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MUSIC REVIEWS
Our music reviews are broken down into alpha order by performers last name (i.e. Kenny Chesney is listed under "C") and by band name. DVD and Album reviews are included in these sections.
"D"
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DAMES, LISA
No One Like Me
Howling Music Group |
Lisa Dames stamped her name in the theatre world by playing country legend, Patsy Cline in "Always… Patsy Cline," and she is now primed and ready to stamp her name on the mainstream country world with the release of "No One Like Me." You will instantly fall in love with Dames vocals as the countrified "Good Time Lookin," will quickly draw comparisons to the likes of Danielle Peck, and Heidi Newfield, but it really doesn't take too long for her to come into her own. You will quickly find yourself tapping right along and dancing to the catchy choruses of the faster paced songs like "Stubborn" and "Your Love," while the slower paced songs like "Just Another Day" and "Not A Day Goes By" showcase the amazing vocals Dames provides that bring the strong lyrics to life. This is one of those albums where it just keeps getting better from song to song and by the end of the album your mouth will be dropped to the floor and you will have to restart it cause you'll want to hear it again. If mainstream country radio is looking for the next new artist to break out of Nashville then they are looking for Lisa Dames.
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DAVIS, MOOT
Already Moved On
Little Dog Records |
Moot Davis gained critical acclaim with his debut album and has now returned with his sophomore effort, "Already Moved On." His influence comes from traditional country greats like Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, etc… combined with a heavy dose of early Elvis Presley styled rock-n-roll, and you will surely find something to love about this album. On the opening track, "Toggle Switch," you will find yourself tapping along with the upbeat tempos and I dare you to try and not clap along with the catchy drum beats. While the upbeat tracks like "It Ain't Right" and "Deeper In Your Love" will have you dancing in your cars as you roll down the highway, it is the slower paced country ballads that have helped Moot plant his honky-tonk style in the same clubs that legends like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, etc… have passed through. His traditional influence is most apparent on tracks like "Used To Be You," which will have you believing you may have stumbled upon a classic country artists lost records, but rest assured this is a new country artist that is just doing it the old way. For good measure the album rounds out with a cover of Johnny Paycheck's "I'm The Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)" and as the album concludes you will be left in awe wondering what just hit you. It has been a long time since someone has come along and embraced the traditional country style the way Moot Davis has on his sophomore effort.
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COLE DEGGS AND THE LONESOME
Self-Titled
Sony/BMG Nashville |
I have been listening to the debut record from Cole Deggs and the Lonesome (due out this summer) for a week or so now and I couldn't put my finger on who they may be comparable to. As I listened a few more times, it is safe to say that in a world where carbon copies of bands are very evident, Cole Deggs and the Lonesome have a sound they can be proud to call their own. By combining their country roots with a heavy dash of southern rock and a voice that is smoothly delivered with music that is catchy from the minute you hit play, you will be falling in love with this album very quickly. You are brought into their world with guitars that make you bounce along with them and after the first three tracks you will be hooked. The voice, the guitars, the thumping bass, are enough to hold your interest for the first part of the record, but then they dig a little deeper and put out deeper, wonderful lyrics as the second half of the album kicks off and is a bit slower paced then the first half. This is a band to keep your eyes on there is no doubt about that. If you like your country a little rocking then Cole Deggs and the Lonesome is going to be your favorite new band. This is a great album from start to finish that combines just about everything you are looking for in a band. Hopefully the mainstream will grab a hold of these guys and make sure everyone hears this wonderful music. Great album!
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DERAILERS
Under The Influence of Buck
Palo Duro Records |
When the Derailers formed in the 90's it was a mutual influence from the late Buck Owens that brought them together, so on their 8th release it only makes sense to pay the legendary icon tribute and they certainly have and have done it well. The Derailers, known for the Beatles tinged country sound, bring a little of the influence to classic Owens songs like "Foolin' Around," "Sam's Place," and "Before You Go" to name a few. They do their part to show that Buck Owens, although a country and western icon, did indeed know how to play a great rock-n-roll song too. Classic songs like "Together Again," and "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail," are performed in their standard format and will make even Buck smile down on the guys. The Derailers display their true passion for their main influence as they deliver these songs to our ears and help to reintroduce this wonderful music to a whole new audience. 13 tracks in all make up the album and there really isn't a bad one on here. From the well-known songs to the lesser-known ones, The Derailers have brought the music of Buck Owens back to the forefront and have done so with class and respect for the icon. A perfect tribute album!
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DODD, DERYL
Full Circle
Dualtone Records
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Deryl Dodd's new album "Full Circle" may just be the best album you haven't heard of this year, but no doubt you've heard some of his work, most notably on Tim McGraw's albums. On "Full Circle," Dodd has found a way to mesh his honky-tonk, Texas roots with a bit of the modern mainstream country and put out one heck of an album that will attract a wide range of folks. If you like the boot-kickin', honky-tonk style you will enjoy songs like the album opener, "Wearin' A Hole" and "It's Only Cause You're Lonely." However, if you are more about the current mainstream country you will fall in love with songs like "I'm Not Home Right Now" or "Feels Like Home To Me." No matter what you are looking for you will most likely find something on this album you will love. Dodd has kept his heart true to his roots, but has been able to write some songs that modern radio will be proud to play. He has been bouncing around in a variety of arenas within' the industry from songwriter, to background player, but this may just be the album he needed to be taken seriously as a singer and an all around artist. If you like performers like Garth Brooks and John Michael Montgomery then Deryl Dodd will be the next performer you fall in love with.
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DONAHUE, JERRY
The Ballad of Tex and Patsy
Self-Released
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I guess when you wait 25 years to record your debut album while you raise a family and build your business the way that Jerry Donahue did, you pretty much can gather the top musicians to back you. With that being said, Donahue's band has toured with the likes of Dolly Parton, George Strait, Brooks and Dunn, etc… Needless to say they have tremendous resumes. Donahue kicks off the album with "Gary's Song" and his vocal instantly reminded me of that late 60's sound that George Harrison was putting out on Beatles records and his voice holds that sound throughout the album. From here the album sort of takes a weird turn and explores a whole lot of different styles with a backbone in traditional country, but the album is sort of all over the place and doesn't stick to one particular overall style which may leave something to be desired for some. For me, I am give or take on this album. Will it ever be a mainstream success, no it won't, but then again that probably wasn't the point for Jerry when he decided to record it and from the standpoint of following your dreams, I applaud him for this effort.
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DOWNING, AJ
River of Life
Charkansas Records |
AJ Downing made a realization in his life that he didn’t choose music, but rather music chose him and so he decided now was as good a time as any to put out an album. With that being said you find very early on in this album that you are getting yourself into an honest album that is written from the heart. He displays his more traditional country influences when he seems to channel Buck Owens on album opener “River Of Life” and Hank Williams on tracks like “The Other Cheek,” which will have you Opry fans clapping along and cheering. But traditional country isn’t the only influence that he let’s shine. He states Elvis Presley and Rick Nelson as influences and you can certainly see why on tracks like “Up North.” However, AJ Downing creates his best work when it is just himself and his old guitar allowing his voice and incredibly written tales of life to carry the songs on tracks like “Misery” and “Shelter From The Storm.” I always say that sometimes you don’t have to look to the manufactured sounds of today’s mainstream to find some of the best lyrics and most honest work out there right now and AJ Downing’s album is proof of this. This is a great album chalked full of Downing’s influences and honest lyrics and a welcome addition to my collection.
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SCOTT DUBOSE & THE 101 RANCH
Self-Titled
Self-Released |
Scott DuBose and the 101 Ranch have been making their name known throughout the Chicagoland area for the past couple of years now as a live band. It is always hard to capture the energy of a live show and lay it all down in the studio, so with that being said I was not immediately sold on Dubose and 101 Ranch. When I first popped on the album I thought the opening song, “Better End Of The Deal” one of the originals, was decent and showed a great deal of Chicago influences from the rock-n-roll and blues side of the culture around town. But, as I dove into the covers that include Rascal Flatts “Fast Cars and Freedom” and Montgomery Gentry’s “The Last Thing I Do”, I was not overly impressed, but in Scott’s defense, I never really am all that impressed by cover songs. However, when I hit the last two songs, “I Do” and “6AM” I got my head out of my butt and realized that maybe I needed to go back and give these guys another listen. These two songs are the hidden gems of this album and coincidently are both original works. The lyrics on both songs are incredible. “I Do” perfectly describes the love you are in while “6AM” perfectly describes the everyday life of a family man that does what he has to just to get by and provide for his family. So, my take on a band like this is simple; Covers are fun at a live show filtered into a set every now and then, but where a band can truly stand on their own two feet is in their original work and Scott DuBose and 101 Ranch can stand proud.
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DUVEKOT, ANTJE
Big Dream Boulevard
Black Wolf Records
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Wow! I haven't been this impressed with an album in a long time, but German born Antje Duvekot has managed to blow me away and leave me just about speechless with "Big Dream Boulevard". Right from the get go with the album opener "Dandelion" as Duvekot talked about famous movie couples like Harry and Sally, I knew that I may have stumbled onto great songwriting. Her vocals and pop meets folk style in her music quickly reminded me a lot of a cross between Sarah McLachlan and Patty Griffin. As "Big Dream Boulevard" pressed forward the same pop sensibilities that originally made me fall in love with this album continued on tracks like "Go Home" and "Helpless Kiss" while on the slower paced tracks like "Jerusalem" and the wonderfully written "Hold On" that provides a very inspirational lyric to keep going strong through adversary, let's Duvekot's vocals do a majority of the shining. This is one of those albums that will send your jaw to floor because it is just that good and solid all the way through from the opening to closing tracks. This is a must have album for anyone looking for the next great album.
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Country
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