...which still means it's a fair sight better than most other people's work.

If you consider "Party of One" to be the first album of Nick's "indie" period, which also includes "The Impossible Bird," "Dig My Mood," and "The Convincer," it's easily the worst of the bunch. However, if you consider it to be the last one of his major-label period ("Party of One" was originally released on Reprise and was then reissued by Upstart), it fares a little better. But it's still no "Nick the Knife."

My problem with this album is: too much rockabilly. A couple of songs would have been enough, but rockabilly makes up nearly the entire album.

The best song, "What's Shakin' on the Hill," is fortunately *not* of this genre; in fact, it's a step forward toward Nick's more mellow songs of the late 90's, much as the Beach Boys' "Let Him Run Wild" was said to be a step toward "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (which was itself said to be a step toward "Pet Sounds"). But it's apparent Nick's not quite used to this mood yet, and you can hear it in his voice, which doesn't navigate the melody nearly as well as it does today. (He sounds much more comfortable on "You Got the Look I Like," the opener, and another good song.)

So--if you're already a Nick fan, you should pick this up. If you're *not* a Nick fan, don't start here. First, pick up "Basher" for the pre-1987 Nick. As for the post-1990 Nick, there's no "best of" compilation yet, so you might as well start with 2001's "The Convincer" and work your way back. Save "Party of One" for later.

This party could use a few more crowd-pleasers. While there are a few of your better Lowe tunes, like the self centered "Gai-Gin Man," the unknown victim of "Who was That Man," and the fair warning of "All Men Are Liars (and boy, does Rick Astley take a hit on this one)," this is not Lowe's best work. The quality material is watered down by weaker numbers like the sappy "What's Shakin' On The Hill," or the sheer silliness of "Shting-Shtang" and "Honeygun," which, while catchy, have no real staying power other than through the repetitiveness of their choruses. Not a totally satisfying go for this clever artist, but worth having for the good stuff.

I discovered Nick Lowe with his current music. Then I have worked my way back to the Brinsley Schwarz days. Anyways, Party of One is not a five star album. It's fun, that's no doubt. But there is some filler material as well. Still, is this the most underappreciated artist out there?

I'm sure Nick Lowe is a master at his craft. But I just had to write and warn that all the songs on this album are not like "All Men Are Liars". I got this album on the strength of that song -- not just on the lyrics but also the beauty of the tune itself. Unfortunately, I found that the rest of the songs are pretty average rockabilly fare, even if the lyrics are witty. I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek song as much as the next person, but I also like to have a good tune to listen to when I can't pay attention to the lyrics. Although I must say that I found "What's Shakin' on the Hill" and "You Stabbed Me In the Front" to be pretty nice. Sorry to bring the average down!

I've been a Nick Lowe fan since I borrowed a friend's copy of "Labour of Lust" back in 1987. That landmark album, along with Nick's association with Elvis Costello, have helped plant him firmly as one of my favorite singer/songwriter/producers. It's a terrible shame that he hasn't received nearly the credit he deserves for his abundant talents.

I recently picked up "Party of One" at a discount bin for [price]! Definitely one of my all-time greatest CD steals. This is a fantastic disc. There are so many great, fun, hilarious, infectious tunes on this disc. "You Got the Look I Like." "Gai-Gin Man." "Who Was That Man." "Jumbo Ark." And of course, one of Nick's funniest tunes, "All Men Are Liars" (That song contains one of his most infamous lines -- "Do you remember Rick Astley? He had a big fat hit, it was ghastly"). He practically invented tongue-in-cheek. Who else could write a song called "Shting-Shtang?" Or "You Stabbed Me In The Front?"

The songs have a distinct rockabilly feel, aided in no small part by the musical talents of Dave Edmunds and session ace Jim Keltner, among others. The emphasis here is on fun with a capital "F." This is a great place for people to discover the wonder of Nick Lowe, truly one of rock's most overlooked songwriters. You should also check out the excellent "Labour of Lust." If you really want to go all out, get the 1999 box set "The Doings," but his single-disc anthology "Basher" is great too.