Customer Reviews

Kerosene Man

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"Kerosene Man" is another brilliant, albeit unheralded, masterpiece from ex-Dream Syndicate front man Steve Wynn, which should be picked up before it goes out of print forever. It's hard to fathom why an album containing such catchy gems as "Tears Won't Help," "Younger," and the title track got virtually no support from radio and was just left to wither on the vine like a rotten tomato. Even more telling is that when Wynn's tour to support this album hit Detroit's Majestic Theater, I was one of only two people in the audience other than the bartenders. To Wynn's credit, however, he played and sang his heart out, as if he was in front of 10,000.

This is not the Dream Syndicate. Steve Wynn's 1st solo album "Kerosene Man" (1990), is a true solo artist album, and a great album it was, with such pop-rockers as the lead of single "Tears Won't Help" #10 modern rock (his only chart entry, what a shame). The classic with great mandolin by Robert Lloyd "Carolyn". The bluesy sax tune "Blue Drifter", with great sax by Steve Berlin. The schizoprenia rocker "Younger" with manic violin by veteran violinst Richard Greene. The jangle pop of "Killing Time", followed by a great message song "Here On Earth As Well". The rockin' "Something To Remember Me By". Then you get one of the best duet ballads of 1990 with Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde on "Conspiracy Of The Heart". On the title track you great slide guitar by Robert Mache and some fine jumpy tinkling piano by Robert Lloyd, you also know that Steve knows his baseball on this track (he's an avid fan). And the album finishes with a tune that resembled the closest thing to the Dream Syndicate on the powerhouse "Anthem". After 20 years this album gets played still. It's too bad people around the US of A, doesn't know anything about such a great artist as Steve Wynn.