Cathi's CD Reviews 12-29-09
Bailey, Ray – “Resurrection” (Tondef) BPromising bluesman who hit in the early nineties in L.A., ran afoul of family problems and quit music, still keeping fingers in the club scene there. This is his first disc to re-establish himself, recorded live at an LA club. A little gymnastic on the guitar just to prove he can though when he isn’t grand-standing, he has a good feel for guitar phrasing. Nice vocals, six originals--extended solos make most songs difficult for radio—better for drinkin’ bar. Some tunes have more up to 2 minutes of instrumental before he starts singing.
Flying Saucers – “Blue..Bluer..Bluest” (Lyracon)
White..whiter…whitest. Not recommended.
Gillam, Tom – “Had Enough?” (Smith Entertainment)
Austin singer-songwriter going for the Americana spot. To me it sounds like medium rock and nothing sticks out as compelling. Not recommended.
Hovey, Erick – “Blues Farm” (Independent) B
Midwestern (Iowan) songwriter with the sense to keep the arrangements spare enough to accent the words of his tunes. Good guitar accents over kind of plain songs (largely the same beat) and adequate, but plain, vocals. OK, and this disc (who puts out two at a time?), despite coming at you with more of a blues feel, and better songs, still seems very same-ish.
Hovey, Eric – “Recycled Souls” (Independent) B-
Midwestern (Iowan) songwriter with the sense to keep the arrangements spare enough to accent the words of his tunes. Good guitar accents over kind of plain songs (largely the same beat) and adequate, but plain, vocals. OK, but no real cigar.
Hughes, Eric – “Live on Beale Street” (Indie) B
Live from the Rum Boogie on Beale Street, Hughes throws the mojo on dance music for the crowd. Old timers all over the stage, it’s clear they are having a good time and have done this before. Lady bass player notable. Nice recording from the dressing room up above. A blues bar band concentrating on up tempo entertainment. Guitarist has a nice style—best part of the group. Good road band.
Kayoss, Earl – “Disarray” (Shut Eye Records)
Thin vocals over strange (not in a good way) tunes. Records a horse neighing to start the second song; liner notes than someone for resurrecting “Satan’s guitar.” Not recommended.
Loomis, Hamilton – “Live in England” (Ham-Bone Records) B+
Young Texan with a wicked handle on guitar—billed as pulling together rock and soul under a strong blue banner, there’s no doubt he knows what he’s doin’. Bo Diddley described him at age 16: “You got to put some seasonin’ in what you’re doing and this boy has the whole salt shaker.” A handful of records after that (usually on the more rock-ish Blind Pig label) have definitely established him as pushing the blues envelope—mostly in the rock direction. In December when everyone was tossing out live discs for Christmas, Loomis pulls in horns, lots of funk a performance by Bo Diddley himself and some cool harp he plays as well. Loomis writes a lot of his stuff and here throws in favorites from former releases to an avid audience.
The Mystix – “Down to the Shore” (Mystix Eyes Records) B-
Booty kickin’ rhythm section from Duke Robillard backing group with a singer whose voice sounds like somebody sliced it up with a razor or he just finished his 2 billionth cigarette-and-whiskey. A variety of interesting tunes, country, back-beat shuffle, one with a New Orleans feel. A combination of too rough, too shakey, but Bob-Dylan
compelling.
Slim Fatz – “Times Like This” (Aladdin Entertainment)
Not recommended at times like this.
Smilin’ Bobby and the Hidden Charms – “Big Legged Woman” (Wolf) A-
Bobby Smith (69 years old) has been playing Chicago clubs since the ‘50s and calls himself a good friend of Magic Sam’s. His son played guitar with Willie Kent and Bobby is billed as the “favorite unknown bluesman in Chicago.”
I’m increasingly skeptical about these “suddenly emerging” old blues guys from Chicago, but this is the real deal. Scott Dirks talks about Bobby’s years of getting strange gigs in unknown Polish clubs with terrible backup musicians, but he “didn’t need” the big clubs because he was playing more gigs than anyone uptown. Nevertheless blues hound Dirks books him in front of a good band now and then and he knocks people down with his soulful guitar and great vocals. I’m sold. Plays some old covers to start the disc, but then puts in some he wrote.
The Villains – “The Villains” (Dan Call Music) B-
Melodic rock and roll – Jackson Browne approach. Nice vocals, mainstream pop-y instrumentation, with accompanying harmonies. Lots of medium beat tunes with corny lyrics (“Drownin’ in a river of love…”; “we’ll drink Mohitos with our toes in the sand.”) You get the picture.
posted by Cathi N @ 12:33:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Americana Radio Report #3
Report Date: Monday, November 30, 2009
Artist: Earl Kayoss
Album Title: Disarray
Adds/Impact Date: November 9, 2009
Notes:
Disarray will debut on the AMA Americana Terrestrial Chart next week.
The Charts this Week:
• AMA Americana Internet Radio Airplay Chart
#158 of 533 on November 23, 2009. http://www.americanaradio.org - 42 total documented spins to date on this chart. 23 spins this week. “Disarray” was tied for Top Adds this week on this chart. This means Disarray was one #5 most added records to the 40 internet radio stations that report playlists to this chart on this particular week. “Disarray” tied with records by the new albums by Chris Scruggs, Tom Russell, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Brandi Carlile, Geoff Maulder, Avett Brothers, Caroline Herring, John Amos, Wrinkle Neck Mules, Grant Lee Phillips, Leonard Cohen, Michele Shocked, Guy Clark, Blue Mother Tupelo, Danny Barnes, Cracker, Chip Taylor, and more. Excellent continued upward movement this week.
• Mike Pinard, c/o ISA, FRANCE – is spinning songs(1,2,6,8)
• WMSR (Auburn, AL) – www.wildmansteveradio.com – NEW ADD! #74 of 79 on their playlist with 2 spins this week. Expect more spins next week.
• Radio Free Americana (VA) – www.radiofreeamericana.com – #37 of 99 on this station’s playlist with 21 official spins this week.
Americana Radio Report #4
Report Date: Monday, December 7, 2009
Artist: Earl Kayoss
Album Title: Disarray
Adds/Impact Date: November 9, 2009
Notes:
New chart positions this week on AMA Terrestrial and Roots Music Report - Roots Rock Chart. Significant chart position increase at Roots Music Report – NY chart.
The Charts this Week:
• Roots Music Report – Roots Rock Report
Earl Kayoss debuted on this chart at #44 of 50 on Friday, December 4, 2009. http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=charts&name=altcountry
• Roots Music Report – NY State Chart
Earl Kayoss his #12 of 76 on Friday, December 4, 2009. http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=statechart&state=NY
• AMA Americana Internet Radio Airplay Chart
#127 of 534 on November 30, 2009. http://www.americanaradio.org - 71 total documented spins to date on this chart. 29 spins this week. “Disarray” was again tied for #5 Most Added record this week on this chart. This means Disarray was one #5 most added records to the 40 internet radio stations that report playlists to this chart on this particular week. “Disarray” tied with records by the new albums by Chris Scruggs, Bob Dylan, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Lou Barlow, Loudon Wainright III, Avett Brothers, Carrie Rodriguez, Corb Lund, Johnny Rivers, Brian Setzer Orch, Mindy Smith, Elvis Perkins, and more. More excellent continued upward movement this week.
• AMA Americana Terrestrial Radio Airplay Chart
#558 of 621 on November 30, 2009. http://www.americanaradio.org - 1 total documented spins to date on this chart. 1 spins this week. “Horses” was the most spun track from Disarray this week.
let's do a review of Cathi's vagina....
1) it smells really bad
2) she must have had her head up her vagina instead of actually listening to the music
3) she wouldn't know good music, if it bit her in her smelly vagina.
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