June 2009
Play Blackie and the Rodeo Kings’ new CD from the top and you hear a crisp acoustic guitar strumming the introduction, joined shortly by an electric guitar’s controlled scream, then a guttural voice talking as much as singing the engaging Tom Wilson/Stephen Fearing composition "Stoned." Throughout the album’s 14 tracks, we hear what superficially might seem like a garage band. Listen closely, though, and you will find a unique blend of individual instrumental and vocal talents free of typical garage-band mud.Wilson, Fearing, and Colin Linden, acclaimed musicians with extensive prior experience, formed Blackie and the Rodeo Kings in 1996 to record a tribute album to Canadian singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett, whom they all revered. The band became a Juno winner -- Canada’s Grammy -- and a major musical phenomenon. Chains of Love is a best-of from previous albums. The Rodeo Kings co-wrote many of the tunes. There’s a good one by Linden’s spouse, several by Bennett, and an electrifying version of Johnny Cash’s classic "Folsom Prison Blues." "Heaven for a Lonely Man" and "If I Catch You Cryin’," both by Fearing and Andy White, are among the album’s excellent melodic numbers, along with Bennett’s delicate instrumental "Andrew’s Waltz," which closes the collection. The fine Bennett song "Sometimes It Comes So Easy" -- "Sometimes it comes so easy / You don’t have to think about where you’re goin’ / Sometimes I feel so free, Lord / When I have a chance to be alone" -- has its element of truth. But your toe keeps tapping because this fine band makes it sound easy through persistent hard work. GO BACK TO: |
Blackie
and the Rodeo Kings - Swinging from the Chains of Love
