CD Review
Out of that collaboration has come the debut CD,“Debbie Hawkins,” serving clear notice that Hawkins is a songwriter to be reckoned with. Her lyrics are edgy, earthy and strong, touching some familiar country music themes, including, of course, infidelity. One of the most memorable cuts is “Sugarcane,” in which Hawkins applies some Louisiana imagery to a single woman dealing with a married man. Sugar cane tastes so sweet But you know it rots your teeth Honey, I’m like that sugar, I’m what you want But I’m not what you need Stay away from me Throughout the CD, Hawkins deals frankly with a woman’s sexuality, writing like a modern-day Loretta Lynn.But her commentary has a wider range.In the powerful cuts, “Atonement”and“Everything Money Can Bring,”she takes on the sin of American greed. One of her characters in these story songs is an old man who has lied and cheated his way to the top, and now hates himself for his lack of generosity. … they say people help themselves, And some people just won’t
Mark Croft ♪♪♪♪♪ Evening Flood Style: Pop/Americana Self-Released This is one of those CD’s that once you put it in your CD player you will not want to take it out! It’s not very often you find 10 songs on a CD of this caliber! Mark Croft has risen to new heights on this, his fourth release. Evening Flood is a collection of wonderfully written songs that lyrically and musically stand up to any songs written today in L.A., Nashville, or NewYork. The CD kicks off with the title cut and gets right to the heart of what you can expect on this record. I listen to lots and lots of music and I have to say that this CD is sonically one of the best CD’s I have heard from a local artist here in Wisconsin. Croft’s story telling in his songs are mini novels. You can shut your eyes and see everything in his songs play out in movies in your mind. His chord choices and rhythms are just icing on the cake to his fantastically written lyrics. Croft’s voice is a special treat. Full, deep, and smooth, a perfect listening experience. My favorite cut is Good Enough. The guitar and organ are coolly played. The groove is inescapable. I’m a sucker for great Hammond organ and this song has it.The Gas is on is a hip R&B song that will have you stomping your feet and clapping your hands right along. Cripple Me and One Mississippi are Southern grooved funky tunes; slide guitar swampy backbeat and greasy just like a hot night in Louisiana. The Crow and the Raven is almost World Music style in its form and style. It reminds me of Bill Miller and his styling. The last cut Washing of the Water is a gospel tinged song that is a perfect end to the CD. It’s soothing imagery and flowing lyrical context is both relaxing and spiritual. Mark Croft is one of the Madison areas finest singer/songwriters. This CD shows his best work to date and deserves to be heard by the masses. Croft hit one out of the park with Evening Flood. Hopefully this will be a huge step towards the big time for him. It’s that good! Review by:Andy Ziehli
Debbie Hawkins ♪♪♪♪ Debbie Hawkins Style: Americana/Folk Cascabel Aero Debbie Hawkins is a Louisiana native, raised in the swamps, who later migrated to the Arizona desert where she ran a 7,000-acre cattle ranch. She passed many a solitary hour writing songs, deeply influenced by the folk-country-blues on which she was raised. Sometimes at night the sound of her music would drift across the wide open spaces, and her nearest neighbor, Miller McPherson, liked what he heard.A folk guitarist who taught sociology at the University of Arizona, McPherson began sitting in with Hawkins on her gigs, including the prestigious Tucson Folk Festival.
And I saw no need for charity helpin’ those that don’t For all its lyrical strength, it is possible to nitpick Hawkins’ CD. Some people may find the arrangements too spare and there is, over the course of a 12-song album, a certain sameness in the meter of the songs. But pick any song and you’ll be struck by the honesty of Hawkins’ voice, the delicacy of McPherson’s guitar, and above all else, by the power of the words. Hawkins, who recently moved to Nashville, has established herself in a short amount of time as one of the city’s most poetic writers. Review by: Frye Gaillard
Marshall Chapman ♪♪♪♪♪ Big Lonesome Style: Americana/Rockabilly Tall Girl Records A few years ago, Marshall Chapman and her friend Tim Krekel, a fine singer-songwriter and guitar picker with whom she often wrote and performed, were planning to make an album together. They already had a couple of songs – a country lament called“Big Lonesome”and a novelty number called “Sick of Myself” – that could serve as the cornerstone of the record. But then they got some devastating news. Krekel was diagnosed with cancer, which rapidly progressed, and in the early summer of 2009 he died at the age of 58. In the grief that came with the loss of her friend, Chapman decided to make an album anyway. She found two tracks that she and Krekel had sung together, including their last live performance – a rock ‘n’ roll number called “I Love Everybody” that has all the raw and exuberant energy of Jerry Lee Lewis or the Rolling Stones. There are two other songs Chapman wrote with Krekel, three more that she wrote in his memory, and a rockabilly duet with Krekel’s son, Jason. It is, all in all, a moving tribute to a musical friendship that was one of the most important in Chapman’s life. But “Big Lonesome” is more than that. It is, I think, Chapman’s best album since “Me, I’m Feelin’ Free,”her first record for Epic in the 1970s. In the intervening years, Chapman has established herself as one of Nashville’s most original songwriters and a live performer in a class by herself. Her eleven CDs have been critically acclaimed for their unpredictability and heart, and “Big Lonesome”is solidly in that tradition. Her music isn’t slick, but it’s always energetic and edgy, and this latest CD seems somehow to be more full of love. In addition to “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” which she wrote for Krekel, she also wrote a tribute to her friend,Willie Nelson, and his sister Bobbie, after spending a few days on their bus. Bobbie and Willie play music all night Sister and brother what a beautiful sight There are only two covers on this eleven-song CD,Hank Williams’“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”and Cindy Walker’s “Going Away Party.”The rest of it is pure Marshall Chapman – songs of introspection and loss, of the giddy pleasure that comes from making music, and the honest love-songs that spring from her heart. Listen to this album a couple of times, and it’ll be hard to get it out of your mind. Review by: Frye Gaillard continued on page 28
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