Author:
William Looft (Signs & Signifiers CD review)
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Date Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:09:06
In reply to:
Randy Steele
's message, "Re: JD McPherson" on Tue May 15, 2012 08:43:26
Randy,
I have to admit, the first song got my attention (and my fixation) from the first time I heard it. I lost track of how many times I listened to it. I happen to love the swing beat
For a real musical treat, get this disc
01. North Side Gal has a strong Little Richard influence with an enjoyable swing beat
02. Country Boy has JD sounding much like a little-known artist, Fuller Todd. The slower song has a strong back beat
03. Fire Bug. I'm unsure if he's emulating Johnny Rivers or just being himself, but it has great guitar work and a strong drum beat
04. Signs & Signifiers has a noticeable Bo Diddley influence with a slower, moody sound
05. Wolf Teeth has very unique sound, very black sounding, ethnically speaking. JD could be pulling from any number of great blues artists of the 1940s and 1950s
06. Scratching Circles has a very happy Western Swing sound straight out of the 1940s
07. A Gentle Awakening is a soulful and moody song dominated by a slow base guitar line and drum beat
08. Dimes For Nickels is very uptempo with nice, bright guitar work
09. B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R (Short for 'Better Give Me Another Shot of Rock 'n' Roll') has a very steady beat with vocal harmony carrying the tune. Great piano and sax break interplay
10. I Can't Complain has a very early 1950s sound
11. Your Love (All That I'm Missing) has more of an uptempo, Western Swing tune with a double sax interplay that is easy on the ears. Happy tune
12. Scandalous bookends this CD with an item that sounds like a cross between Little Richard and Fuller Todd with a steady beat. This very quick number is quite pleasant
For those of you who might be thinking of buying this disc, if you are put off by it having only 12 tracks, it is a total reflection of the times it is emulating. Long-Play 33rpm records mostly came with only 12 songs, so this CD is no different
The lyrics are provided
The sound is refreshingly primitive
The only electric instrumentation is the guitar work. All the other instruments are real:
Piano (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12)
Tenor sax (tracks 1, 6, 9, 11, and 12)
Baritone sax (tracks 2, 9, 11, and 12)
Violin (track 7)
Cello (aka stand-up bass on track 7)
Strings (track 6)
Warning: This disc is not for the Heavy metal set. This is pure Rock 'n' Roll, just the way we like it
Cheers
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