Customer Reviews

Fitchburg Street

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are two artists I can name who make me want to buy hundreds of copies of their albums and run around the world handing them out to people. One is Doyle Bramhall, and the other is his son. I discovered Doyle Sr through his son's music, and there is something about their music that blows my mind. Call it purity, magic, soul -- the Bramhalls know how to create great music, the perfect solution to the processed and pre-packaged crap that receives mainstream radio attention nowadays. These guys are too good for radio, that is until radio wises up and realizes what they're missing.

Fitchburg Street I first heard live at Gruene Hall -- the perfect venue for any Texas muscian. Before seeing Bramhall live, I knew none of his work, didn't even know he was a drummer. Now I've got both albums (Birds Nest on the Ground & Fitchburg Street), a pair of autographed drumsticks, constantly hound his website waiting for new tour dates, and have read enough to write a biography. He exploded my interest in blues and Texas music culture.

Everyone here seems to be in agreement that Fitchburg Street is an amazing record. All the songs are great, there's something special about each one. The band rocks -- 10 pts for Bramhall II and Dru Webber on guitars, and Mike Judge on bass -- and Bramhall's vocals are the best part of listening. What prompted writing this review happened the other afternoon when my 15 year old sister was listening to "That's How Strong My Love Is." She looked up at me and said, "This guy really means it. Who is this?"

If anything, what this album has done is made a deeper blues fan out of me. I've started listening to the musicians who originally wrote these songs and acquiring a much broader blues-base than the post-Stevie renaissance. Fitchburg Street, while totally contemporary, urges history -- urges you to look into the original recordings and get involved with earlier blues.

Doyle -- please keeping putting out more albums and tour New England! Thanks for everything you've brought to music.

Austin blues legend, drummer Doyle Bramhall returns with a smokin followup to "Bird Nest On The Ground". Although I own both albums, it didn't hit me the first time around, what an influence Doyle's vocals were on his friend Stevie Ray Vaughan. The resemblance is downright spooky. I would imagine that some will assume that it is Doyle who has been influenced. Some of the highlights for me were "I'd Rather Be(Blind,Crippled and Crazy), "Life By The Drop" and "Forty Four". If you add the fact that Doyle II and his sizzling guitar are present most of the time, this is one killer set. If you're a blues rock fan, "Fitchburg Street" is destined to be one of your top ten favorites for 2003. The Bramhalls rock my world!

Doyle Bramhall's second offering is a great batch of cover tunes that fit so well to Doyle's swaggering vocals that they seem more like originals. John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" which I first heard by the Animals and then Spencer Davis Group is knee deep in electric blues. "I'd Rather Be Blind Crippled & Crazy" which bluesman Phillip Walker nailed on his 1998 "Sweet Tooth" CD pulses with great energy in Bramhall's hands. "Changes" is a great churning storm of guitar. In 1966 when the Hollies enchanted me with their album "Beat Group!," they included one tune whose melody repeatedly winds up on my turntable and that Doyle recasts here as a classic slow soul song, "That's How Strong My Love Is." Since the song has been one of my favorites for many years, it's great to hear it dusted off and given such an expressive performance. Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do" is made to march with Dru Webber's lively guitar throbbing throughout. Although I've enjoyed Gary U.S. Bonds from early rock days to his incarnation as Bruce Springsteen buddy, "It Ain't No Use" is newly encountered. Its stately blues smokes slowly with Doyle's vocal swagger. My second encounter with "Maudie" since the Animals' "Animalization" works well as a trad blues shuffle. "Fitchburg Street" is a great second set from Doyle Bramhall that consistently smokes & throbs knee deep in the blues. Enjoy!

Too long between CD's, this one makes the wait worth while.
Doyle's version of Hooker's 'Dimples' is making the phones ring at 106.9 WCCC. No wonder with son Doyle II on guitar, Mike Judge on bass and Gary Primich on harp.

I love this album for it's Texas flavor as well as for Doyle's singing and drumming.

This is an excellant choice of cuts from Stevie Ray Vaughan's friend and co-writer of many of his songs such as Change It. This release is a great mix of bluesy and soulful songs that Doyle was so famous for singing in and around Austin back in "the day". This is a really great addition to any collection.

I have had this for a couple of weeks, I keep playing this more every day. This CD has become one of my favorites very quickely and will be worn out. This is blues at it's best. Believe me you will enjoy and listen to it over and over. After listening to this CD, most importantly "Life by the Drop" you will understand the impact Doyle has.
BUY THIS CD and get settled down for a feeding of you soul.

From Fitchburg Street to the fraternity houses at UT and out into the universal music scene, Doyle Bramhall has taken us on a musical blues odyssey that continues to this day. Powerful album-anything that Doyle produces is a must for music junkies. Buy it.

Note to DeepBlueReview: I believe (Doyle) Bramhall ll , who recorded "Jellycream" and played with Double Trouble in The Arc Angels is actually the son of this texas singer/drummer, Doyle Bramhall.

This LP sounded good to me. I love the standards, and I think he hits high notes on all these covers, plus his own classic. His son is a fine GTR player in backing band as well.

If anyone ever gets a chance to see Bramhall II on Austin City Limits, their version of "Shape I'm In" that opens up the show, is about as good a song as this Blues Fan has ever heard.

Doyle has been kinda low key for the past few years, producing and guesting on other CDs. This CD is a great compilation of mostly covers by an incredible singer and drummer. He's also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Buy this CD!

If you're real lucky & catch one of Big "D"s gigs you will know what I mean. The Texas Tornado does it again with his new CD "Fitchbugh Street". Doyle does it right...! Texas Style...!