''Triage'' is the second solo album by David Baerwald, formerly of the two-man group

David & David David & David (stylized as David + David) was an American rock duo composed of Los Angeles-based studio musicians David Baerwald and David Ricketts. They are best known for their debut single "Welcome to the Boomtown" from the album ''Boomtown''. ...

. It was released in 1993 on A&M Records. Baerwald had wanted the album to come out before the

1992 United States presidential election The 1992 United States presidential election was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992. Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeated incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush, independent ...

, but it was pushed back several months. Baerwald supported the album by participating in the "In Their Own Words" tour, along with Lisa Germano,

Freedy Johnston Freedy Johnston (born Frederic John Fatzer in 1961) is a New York City–based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas. Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation, and disappointm ...

, Johnny Clegg, and Michael Barabas.

Production

The album was produced by

Bill Bottrell William A. Bottrell (born October 27, 1952) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Electric Light Orchestra and Sheryl Crow. Biography Between 1967 and 1970, Bottrell attended Cresc ...

, Baerwald, and Dan Schwartz. Baerwald was open to different musical styles and tried not to limit the music to any specific genre. Many of its songs were influenced by politics and conspiracy theories. The album is dedicated to politicians and government officials disliked by Baerwald. The album cover is a photograph of bloody hands on top of the American flag; the liner notes contain photos of the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

file on Baerwald's father. Herb Alpert played trumpet on "A Secret Silken World"; due to its theme of sadism,

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

allegedly counseled against recording the song. "Nobody" was written after Baerwald tagged along with members of the

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

gang division. "A Bitter Tree" addresses adultery. The voices of Jim Jones and George Herbert Walker Bush are sampled on "The Postman". The closing two songs incorporate more optimistic sentiments.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that the album "leavens its juicy dollops of depravity and paranoia with just enough humor to keep from being an apocalyptic bore." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' noted that Baerwald's "voice—singing, mumbling and shouting those powerful lyrics—carries ''Triage'', with the music pushed down to a subtle supporting role." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' concluded that "it's an ambitious work, but heavy-handedness has often been Baerwald's bane." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' opined that, "like Roger Waters' recent work, Baerwald's well-crafted sonics fail to clothe his ambitious lyrical ideas in sufficient pop appeal." ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' considered ''Triage'' to be "ponderous, self-obsessed singer-songwriter indulgence."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

rated ''Triage'' 4.5 out of 5 stars, deeming it "a bumpy ride."

Track listing

Personnel

* David Baerwald – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass *

– guitars, keyboards, vocals, loops * Greg Arreguin – guitar * Dan Schwartz – bass, guitar * David Kemper – drums *

Brian MacLeod Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meanin ...

– drums * Kevin Gilbert – piano, drums * Herb Alpert – trumpet on "A Secret Silken World"

References

External links

A Fine Mess (Official David Baerwald website)

Triage at Discogs.com
{{Authority control David Baerwald albums 1993 albums A&M Records albums