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Editorial Reviews
Review
In recent years, Watermelon Slim has risen to the top of the blues genre; his last LP, The Wheel Man, helped him garner six nominations at the Blues Music Awards, a feat that has only been accomplished by legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Slim s got his own legend, and it starts back in Vietnam, where he learned how to play slide guitar backwards on a lap dobro with a jagged pick cut from a tin can and his standard-issue Zippo lighter subbing in as slide. Slim is credited as the first Vietnam veteran to release an album, 1973 s self-titled protest blues record Merry Airbrakes, which contains lines like, If I die in battle / Pick up my AK-47 and fight on. Back then, he was known by his given name, Bill Homans, and described his album as anti-capitalistic, anti-imperialistic, and containing incontrovertible underground credentials.
It was 30 years before Slim released another album. But he stayed busy working a handful of odd-jobs, and picked up his blues name while harvesting watermelons, as he recalled on 2003 s They Call Me Watermelon Slim : I was standing in a great big old field full of watermelons down in southeast Oklahoma about 23 years ago. Had me a great big ol slice of red watermelon in one hand and a Hohner D harmonica in the other not a woman within 20 miles. I was getting to be a lonely SOB. But I looked at the harmonica and I looked at that piece of watermelon and I said, Wait a minute, I got me a blues name! I m Watermelon Slim. And I been Watermelon Slim to this day.
No Paid Holidays is somewhat more introverted than the boogie-heavy WheelMan. But Slim finds room for his full range of styles, from the field holler, through the Mississippi Delta blues, and on up ol muddy to the rockin Chicago blues. Slim also manages to break from traditional blues chord progressions on the excellent honky-tonk number Into the Sunset and the somber paternal dirge Dad in the Distance (You re where you should be, and though you are gone / You re the one and only reason I m galloping on).
This Traveling Life is a vox-and-harmonica prayer of thanksgiving ( Thank you for every miracle you send my way / Ooh, and best of all / For letting me see / Things the way they are / The way they are ). And When I Die is similarly composed, with Slim singing, All I ask of livin is to have no chains on me / And all I ask of dying is to go naturally. Oddly enough the latter number is the more upbeat of the two. Or maybe from Slim s perspective that s not at all odd, as the laughs really come rolling in on Max the Baseball Clown , on which he reminisces about an all-but-forgotten grandstand entertainer: It s taken me this many years to ask myself, Is he alive or dead? (Personally, I m afraid that Max has had his last laugh.)
I ve Got a Toothache is a spoken-word number beat down by a slow thud, and laced with Slim s slide dobro as he seeks a remedy for the pain: I got me a glass of bourbon here Wild Turkey. I m gonna drain it down. Slim has likely had his share of toothaches, as his trademark sound is a vocal delivery that is both hampered and enhanced by a dearth of teeth that has left his consonants with a lisp-like quality.
Slim s subject matter comes full-circle with The Bloody Burmese Blues , on which he notes, We are in this lovely hotel looking down on a war zone / We saw it all breaking down, soldiers and the people they were firing on. Thirty-five years have lapsed since the Merry Airbrakes Draft Board Blues , but listening to it you can already hear Slim s down-to-the-grit perspective and the sharp bite of his overdriven harmonica. --Crawdaddy
It was 30 years before Slim released another album. But he stayed busy working a handful of odd-jobs, and picked up his blues name while harvesting watermelons, as he recalled on 2003 s They Call Me Watermelon Slim : I was standing in a great big old field full of watermelons down in southeast Oklahoma about 23 years ago. Had me a great big ol slice of red watermelon in one hand and a Hohner D harmonica in the other not a woman within 20 miles. I was getting to be a lonely SOB. But I looked at the harmonica and I looked at that piece of watermelon and I said, Wait a minute, I got me a blues name! I m Watermelon Slim. And I been Watermelon Slim to this day.
No Paid Holidays is somewhat more introverted than the boogie-heavy WheelMan. But Slim finds room for his full range of styles, from the field holler, through the Mississippi Delta blues, and on up ol muddy to the rockin Chicago blues. Slim also manages to break from traditional blues chord progressions on the excellent honky-tonk number Into the Sunset and the somber paternal dirge Dad in the Distance (You re where you should be, and though you are gone / You re the one and only reason I m galloping on).
This Traveling Life is a vox-and-harmonica prayer of thanksgiving ( Thank you for every miracle you send my way / Ooh, and best of all / For letting me see / Things the way they are / The way they are ). And When I Die is similarly composed, with Slim singing, All I ask of livin is to have no chains on me / And all I ask of dying is to go naturally. Oddly enough the latter number is the more upbeat of the two. Or maybe from Slim s perspective that s not at all odd, as the laughs really come rolling in on Max the Baseball Clown , on which he reminisces about an all-but-forgotten grandstand entertainer: It s taken me this many years to ask myself, Is he alive or dead? (Personally, I m afraid that Max has had his last laugh.)
I ve Got a Toothache is a spoken-word number beat down by a slow thud, and laced with Slim s slide dobro as he seeks a remedy for the pain: I got me a glass of bourbon here Wild Turkey. I m gonna drain it down. Slim has likely had his share of toothaches, as his trademark sound is a vocal delivery that is both hampered and enhanced by a dearth of teeth that has left his consonants with a lisp-like quality.
Slim s subject matter comes full-circle with The Bloody Burmese Blues , on which he notes, We are in this lovely hotel looking down on a war zone / We saw it all breaking down, soldiers and the people they were firing on. Thirty-five years have lapsed since the Merry Airbrakes Draft Board Blues , but listening to it you can already hear Slim s down-to-the-grit perspective and the sharp bite of his overdriven harmonica. --Crawdaddy
Product Description
Watermelon Slim is a relatively new luminary of the blues, rapidly building a career behind four albums and constant touring. In 2008 Slim was nominated for six awards, a feat matched only by the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray. Slim has twelve nominations in the last two years, a feat unmatched in the event's 29 years. The highly anticipated follow up to 'The Wheel Man' is entitled 'No Paid Holidays' and features Lee Roy Parnell on slide guitar.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True Blues Genius!!,
By tpsjle (The Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Paid Holidays (Audio CD)
Once again.. Watermelon Slim is a winner.. The guy is a great musical genius.
Love it. Wonderful mix of modern and traditional and even some whimsy... I have seen Watermelon Slim twice in person. The guy and his band are amazing performers. Slim's slide guitar and harmonica are incredible. If you have to do without lunch for a day or two to afford this, DO IT!! You can feast on the blues by Slim and the Workers!!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
(3.5 STARS) EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A BLUES ENTHUSISAST, WELL WORTH A LISTEN,
By
This review is from: No Paid Holidays (Audio CD)
Whilst I like some music that combines blues with other genres, I don't consider myself to be a blues fan. However, these days I am beginning to listen to a lot more blues music, and this album is 'all blues' (I think). Thus, I've written this review from the perspective of someone with more mainstream tastes, but also someone who can still appreciate some of the qualities of blues music.
Bill Homans (Watermelon Slim) sings with a lot of feeling, whether he is belting out high energy rockers or using a more understated style. He has a slight lisp which gives his vocals a little bit of character (but some listeners may find this distracting). One of the most striking things about the music is the electric slide playing which features on many tracks - some of it is astonishing stuff. The supporting musicians (including a tight rhythm section) provide first rate accompaniment; also, there are a few solos from guest players - piano (David Maxwell) on two tracks, and electric slide (Lee Roy Parnell) on one. The overall sound has a fairly raw feel, and I suspect that the album has been recorded 'studio live' - which is just as well, because this type of music rarely benefits from post-recording 'over-polishing'. The music covers several blues styles - I don't know what these are called but, most certainly, there's a mixture of traditional and contemporary blues. In terms of my own enjoyment, 'No Paid Holidays' is a 'mixed bag' - I'm not keen on a number of songs towards the middle of the album (perhaps, better appreciated by more dedicated blues fans). Those that I like include the up-tempo rockers ('Blues For Howard' and 'Archetypal Blues No.2 - both of which blow me away), or the slower tempo songs with a strong groove ('Dad In the Distance', 'You're The One I Need', 'Bubba's Blues' and 'I've Got a Toothache'); I also like the lyrics on 'Call My Job' (I've been there!). I'd recommend this album to both fans of blues music, and those (like myself) who haven't quite 'arrived' yet. I can't be as generous with my rating as other reviewers because there are 5 songs that I dislike - but even so, it's good to hear some decent music from an artist who hasn't been 'got at' by the major music corporations; 3.5 stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Deal,
By
This review is from: No Paid Holidays (Audio CD)
This is a fantastic CD from a man and a band are the real deal.
I had the good fortune to catch these guys at Warmdaddy's in Philadelphia 15MAY10 and they were tight and glad to be playing back in the US after spending a lot of time in Europe last year. The other guitar player in the band, Ronnie McMullen Jr. is a fantastic player in his own right and man to watch. They flat out swing the blues. The show, like this CD wanders through a wide spectrum of blues, from a testifying gospel style to a bouncing boogie. Slim delivers a triple threat of harp, slide guitar, and gravelly country trucker shaman vocals. My three favorite songs: Slim's a-capella version of the Blood Sweat & Tears "And When I Die"; Detroit Jr.'s "Call My Job"; the blistering instrumental "Gearzy's Boogie". GO SEE THEM LIVE! Slim had a heart attack in 2002 and while he's on fire on stage today, well...we're all day-to-day. GO SEE THEM LIVE!
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