Customer Reviews

Ballad of Lawless Soirez

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For many a year, Gill Landry has fronted a delightful jug band called the Kitchen Syncopators. Six albums of sheer genius that the band produced, released and distributed privately, and countless nights in clubs and days at festivals could not bring this band the fame or fortune they deserve...(but you can buy the records through the band's web site, kitchensyncopators.com, and you should buy them all, and buy the early Gill Landry solo album for sale there while you are at it).

So, now comes a (relatively) major release for the front man, Gill Landry, who has a rich, expressive voice that deserves the beautiful production on this record. The songs are great - even the ones that are retreads from his earlier eponymous independent release deserve a listen here, because the earlier Syncopators and Landry solo records were not so nicely recorded as this one.

Sure, I miss the covers of old Mississipi John Hurt Songs, and I miss Slim's harmonica playing and Bob's washboard playing and Huck on the kazoo and piano - all staples of the Syncopators repertoire - but this album, taken on its own terms, is brilliant and I love it. I'll see Mr Landry perform in Seattle tomorrow night and I'm sure that it will be a fabulous show, as has been every Syncopators gig I've seen.

But if I have one hope, it's that this record will inspire people to check out the Kitchen Syncopators, a band for the ages, perhaps the greatest band of all time.

Steven in Seattle

I first heard Gil Landry playing with the rest of the Kitchen Syncopators at a street fair in Seattle. I was hooked immediately.

Gil deserves all the accolades he can muster. The man knows the blues and can break your heart with a guitar or ukulele with equal ease.

If you're a fan of the blues, give Gil a shot. You won't be dissapointed.

I love this CD... and I didn't know Gill existed until I heard a few songs on Yahoo's now defunct Launchcast. I immediately loved it! It's got a great moodiness to it - and I can listen to the Lawless Soiree over and over again.