Customer Reviews

One Tough Town

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David Olney's newest release, "One Tough Town", is a record that ranges from pure folk to a bluesy rock. It includes ukulele, Tuba, clarinet, harmonica, and tremolo guitars. above and beyond the sound is Olney's songwriting. The track that stuck in my mind, "Who's The Dummy Now?", is about a struggling ventriloquist and the dummy who is getting tired of carrying the act. This an album that is not to be missed. Not to mention that the live show is amazing if you ever get a chance to catch it.

Olney is an original, a songwriter who crafts his narratives and long songs uniquely, often from the perspective of a character (or a thing in the case of an old song, "Iceberg," the story of the Titanic told from the viewpoint of the iceberg).

On his latest, he typically opens with a blast of bluesy roadhouse rock, "Whistle Blow," fueled by harmonica and his worn voice. But Olney, who is a song writing treasure, has several tricks up his sleeve, as usual. "Who's the Dummy Now" is narrated by the dummy who is carrying the act -- and life -- for a struggling ventriloquist. There's more than a touch of Tin Pan Alley in that cut and a few others -- a trombone, clarinet and tuba make appearances, but so does snarling electric guitar.

The album, in fact, is one tasty sampling of American music. Of "Oh Yeah (Dead Man's Shoes," Olney says: "I think of the song as Flannery O'Conner goes to New Orleans." If that kind of irascible wit and ambition appeals, this is a must.

I am not familiar with David Olney, I just happened to hear a song on a local radio station and decided to order the CD.

He has a wide range of styles on this CD, look forward to hearing more of him in the future.

9 p.m. Fri., June 15, The Basement, $8

What's that word for when there's only one provider of a certain product? A monopoly.

David Olney has a monopoly. He pretty much is a monopoly.

There's only one of him, and thus far nobody has been able to cop his riffs. He often writes songs through characters, with the narrative inhabiting the characters and also usually revealing something of himself. Sometimes that something is heartbreaking, sometimes funny, sometimes other stuff.

If you want something that sounds like David Olney, you've got to find David Olney. He's not hard to find, for the most part. This week he's at The Basement for a show that marks the release of his latest brilliant album, One Tough Town. That album finds him revealing a new batch of gems and also including a harrowing version of late, great old friend Townes Van Zandt's ''Snake Song.'' Van Zandt is one of the luminaries who has lavished mighty praise on Olney. Emmylou Harris has too, and so has Steve Earle, and so has anybody worth his or her salt who has ever witnessed a David Olney show.

Tommy Womack, who has his own little monopoly going, opens for Olney. Highly recommended.

--Peter Cooper

(06/14/07)