Customer Reviews

Tell the Truth

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Play that guitar Lee Roy! Parnell dropped by Arista Nashville is now with Vanguard Records. The change in labels is for the better, as Arista was attempting to make Lee Roy a country star. Vanguard has never been a label that worries about radio play and Lee Roy has recorded a CD of more than just 3:00 minute songs. Parnell has always been known as a good slide guitar player but not until this CD has he cut loose in the studio. Parnell like his friend, Delbert McClinton are what you might call Americana artists - their roots and their playing span country to rock. Except for a couple of throw away songs about Texas, this CD is superb. We can only hope that Vanguard will allow Parnell to develop as an artist.

Lee Roy Parnell has been looking for the freedom to make his music, his way, for a long time.

In this record he's finally found it.

He's turned his back on the Nashville Pop music machine and turned in a wonderful collection of Blues, Soul, Gospel and Rock and Roll, enough to engage your heart and mind, and make you want to get up and dance.

More than ever, his songs are such that you understand they come not simply from conceptualization, but from experience.

On "Crossin' Over," you understand how a pair of San Angelo boys might try to make a run for the border, to find a rite of passage, only to walk away from it, after an attack of conscience. On the same song, if Lee Roy 's slide guitar playing doesn't set your hair on fire, check your pulse, you might be code-blue.

"Breakin Down Slow," a duet with the great Bonnie Bramlett, Lee Roy sings of lost love and the healing power of the human spirit. You know he's gone through his share of heartache by the passion he sings with.

"South by Southwest," a duet with Delbert McClinton, is a wonderfully fun romp about homesickness, with a little poke at the Nashville establishment as well.

The suits in Nashville would have done well to keep him, with the dearth of good music on Music Row these days, a guy like Lee Roy could serve them well.

On this song, special mention needs to be made here of rhythm guitarist James Pennebaker's terrific, SLAMMIN' playing and Kevin McKendree's incredible piano solo. Both are first rate.

"I Declare," with Keb' Mo', invokes images of shaking free of the shackles of life, rebirth and renewal, bathed in the glory of the Delta Blues, cloaked in good fun and camraderie. You get the impression these two guys are dang near twin sons of different mothers. When Keb' Mo' sings "hallelujah," you know he is happy for Lee Roy.

"It Takes What It Takes," is quite simply, the most unexpected surprise on the record. Touches of jazz but steeped in R&B and Blue-Eyed Soul, it just knocked me out. Again, Lee Roy's guitar playing will set your hair on fire, it's got a passion that even his best country records could not match.

"Brand New Feeling," will have you shaking and waving your hands in the air, regardless of your faith. The Mississippi Mass Choir adds a wonderful touch but clearly, Lee Roy had the spirit all by himself. Kevin McKendree has a career in gospel piano playing if his full-time gig with Delbert McClinton ever winds down.

Good on you, Lee Roy.

In a time when music is little more than sampled older songs, drum machines, pitch correction and Pepsi ads, Lee Roy Parnell and his band, James Pennebaker, Kevin McKendree, Stephen Mackey and Lynn Williams have made a record that will get your heart pumping and your feet moving.

Good job, guys.

This is Lee Roy through & through! Blues, country, rock & gospel rolled into one. Gotta be his best work. Get this one & you'll wear it out!!

Lee Roy Parnell isn't the most intimidating singer/songwriter. I don't even know if he's had a number one hit (I've heard he hasn't, but I can't testify to it). That doesn't mean he's not good, though; hell, with this album, he proves that he can be GREAT if he sets his mind to it.

Always a pleaser, Parnell explores his rootsy side on this album. Forgoing the radio-friendly tone of such hits as "On the Road" and "A Little Bit of You," he delivers an album of rugged, country blues, that didn't garner any radio airplay, but gave him a status even better than hitmaker: true, genuine artist.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better slide player on the Nashville scene. And his "ragged down-home voice" is remeniscent of sawdust and fireflies. On the country blues of "Right Where It Hurts," he digs into you and hits you where it's most enjoyable: your heart. On the rowdy blues of "Crossin Over" and "South by Southwest" (the last featuring Texas blues icon Delbert McClinton), he gets down n dirty--blues style. With the confessional "Tell the Truth" and "Love's Been Rough on Me," he shows his softer, tender side. With the organ-choir gospel of "Brand New Feeling," he'll bring you to your feet clapping and singing "Hallelujah."

"Tell the Truth" is definitely Lee Roy Parnell's best album, and is in fact one of the great albums released so far this decade. True, no radio hits, and probably no overwhelming sales--but that just proves that too many people are missing out on a great thing. Don't be one of them: convert! Lee Roy Parnell is one of the industry's best, and he's waiting to play you his down-home music.

Like Willie Nelson (Milk Cow Blues), Lee Roy Parnell has taken a time out from his usual country recordings and ventures into the blues. However, unlike the covers CD performed by Willie, Parnell pens nine originals out of the ten songs offered on the CD. Also, unlike Willie, Parnell limits his "friends" to just a few including, Keb Mo's overdub on "I Declare", Bonnie Bramlett on "Breaking Down Slow" and Delbert McClinton on "South by Southwest".

As usual, Parnell's guitar work is smooth and engaging and his vocals are, well...country. In fact, the truth is that while this is a good CD, Parnell strays only slightly from his country roots and the result is a country blues CD with the emphasis on "country". The results should please his followers but will not win over any fans of modern electric blues. Two of the better tracks are "South by Southwest" and "Loves Been Rough On Me".

This is one of the few country artists my wife really likes also. Lee Roy does it all very well. A true talent. I think this is the best of his albums. And there are some others that are very good.

First I thought this was less. Then I found it was actually more. Greatest album he did, I think. Great one for southern rockers too. Get it!

First I thought this was less. Then I found it was actually more. Greatest album he did, I think. Great one for southern rockers too. Get it!

Many view smaller "indie" labels as being at a disadvantage in the marketplace. However, nowhere are the advantages of this type of label-artist relationship more evident than on Lee Roy's current release "Tell the Truth." Freed from the major Nashville label concerns of radio friendly hits, Lee Roy is able to fully extend his blues/rock/country roots to the max on this great collection of 10 songs, all but one of which were co-written by Lee Roy. The vocals are smooth as silk and the guitar playing knocks your socks off. A great effort from LRP.

For those of you out there who like a little country mixed with their blues, you'll want to check out Lee Roy Parnell's new Vanguard CD "Tell The Truth." Stellar mix of great songs ranging from acoustic country blues to rafters-razin' gospel to a contemporary Texas blues style complete with horns and B3. Lee Roy's versatile vocal style, ranging from smooth and sweet to gritty and growling, is equally matched by his extraordinary guitar work. This is one of those albums that just gets better with every listen. Guests include Delbert McClinton, Keb Mo, and Bonnie Bramlett (the blackest sounding white woman I've ever heard). Great album with a live sound. Buy it!