ROOTSTIME REVIEWS JUICE & JIVE; REVIEWER INSISTS A BELGIUM TOUR IS REQUIRED
"Juice & Jive" review from www.rootstime.be.
(Translated from the Dutch by Norman Read)
Outlaws come to life again; desperados, drifters, gamblers, and settlers are looked at in this second album from Trussell. After his 2005 debut album "Texas Gothic", Texan Robert Trussell is back again writing and producing Americana/Folk together with violinist Kelly Werts with sixteen songs and one bonus track. On three of the tracks, Rachel Ries sings backing vocals, like on the nostalgic love song "Goodbye For Now", one of the two songs co-written with Trussell's wife Donna Laura Trussell. The mandolin makes this a particularly lovely song. All the other songs are ballads played on acoustic guitar with accompanying harmonica and were written solo by Robert. Trussell plays both instruments with brio. Kelly Werts give a full accounting on the other instruments and gives a folky flair to his violin, mandolin and banjo. Among the more country inspired songs are the tender and folky "Hungry Eyes" and the wandering "Everclear". Kelly's lively banjo is a counterpoint to the desolate "Stomping Grounds" depiction of life's pains. Robert Coleman sings his songs with a warm yet rusty, piping voice on tunes like "Forty Notches", about a man with forty notches on his revolver nonchalantly adding another. He plays a very bluesy harmonica on the ballad "Austin Town", a song about a drifter who has nothing in the world but a suitcase full of dreams. The songwriter has in the past been compared with many singers, especially blues singers, or with Bob Dylan, which amuses him. On this album he sings more in the style of a folk or country music singer. Fair enough, but I have to say that his voice is a cross between Calvin Russell and David Olney, names which so far as I know haven't been compared to Trussell. But Trussell doubtlessly feels at home in the whole range of roots, alt-country, Americana, and even blues standards. "Catwalking" cuts right to the quick. But among all the various, outstanding songs where he has gone out into the little world of the countryside, I did find a favorite. If I were stranded somewhere, waiting in vain for a cancelled train, then I would request "Walking Feet" with the Kelly Werts' violin that reaches for the sky, as a comfort for my last request. The songwriter intuitively knows how to use melancholy to connect with the tension/relaxation elements within his songs. The man from Kingsville who now lives in Kansas City should immediately fly over to Belgium, because with his songs, he could easily sing for two hours. And if he and Mr. Werts are scheduled, both of them together on one stage would guarantee an evening full of heartfelt listening pleasure.
(Translated from the Dutch by Norman Read)
Outlaws come to life again; desperados, drifters, gamblers, and settlers are looked at in this second album from Trussell. After his 2005 debut album "Texas Gothic", Texan Robert Trussell is back again writing and producing Americana/Folk together with violinist Kelly Werts with sixteen songs and one bonus track. On three of the tracks, Rachel Ries sings backing vocals, like on the nostalgic love song "Goodbye For Now", one of the two songs co-written with Trussell's wife Donna Laura Trussell. The mandolin makes this a particularly lovely song. All the other songs are ballads played on acoustic guitar with accompanying harmonica and were written solo by Robert. Trussell plays both instruments with brio. Kelly Werts give a full accounting on the other instruments and gives a folky flair to his violin, mandolin and banjo. Among the more country inspired songs are the tender and folky "Hungry Eyes" and the wandering "Everclear". Kelly's lively banjo is a counterpoint to the desolate "Stomping Grounds" depiction of life's pains. Robert Coleman sings his songs with a warm yet rusty, piping voice on tunes like "Forty Notches", about a man with forty notches on his revolver nonchalantly adding another. He plays a very bluesy harmonica on the ballad "Austin Town", a song about a drifter who has nothing in the world but a suitcase full of dreams. The songwriter has in the past been compared with many singers, especially blues singers, or with Bob Dylan, which amuses him. On this album he sings more in the style of a folk or country music singer. Fair enough, but I have to say that his voice is a cross between Calvin Russell and David Olney, names which so far as I know haven't been compared to Trussell. But Trussell doubtlessly feels at home in the whole range of roots, alt-country, Americana, and even blues standards. "Catwalking" cuts right to the quick. But among all the various, outstanding songs where he has gone out into the little world of the countryside, I did find a favorite. If I were stranded somewhere, waiting in vain for a cancelled train, then I would request "Walking Feet" with the Kelly Werts' violin that reaches for the sky, as a comfort for my last request. The songwriter intuitively knows how to use melancholy to connect with the tension/relaxation elements within his songs. The man from Kingsville who now lives in Kansas City should immediately fly over to Belgium, because with his songs, he could easily sing for two hours. And if he and Mr. Werts are scheduled, both of them together on one stage would guarantee an evening full of heartfelt listening pleasure.
Add a Comment
-
Comment by Marybeth D'Amico on January 2, 2009 at 1:45pm
- I agree, a Euro Tour is a must! :-)
About
Badge
Latest Activity
1 - Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend Of A Friend, Acony rec.
2 - Wrinkle Neck Mules, Let the Lead Fly, Blue Rose
3 – Jubal Lee Young, The Last Free Place In America, Reconstruction rec.
4 - Kris Kristofferson, Closer To The Bone, New West
5 - Lyl…
© 2010 Created by Trailer Star Records on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
You need to be a member of trailer star lounge to add comments!
Join this social network