standards don't have substance? Is he saying that *collections* of pop standards are just collections, while full albums of new material (ideally) have an ongoing theme and/or feature a "greater point of view," and that this makes them superior to collections of pop standards? I can't help but feel that the expectations of music fans have become misplaced, as a whole, these days. Must every album have a theme? If each song serves its purpose well, then I think that should count for a lot. Another often-overlooked parameter is the ability level of the performer(s). While I was a clarinet performance major in college, rather than a vocal performance major, I'd like to think that I can say with a clear conscience that Seth MacFarlane is a far better singer than most singers I hear in music, these days. Perhaps the fact that we classical musicians must always keep in mind that we are throwing ourselves to the sharks every time we play in front of our peers means that I place an unnecessary emphasis on the fundamentals of singing, stylistic interpretation, and effective use of dynamic contrast in my evaluation of comparatively "popular" music. Regardless, I think Seth deserves a better score than 3 out of 5 stars due to his singing ability, alone. I just can't help but read this review and think of the squeamish feeling I get when I learn that I am about to be a part of a "themed" concert. It always feels like the programs being handed out at such events should be subtitled: "A Concert Where All The Music Must Fit A Specific Theme Because More Than One Theme Is Just Confusing!" And while pop standards aren't likely to exactly provide listeners with sharp observations about society, they may just beautifully-portray a certain mood that transports the listener to a meaningful place. I don't see how that could be a detractor. As long as the singer(s)—and, when appropriate, the instrumentalist(s)—can convey the song in a skillful and meaningful way, I don't see a problem.

Mrsound@vision on October 12, 2011, 03:16 PM

It is refreshing to hear actual music. Instead of the crap that roles out of cars as they go bumping by on the streets. any moron can make music this days but it takes real talent to create music like this. it may be rude or distasteful but that is Seth! like it love it real music that is real not thrown together my a machine or some kid thinking its cool adding a string or beats together and talking about ignorant crap.

true artists deserve credit and those who just throw crap together don't.

Jonathan Keefe on October 14, 2011, 04:58 PM

This is honestly one of the last albums that I ever expected to draw questions about critical theory, and I'm certainly not going to haggle over the album's rating, especially since mine is one of the more favorable reviews MacFarlane received. On a 5-star scale, 3-stars falls on the upper half.

Of course an album doesn't have to have a "theme." But I absolutely believe that the best art— and recorded music, at its best, counts as art— has something of substance to it, be that some sort of a thematic focus, a narrative, a sense of scope or vision, or simply a unique point of view. The songs on this album, both individually and as a collection, do not, in my evaluation, have anything especially novel or important or even halfway interesting to say, nor does MacFarlane, in my evaluation, have any discernable artistic voice, though he does, as I said, have a handsome singing voice.

This is a pleasant and inoffensive set of songs, performed competently. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no qualms about expecting more of the music I listen to, especially when there is so much available music— and simply listening to the radio or what is coming from the speakers of passing cars is hardly a fair assessment of contemporary music— that is every bit as pleasantly and competently performed as this album and that *does* offer greater depth and substance. It's a matter of what I consider the difference between "pop" and "art," and I happen to love both. This album just isn't what I would consider a compelling example of either.

GMatlock on November 22, 2011, 09:46 PM

Well, if that's your opinion, Mr. Keefe, then I shudder to think of how your review of a Juilliard flutist's DMA recital would read.

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