Customer Reviews

Sugar Shack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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We can only expect great things from this talented Bluesman if his first major label release is any indication of things to follow. Get this album you will be amazed.

I saw Damon Fowler for the first time last night at The Orange Peel in Asheville, N.C. where he opened for Johnny Winter. The show cost $22 and if Johnny hadn't been able to play, Damon's set was well worth the money. His guitar work was inspired and bluesy and his renditions of "My Baby Left on the 2:19" and "Sugar Shack" included both vocals and lap slide guitar that were a delight to see and hear. I was about 10 feet away in the front at the railing; I've just purchased this CD here on Amazon(where I wind up buying most of my CD's, since 95% of the time they have the very best price anywhere on the internet)and I have to check out the others. Johnny's set, by the way, was very poorly miked. When "Highway 61 Revisited" gets halfway through before I recognize it from the 10 feet away, that is POOR, SHABBY, PATHETIC MIKING!!! That said, I look forward to further aural discoveries in the Damon Fowler catalogue. Thanks for reading this. It's only about the 2nd time in 11 years that I've been moved to make a comment. And thanks to Shelley Perfect, one of Damon's biggest fans, for giving me some background insight into Damon's music. I'm glad that I could move over so that you could take the pictures and video that you wanted.

I will make this short and sweet. Buy this cd, put it in your car, take a long drive and be blown away! Rarely do I get to hear a cd these days where each and every song is Perfection. Each and every song is built and arranged just the right way. And the sound on this cd gets 150% as it blows off the roof. It's real easy here, Add to Cart and Checkout. You won't be disappointed!

Go watch the movie "Ghost World." There is a classic scene in it where Steve Buscemi sits in a club listening to an old blues musician. The musician, though, is simply an opening act for a band called Blues Hammer, which claims to play "authentic, down-in-the-delta blues," but proceeds to play atrociously cliched, bombastic rock with only a passing resemblance to the blues. Every time I hear about another white kid blues guitar slinger, I think of Blues Hammer. However, Damon Fowler isn't Blues Hammer. He gets it.

This is serious swamp blues. There are strains of country, loping rhythms, some nice lap steel playing, and most importantly, there is restraint. Damon Fowler can shred, but what makes him interesting is that he knows not to do so. Every once in a while, he will throw in some impressive riffs, but he is meticulous in his desire NOT to overplay. He just finds his countrified swamp blues groove, and sticks with it. This album is a natural companion to albums like Tab Benoit's Wetlands, and like that album, Fowler uses space effectively. The key to good swampy music is not just the loping rhythm, but making sure that there is space between the notes, and that the players don't get in each others' way. That is hard to do, particularly for strong instrumentalists. Benoit never did it better than on Wetlands, and Fowler does it as well as anybody here. In fact, you may notice on the cover that Fowler's guitar is not a Strat, but a Telecaster, which is also Benoit's guitar of choice. There is a pattern here. I love SRV as much as anyone, but at the risk of profiling, a Tele generally indicates a more serious musician than a Strat these days. I'm not saying that nobody good uses a Strat-- it is just a rough pattern. Then again, I just like the sound of a Tele.

Further listening: Mofro, Russell Gulley, Tony Joe White, Eric Lindell.

Here is the formula: start with a bright-eyed, witty, eager-to-learn teenager born with God-given musical talent; locate in Florida (America's magical, musical mixing bowl); play records by Duane Allman, Bill Monroe, Lightning Hopkins, Danny Gatton, Hank Williams, and 50 others; hand him a guitar and show him a few chords; turn loose on the world. This result is an incredibly entertaining, down-to-earth singer, songwriter, and six-string - slide - lap steel guitarist named Damon Fowler.

Fowler's ability to draw love from audiences, both live and on this CD, comes from his genius Roots repertoire of originals and select covers, his winning vocal delivery, his amiable personality, and his completely catchy songs full of master picking, guitar hooks and real life lyrics that'll stick in your mind for months.

Fowler's final song ("I'm Just An Old Chunk of Coal") foretells his musical legacy. The lyrics claim this "old chunk of coal" is "going to be a diamond someday." With this CD and the support of a major label like Blind Pig, Fowler's diamond days will come sooner rather than later!

Damon Fowler earned this major-label debut the old-fashioned way: by tirelessly touring with his band and building a fan base all over the country.

Damon's an excellent guitarist, his style very bluesy with a tasty mixture of country and a little (not too much) dash of rock n roll. His slide work is especially fine.

I Hope It's Gonna Rain is my favorite track.

If you get a chance to see Damon live, don't miss it!

My favorite music involves high quality guitar and lots of it. Damon is a blues guitar prodigy. If you like Sonny Landreth, Tinsley Ellis, Freddie king, BB king, Luther Allison, John Fogerty_(Got the Ideal)_Hope you enjoy!

Ok...Here it is January 29th 2010 on a Friday night and guess who's jammin!!! Damon cuts wild with his band into some blues I haven't seen matched in a long time. Only one thing to say....AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! songs like Sugar Shack, I hope it's gonna rain, Sugar Lee are all powerhouse swamp blues tunes. Go see him live at Skipper's Smoke House in Tampa Florida. The cd's are great but when he and his band do live jams they rock the house down!!!! He must have a dozen different guitars on stage along with instruments i haven't seen any young guys play before. His slide playing is beyond many of the old pros in blues and he is surely a master of it. He's like a modern day BB King/Muddy Waters/Robin Trower/Eric Clapton/Country Joe Mcdonald/JJ Cale etc. etc. all rolled up into one!!! The total package!!! He is a must see live player for sure!
I bought both this cd and the Skipper's Live album from him at the jam. Sure brought back some good memories when I used to hit all the big concerts with my friends in the 70's.
I'll close by saying you sure can't forget the awesome bass player Chuck Riley who also plays an electric bass fiddle with no body!! just the neck..its scary bad (which is good)!!!. and also the drummer Big Country who performed along with some great jammin friends on guitar and electric piano.
Damon we had a great time and everybody wished you could have played all night! We'll see you tomorrow I hope! Can hardly wait for some more of your cd's to come out!!!! Rock on to the Blues Brother!!!!!

Mr. Mohawk (Randy Bradway)

This is an incredibly unique CD. Damon Fowler has an amazing voice! VFW, I Hope its Gonna Rain, and James are all highlights.