CD Reviews & downloads KIX BROOKS own... and whether either will LITTLE BIG TOWN The opening Pavement Ends, VARIOUS Me (Colin Gilmore) / Heart Of of the versions highlight new the heart of What’s Shaking On New To This Town achieve a fraction of what they Tornado with its insistent drumbeat and Lowe Country: The The City (Chatham County Line) aspects to the songs and give them The Hill; Chatham County Line accomplished together. banjo is not only short, sweet, Songs Of Nick Lowe / What’s Shakin’ On The Hill (Lori renewed vigour. Lately I’ve Let give Heart Of The City a delightful Dunn’s disc benefited from and to the point, it’s also really McKenna) / Cracking Up (Griffin Things Slide is set to a delightful bluegrass twist, but best of all is him being, in effect, the voice catchy, way more rootsy than House) / Where’s My Everything classic country setting of tinkling the radical reworking of I Love of B&D. His album was vocally I had expected, and sets the (Ron Sexsmith) piano and aching pedal steel and The Sound Of Breaking Glass strong and he found some good tone of the album perfectly. The Producer: various the restrained wistfulness of Caitlin by Amanda Shires. Nick Lowe’s songs although, judging from his production is almost grungy, to Fiesta Red Records Rose’s vocal allows the fumbling original is a bouncy pop song recent interview in CMP, he was such an extent that I thought 43:25 self-awareness of the lyrics to that disguises the darkness in the disappointed by their showing I may have damaged my really shine through. Robert Ellis lyrics and is possibly ironically on the chart. speakers, and the wall of guitars Nick Lowe’s idiosyncratic performs a great version of All referencing the David Bowie song Brooks’ voice is whiney by juxtaposed against the Dobro, songwriting covers many styles and Men Are Liars with harmony of a similar title, but Shires fully comparison. The conviction he mandolin and banjo and suits most of them are represented here, vocals from Caitlin Rose, although extracts the unhinged desperation brings to the opening New To the album down to the ground. from his days in the underachieving some of the more comic aspects at the core of the song. This Town compensates for his Pontoon is utterly unlike band Brinsley Schwarz, his rock of the lyric feel awkward in the The remaining songs aren’t so New To This Town (w. Joe vocal shortcomings. But, as the Pavement Ends / Pontoon / anything else to have charted Lately I’ve Let Things Slide (Caitlin ‘n’ roll collaborations with Dave overtly country setting; (I’m Gonna successful. Griffin House deserves Walsh) / Moonshine Road / Bring album grinds on, the sound of Sober / Front Porch Thing / On recently, and thoroughly Rose) / Don’t Lose Your Grip On Edmund’s Rockpile, his quirky and Start) Living Again If It Kills Me a mention for making a good It On Home / There’s The Sun / his voice begins to grate. Your Side Of The Bed / Leavin’ deserving of its top of the charts Love (The Parson Red Heads) / witty pop songs that graced the has similarities to Hayes Carll’s attempt at a twangy Cracking Up Complete 360 / My Baby / Tattoo Knowing he’s no Perry Como, In Your Eyes / Tornado / On Fire status (even if I am amused All Men Are Liars (Robert Ellis) charts in the late 1970s through writing style and so fits him like a that doesn’t fully come off, but on / In The Right Place / Next To Brooks gravitates to groove- Tonight / Can’t Go Back / Self by the term ‘motorboating’ / I Love The Sound Of Breaking to the more country material that glove, and Ron Sexsmith perfectly the remaining renditions the bands That Woman / Let’s Do This based material such as the Big Made / Night Owl which I thought had different Glass (Amanda Shires) / Marie coincided with his close association judges the alternating humour either miss the point or struggle with Thing / Closin’ Time At Home / & Rich-ish hard rock and banjo Producer: Jay Joyce connotations not involving any Provost (JEFF The Brotherhood) with the Cash/Carter clan when he and poignancy of Where’s My the British eccentricity of the lyrics. She Knew I Was A Cowboy combo of My Baby, the mellow Hump Head / Capitol kind of sailing). If someone / (I’m Gonna Start) Living Again was married to June Carter Cash’s Everything with just acoustic guitars As with most tribute albums it is Producer: Kix Brooks funkiness of There’s The Sun, 38:09 more ‘credible’ like say, Civil If It Kills Me (Hayes Carll) / daughter Carlene. for accompaniment. a mixed bag, but there is enough Arista and the old fashioned southern Wars, had cut this track we’d Lover Don’t Go (Erin Enderlin) On Lowe Country, thirteen Erin Enderlin turns Lover Don’t quality and innovation to make it a 42:40 rocker Next To That Woman. Little Big Town have been all be falling over ourselves to / When I Write The Book (The country or Americana artists Go into searing country soul; Lori worthwhile exercise. The humorously risqué Tattoo, around. Deals with Mercury, heap praise on it. You could say Unsinkable Boxer) / You Make reinterpret his songs. The majority McKenna and Mark Erelli get to Michael Hingston The title track is engrossing in which he teases us with hints Monument, and the Equity Music the same for many of the other for more than one reason. about where his girl has been Group (partially owned by Clint tracks here, which maintain the VINYL: we now www.HonkyTonkin.com offer vinyl on lots of web store: For starters it’s an instantly inked, raises a smile. But, on the Black) before ending up with rootsy feel throughout most of the new releases, Curtis Wood Distributors compelling lyric about a guy whole, the harder Brooks rocks, Capitol Records, and since 1999 the album. just ask. P. O. Box 101, Telephone, Texas 75488, USA sitting in a diner overhearing the more he sounds like a party have maintained the same line- The title track is stylistically Ph/Fax (001) 903-664-3741 email: [email protected] another customer talking host trying desperately to have up, but they have only recently close to Pontoon, possibly too Wholesale available - Indie and Major Product excitedly about moving to town. fun while all around him the achieved their first number one much so to be the follow-up MC/VISA/AMEX/POSTAL MO secure online orderings US DOLLAR FUNDS ONLY To the newcomer the place is guests are stifling yawns and single with Pontoon, from this, single, but I enjoyed it equally ‘Capt Dave’...…we’ll miss you & your great music. a fresh start. The narrator is furtively looking for their coats. their fifth studio album. as much, while the mandolin led DAVE FRANER (1944 - 2012) Hillside Records CEO envious because for him every Towards the end it’s no You can’t question their Sober (“when I die I don’t wanna street brings a painful reminder wonder he turns to the bottle in resilience, but I saw them a go sober”) also has a great feel DVD: Crazy Heart / Movie - SALE Tommy Hooker - Texas Honky Tonk Favorites DVD/CD: Glen Campbell - Jimmy Webb (NEW) Lacey Jay - Livin My Live (NEW) of an old flame and the fear of the form of the shandy-strength few years ago at the Country and is catchy enough to be a DVD: Blake Shelton LIVE - All About Tonight (LTD QTY) Red Jenkins - All CDs In Stock bumping into her. “I wish I was honky tonker, Closin’ Time At Radio Seminar in Nashville future hit. Jason Aldean - Night Train (NEW) Waylon Jennings - Going Down Rocking:The Last Recordings new to this town,” Kix Brooks Home. and wasn’t at all taken by their Also rather good is the love Will Banister - All Titles Stocked Wanda Jackson - Unfi nished Business sings with feeling. But as he The melancholy closer She sub-Fleetwood Mac sound. gone cold ballad, On Your Side Bellamy Brothers - Pray For Me Jamey Johnson - Livin For the Song: Tribute to Hank Cochran delivers such lines as “I can’t Knew I Was A Cowboy is the Earlier this year LBT pulled out Of The Bed, and although the Tony Booth - Old School Mary Lee - Bend Like A Willow (NEW) Kix Brooks - New To This Town Grant Langston - Working Untiil I Die (NEW) walk into a bar without someone most country track and, after the of the Wembley festival due group harmonise well together, Sally Burgess & Hot Club of Nashville - Reach for The Rhythm Tessy Lou & the Shotgun Stars - Leaving Montana (NEW) asking how you are...” the title song, the most appealing. to “recording commitments”. especially on the closing Night Sonny Burgess - All About The Ride Shelby Lynne - Revelation Road DVD/CD (NEW) drama lies in wondering if he’s Brooks’ unpolished, world-weary Apparently the only slot the Owl, which could almost have Tim Culpepper - Pourin’ Whiskey On Pain (NEW) IN STOCK Houston Marchman - Econoliner (NEW) thinking about his professional voice is at its most natural and studio and producer with whom been an old Everly Brothers Billy Ray Cyrus - Change My Mind (NEW) Jerrod Niemann - Free The Music ex, Ronnie Dunn. convincing in a gentle acoustic they wished to work had free tune, the album does slip back Billy Dean - A Man Of Good Fortune Gary P Nunn - One Way Or Another (NEW) Iris Dement - Sing The Delta Linda Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops (NEW) The shadow of their past life setting.