Customer Reviews

A-Town Blues

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

 

 

Wayne the Train continues his association with renowned producer/steel player Lloyd Maines, and the music world is the better for it. Wayne swings, jumps, rocks (yes!), yodels, and croons, and makes it sound effortless. Like his other records, this one was recorded live in the studio, and one can appreciate not only the energy this brings but also the pure musicianship of Hancock and his band. There isn't a weak track on this record. An added treat is the final track, "Railroad Blues," a seemingly last-minute addition-an acoustic duet of Hancock and Maines. Wayne's voice is rougher than usual, perhaps because this was recorded at the end of a long (by Hancock standards) studio session. A perfect way to close a damn-near perfect set of swinging Texas music.

A CD focused largely on a musician's life on the road doesn't strike me as a particularly inspired idea. Wayne Hancock, however, manages to pull it off, through a combination of sheer likability, capable songwriting, and a few songs on other subjects. The last category includes "Sands of Time," which sounds not just like a tune Hank Williams could have written but like one he's actually singing. It's surely one of the most dead-on, scary Hank imitations of all time. With an approach that derives both strength and weakness from its affinity to Hank, Hancock's is a musical sensibility stuck in 1951, when people still talked about "hot rods" (as in "Miller, Jack & Mad Dog," a commentary on the hazards of drunk driving circa, I take it, five decades ago). I'm not complaining, mind you. Hancock is comfortable and convincing, and if you like your honkytonk and Western swing plain and straight -- and I certainly do -- here it is.

This is Hancock's best work since his debut, Thunderstorms and Neon Signs, and has that album's sound and feel. He has gone back to a pared-down band -- thankfully dumping the drums, which he introduced on the last two CDs. Compared to Thunderstorms, those two albums were a bit of a disapointment. Don't get me wrong, there are some real gems on both albums, but they are not as consistently solid as Thunderstorms. With A-Town Blues, the old Train is back and better then ever.

Wayne Hancock is a genius. The music is so catchy, interesting, inventive that my words certainly don't do it justice. If you haven't heard Mr. Hancock before do yourself a favor and listen to A-Town Blues. If you've already had the pleasure, then this new effort will please you.

Being a longtime fan of Wayne the Train, my expectations were very high for this record. And perhaps those expectations are the reason I'm giving it anything less than a perfect rating. Being as strict a honkey-tonk player as anyone, Hancock's albums all sound rather similar (especially now that he's permenantly sworn off drums), but that's not to say they're not loaded with some of the best written, superbly played country tunes. It's perfect driving music, great bar music, very sincere music in the face of the growing roots/country fad.

While not as phenomenal as his previous recordings, A Town is a great record with plenty of sound performances all around. Biller and Wakefield smoke, as usual (anyone interested in country music should find their "Hot Guitars" album), and Wayne's voice sounds as sharp and road weary as ever.

Covers of Cow Cow Boogie and Viper round off a collection of rolling, rollicking and sometimes sad songs. The overall tone is mellower than his last few records - more of a long highway cruise than a tear through dusty backroads. Not quite as firey as previous outings, but a little softer, a little more sentimental.

All in all, a very good record. Though I'd recommend his earlier stuff for the uninitiated.