The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL NEWS: SKINNY PUPPY TAPS LEAD INTO GOLD AS DIRECT SUPPORT FOR US/CANADA TOUR | NEW SINGLE “THE ETERNAL PRESENT” OUT NOW
SPILL FEATURE: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE – A CONVERSATION WITH STIX ZADINIA OF STEEL PANTHER
SPILL NEWS: BITCHFEST! 2023 – HIGHLIGHTING FEMALE, NON-BINARY, TRANS AND TWO-SPIRIT VOICES IN THE MUSIC SCENE ACROSS THE GTA
SPILL NEWS: JINJER TO SUPPORT HEADLINERS DISTURBED + SPECIAL GUESTS BREAKING BENJAMIN ON “TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE TOUR”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: HAYDEN RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “MISS FORT ERIE” | WESTERN CANADIAN SOLO TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE DAMNED ANNOUNCE BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘DARKADELIC’ OUT ON APRIL 28 ON earMUSIC | REVEAL NEW SINGLE + TOUR DATES
SPILL NEWS: THE SISTERS OF MERCY ANNOUNCE FIRST U.S. TOUR IN OVER A DECADE
SPILL NEWS: THE NORTHERN PIKES ACOUSTICALLY REIMAGINE FAN FAVOURITES FROM ‘SNOW IN JUNE’ ON TENTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘TIME TO TIME’
SPILL NEW MUSIC: SUBHUMANS UNVEIL HUGE BOX SET | ALL RECORDS REMIXED AND REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: ORBITAL RELEASE NEW SINGLE “ARE YOU ALIVE?” FEATURING PENELOPE ISLES
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MMEADOWS – LIGHT MOVES AROUND YOU
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WILL EPSTEIN – WENDY
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COLONY HOUSE – THE CANNONBALLERS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROBERT FORSTER – THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FANTASTIC NEGRITO – GRANDFATHER COURAGE
SPILL NEW MUSIC: BLUTENGEL RELEASED THIRD NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “WE BELONG TO THE NIGHT” | TOUR DATES
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
1584
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE BONNEVILLES - DIRTY PHOTOGRAPHS
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE FRATELLIS - IN YOUR OWN SWEET TIME

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DON McLEAN – BOTANICAL GARDENS

Don McLean

Don McLean
Botanical Gardens
BMG

One never knows what Don McLean will do next or when, for that matter. Botanical Gardens is his first studio album since 2009’s Addicted To Black. So it has been a while for McLean but it has been well worth the wait. It is also his 21st album, and the man keeps on finding new things to sing about, and new ways in which to express himself.  A true artist.

“I’ll leave you the noise, and the dark city canyons.”, and the album and title track, “Botanical Gardens” have begun. Opening with a standard rock sound, not noisy, but loud, which is an interesting juxtaposition with the subject material of the song. The song, and the album, are a look inwards. This seems to be the overall theme of the album. McLean may look inwards, but the theme and mini themes of this album are universal. Love, relationships, mortality, peace, a troubled world, all get their turns in this garden, and he comes at each topic with typical McLean honesty, wit and humility.

He does not have the answers but he does have the questions and the issues to be addressed. Not every song is a manifesto, some are just fun country/rock songs (“Rock ‘n’ Roll Your Baby”) while others are somewhat painful, yet paired with a relatively happy bluesy melody (“I’ve Cried All The Tears I Have”) . There is a lot going on in his Botanical Gardens.

“Grief and Hope” is a wonderful song that one could imagine Hank Williams writing had he lived. Well structured, melodic and brilliant lyrics. That is the thing with this album, he writes so incredibly well that the listener almost takes the songs for granted.

“When July Comes” is a highlight of the album, a painfully personal song, that is done in the best McLean style, and is the one song that harkens back to his singer/songwriter past. It is a haunting, piano based song with a wonderful string arrangement and I think the best vocals McLean has ever performed.

Some of the songs found on this album have been around for a while. He has performed some during his last few tours, but here they sound fresh, and he breathes such life into them that all the songs sound custom made for this release.

The album finishes with a beautiful cover of a song made famous by Sinatra, “Last Night When We Were Young”, a beautiful, melancholy song, reflecting on life, age and companionship. It is a beautiful way to end the album and a beautiful bookend with “Botanical Gardens”.

Botanical Gardens is a brilliant album. With McLean embarking on a tour to promote the album, one can only hope that it is not another eight years for a new album from him. In the meantime, there is a lot on this album to enjoy and dig into.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

close

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DON McLEAN – BOTANICAL GARDENS

Author

Aaron Badgley

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
7.5
8.0
Total Spill Rating
7.5
Total Fan Rating
3 ratings
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewsbmgbotanical gardensdon mcleangarden partywaving man
album reviews, bmg, botanical gardens, don mclean, garden party, waving man
About the Author
Aaron Badgley
Born and raised in Whitby, Aaron discovered music through his love of The Beatles. This led to a career in radio, writing for various publications, and ultimately a radio show about The Beatles (Beatles Universe), which ran for over four years. When not immersed in music, Aaron enjoys spending time with the loves of his life -- his wife Andrea, and daughters Emily and Linda (all of whom have an intense love of music too).
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewsbmgbotanical gardens
 
8.0
Mmeadows

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MMEADOWS – LIGHT MOVES AROUND YOU

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on February 3, 2023
Mmeadows Light Moves Around You Independent On paper, the combination of Kristin Slipp and Cole Kamen-Green, aka Mmeadows, can sound like a strange combination. After all, Slipp is a member of avant-garde pop band Dirty Projectors, and Green has [...]
 
8.0
Will Epstein

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WILL EPSTEIN – WENDY

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on February 3, 2023
Will Epstein Wendy Fat Possum Records A casual listen to Wendy, the new album by Woodstock, NY’s Will Epstein, might make one fall into the trap of labeling this album and Epstein with the standard tag of singer songwriter. Yet, as the album [...]
 
7.0
Colony House
8.3

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COLONY HOUSE – THE CANNONBALLERS

by Dan Kennard on February 3, 2023
Colony House The Cannonballers Roon Records Colony House, the multi-talented alt-rockers from Franklin, Tennessee, have released a new album The Cannonballers, a follow up to their last studio album Leave What’s Lost Behind (2020). The result is [...]
 
9.0
Robert Forster
9.4

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROBERT FORSTER – THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on February 3, 2023
Robert Forster The Candle And The Flame Tapete Records The Go-Betweens, in both the band’s incarnations, were probably one of the best rock bands ever. That greatness was based on the songwriting and friendship dynamic between Robert [...]
 
9.0
Fantastic Negrito

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FANTASTIC NEGRITO – GRANDFATHER COURAGE

by Gerrod Harris on February 3, 2023
FANTASTIC NEGRITO GRANDFATHER COURAGE STOREFRONT RECORDS Fantastic Negrito made waves with his creative odyssey of a 2022 album, White Jesus Black Problems, an album which tackled the story of his mixed ancestry in the era of American slavery, [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MMEADOWS – LIGHT MOVES AROUND YOU
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WILL EPSTEIN – WENDY
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COLONY HOUSE – THE CANNONBALLERS
7.0
8.3
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROBERT FORSTER – THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME
9.0
9.4
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FANTASTIC NEGRITO – GRANDFATHER COURAGE
9.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUADECA – I DIDN’T MEAN TO HAUNT YOU
2346
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE HUMAN LEAGUE – THE VIRGIN YEARS
1850
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ELVIS PRESLEY – ELVIS ON TOUR
916
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SHRIEKBACK – BOWLAHOOLA
794
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – FRAGMENTS – TIME OUT OF MIND SESSIONS (1996-1997) THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 17
619
 
SPILL NEWS: RICKIE LEE JONES NEVER DID FOLLOW THE RULES | ‘PIECES OF TREASURE’ OUT APRIL 28 (BMG MODERN)
539
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHEAP TRICK – LIVE AT THE WHISKY 1977
508
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAVID CROSBY & THE LIGHTHOUSE BAND – LIVE AT THE CAPITAL THEATRE
379
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NAZZ – LOST MASTERS & DEMOS
348
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOAN ARMATRADING – LIVE AT ASYLUM CHAPEL
329
 
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: GRAMERCY ARMS – “YESTERDAY’S GIRL” FT. LLOYD COLE
328
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LITTLE RIVER BAND – ULTIMATE HITS/MASTERPIECES
326
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL-STARR BAND – LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE 2019
288
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES