Customer Reviews

Demanding To Be Next

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An amazing talent and visionary, Preacher Boy is able to draw from the roots of American music without becoming a slave to it. All the usual comparisons to Dylan as a songwriter, or Tom Waits as a vocalist are superfluous - Preacher Boy stands alone. He is truly a refreshing and underappreciated artist. The haunting "Nehemiah James" alone makes this disc essential.

See you in 'Nawlins, Preach!

just wanted to let y'all know how proud i am of this record, and how much i appreciate y'all buyin' it...

I only recently came across this album (already having all the previous Preacher Boy albums) & it's now constantly on the car stereo! For the first time the kids like one of 'my' records, and actually sing along to some of the songs (they love 'Whistleman'). This is just Preacher Boy (Chris Watkins) and his collection of old acoustic guitars, including a number of ancient resonators. The songs are fascinating stories and I keep finding something new every time I listen (just discovered the reason for the inner sleeve photo - it's an image from the lyric of 'Nehemiah James'!). If you want to sing along the go to his website for the written lyrics - man I WISH I could write & play like that. As far as I'm concerned there is not a bad track on this - wonderful: GO & BUY IT!! I'm itching for the next album!!

Preacher Boy entered into my consciousness a few years ago when we were playing the same bill at a dive somewhere in Chelsea. It was Preach, his National and a lap steel player. I was instantly impressed with his command of the stage and the depth of his lyrics. Since that day I've had the pleasure of becoming a bandmate, co-writer and friend of Preach and have seen him play in many configurations but for my money there is nothing better than when all you between Preach, and his instrument is a microphone. Demanding To Be Next is just that, a raw and intimate recording and an excellent document of a great talent.

Preach's approach to the music honors the traditional roots, while at the same time twisting it completely around. More than the music, Preach's songs are about the lyrics. I've been a personal witness to the ease with which he can take an ordinary phrase and flip it around onto its back, season it up and toss it into the deep fryer to create something that, even though it's saying the same thing, somehow becomes unique and brilliantly poignant all of a sudden.

Preach has moved from Brooklyn to Chicago so I don't get to see him anymore, but I've always got him here in my CD player.

Let me start by admitting that "Preach," who lived not far from me in San Francisco until he relocated to Brooklyn--by way of Ireland--a few years ago, is a personal friend of mine. As such, I am perhaps not the most unbiased reviewer in the world, since listening to his albums invariably conjures those late Tuesday evenings in the mid-90s, at Blues on Union Street, drinking Guiness and dreaming of a distant Bayou while he held court on the stage, alone with his vintage National Guitar, (with his back to the unfortunate velvet portrait of Elvis that seemed to smile its approval), serving up a mix of raw delta blues covers and the inspired originals which, even then, conjured up the broken dreams of the down-trodden with startling depth, originality, and compassion. That's the way I always picture him: on stage by himself, playing a chilling slide guitar, raw-voiced and passonate, taking us through the drunken back alleys and cold San Francisco nights along with him. This album, easily his finest work, captures the power of those early solo performances, and adds in for good measure a selection of his strongest, most mature material to date. But don't just take my word for it--listen for yourself. If you are unfamiliar with his previous work, this is an excellent place to start, a fine collection of music, richly deserving of a larger audience. When the history of popular music at the turn of the twenty-first century is eventually written, there will be a place in it for Preacher Boy. "Demanding To Be Next" demands to be heard, heard again, and treasured for a lifetime.