Customer Reviews

It's Time

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

 

 

As with the best retro-inspired bands, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys have transcended their nostalgic roots. They're not just paying homage to the rockabilly and swing sounds of the '40 and '50s, they're making new ones rooted in those early rhythms. Their instruments and duds may be vintage, but their music retains the vitality of the music's original era.

After taking time outs for solo excursions (Sandy's brilliant doo-wop set, "Dedicated to You," and the band's high-octane instrumental album, "Big Sandy Presents His Fly-Rite Boys"), Sandy's reunion with the Fly-Rite's finds everyone recharged and ready to go. Joey Altruda's live-in-the-studio production (a week-and-a-half, start-to-finish!) neatly captures the band's interplay, from foot-stomping rockabilly to jazzy shuffles, with doghouse bass, surf inflections, and Cajun spices thrown in for good measure. This is one incredibly tight five-piece combo, augmented by the acoustics of Altruda's studio (formerly Hollywood's famed Electro Vox) and captured by well-placed vintage microphones.

Sandy's voice is as warm and comfortable as ever, and his songwriting contributes several new gems to the band's catalog. The swing and rockabilly numbers, in particular, leap from the grooves with extraordinary vitality. "Chalk it up to the Blues," surely would have been a standard, if only it had been written 45 years earlier. It's only one of the joys of an album that's perfect for a summertime drive with the top down.

4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.

This has to be one of the best Big Sandy albums in a LONG time. Don't get my wrong. I love Big Sandy's music, but the last album was very weak. This album makes you want to play it over and over again. You will be singing and dancing to this one in no time. If you have not heard of Big Sandy, this would be a great album to start off with. A big ol' 5 Stars!

A very catchy album. Several hints of hints of doo-wop with that insatiable Fly-Rite swing. A little surf rock. A little pizzacato by Ashley. Jimmy Roy on steel. Bobby, keeping the beat. Slappin' bass. Sandy crooning. Man, what a good thing!
"Catalina" and "Money Tree" (sung by Jeff, the upright player)
stay with you long after the playing is done. Hey, all the songs are good'ns, though.
See them on their current tour and you'll appreciate the band even more.

Yeah, this is the good stuff. Big Sandy is no imitator in any sense that matters; the classic sounds of the '50s are just there, pumping in his veins, which flow to a heart that could as easily belong to Buddy Holly or Eddie Cochran or Johnny Burnette or hundreds of others undeservedly forgotten. He sings, plays, and writes in a style whose inspiration is unmistakable but which, just as unmistakably, is still his own. In a sane world, there'd always be a place, not too far away, where the juke box sounds like this, crazy with jittery rockabilly, swamp rock, jumpin' honkytonk, silky ballads, and surf-guitar instrumentals like the terrific "Strollin' with Mary Jane." It all ends with the melancholy, dreamy "The Night Is for Dreamers," which seems eerily, beautifully outside time, somewhere out there in the stars.

Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys continue to be the premier rockin' country, hillbilly and rockabilly band in the United States. "It's Time" is a return to the Big Sandy sound that we've all known and loved all these years. The album was recorded LIVE o­n vintage equipment at Joey's Place (former Electro Vox studios) and features Ashley Kingman o­n lead guitar, Bobby Trimble o­n drums, Jeff West o­n upright bass and new-comer Jimmy Roy o­n steel and electric guitar.

With all the flair and authenticity of western swing bands gone by, Big Sandy brings his own buttery smooth vocals, superb song writing and originality to the genre. Not just a rehash of old or cover material, "It's Time" really brings out a new vitality and strength in these recordings. My favorites are the rocker "Chalk It Up to the Blues", "Bayou Blue", "It's Time", and "Catalina".

I received the product in excellent condition, and in an expedited manner. Will do business with seller again.

Robert has really outdone himself here, his vocals sound so great on the title track. The steel guitar work is exellent, the bands musicianship is top notch(they can play anything from straight ahaed jazz to hillbilly boogie. This cd swings all the way thru and is highlighted by the title track, Money Tree, Bayou Blue, Chalk It Up To Yhe Blues and the haunting I Am But A Dreamer. Great stuff, if you like rockabilly and/or western swing with touches of hillbilly boogie woogie.