Customer Reviews

Tulsa

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well worth the wait! Wayne's been playing many of these songs at his shows for a while now and I've been dying to get this album. It did not disappoint. Every track is solid, and like all of Wayne's albums, there is no filler here. Do yourself a favor and get this album now! It will prove to you that REAL music still exists.

I saw a great show at Fishlips in Bakersfield last Wednesday: Wayne "The Train" Hancock. He sang like a modern-day Hank Williams, and had a great band, just Jake on stand up bass, and Johnny on the Telecaster. Wayne just strummed an acoustic guitar, one stroke per beat, but was always right in the pocket, his guitar was holding down the tempo while the electric guitar filled in when he wasn't singing, and the bass just kept the beat going like crazy. It is a testament to the trio's chops that they could inspire someone to dance right from the first song. They had a really crazy rhythm going and it never let up. And there was not even a drummer in the band. The bass player was always pushing the beat, but with perfect placement, and intonation, which ain't that easy on a fretless stand up bass.

Wayne played for about 2 hours, and he let his girlfriend Gina play a few songs while he took a break. I took that opportunity to get Wayne's autograph. When he got back on stage he sang and talked about all the counties where he was incarcerated. Quite a few.

I loved the show, it was a prodigious display of musical virtuosity. If you closed your eyes you could have sworn it was Hank Williams, yet he had his own style, and wasn't just a clone of Hank. He was what Hank would sound like if he were alive and just a little bit older than Hank Williams III, his grandson is right now.

The songs on Tulsa are great, and whether he is live or in the studio, he sounds fantastic. Wayne Hancock refuses to compromise his music, to sweeten it, to make it more commercial, to do anything other than play music he really feels deep down inside, and to make you feel it deep down inside, too.

Wayne "The Train" is the real deal. I own every Wayne album and I just can't get enough. I've seen Wayne's live show twice and he plays non-stop just about all night. I would highly recommend any of Wayne's albums especially if your ready for some real country music.

Nobody does it like Wayne, that's for sure. One of the things that makes him stand out is that he always has first-rate accompanists (go see them live if you can; Eddie Biebel is terrific).

Hancock has avoided a kitchy, retro-overkill style, which is a great thing amid a lot of decent rockabilly-style bands that try a little too hard. I like _Tulsa_ more as I listen to it, although on the whole I think that the songwriting, while good, is getting a little tired. Just a little. This album seems a little more repetitive and a little less interesting than previous albums, although the individual tracks are fine.

This is a fine album. It's Hank I channeled through Bill Haley and Bob Wills. It's a nice assortment of rockabilly swing interspersed with some nifty, jazzy ballads, the highlight of which is "Highway Bound." Perhaps the songs on average aren't quite up to Williams' standards. On the other hand, these musicians have chops the Comets never dreamed of.

This cd is a slice of americana.Wayne Hancock is last of the few hillbilly singers.If you like twangy rockabilly, this cd is a must have.

With Tulsa, 'The Train' chugs ahead full steam. It features that great Hank Williams infused twang that we've come to love. For this road trip, Wayne Hancock is accompanied by his old traveling buddies Eddie Biebel and Dave Biller. Highlights include 'Highway Bound,' 'Shootin' Star From Texas,' and the title track. Musically, this album features the same Blues, Honky Tonk Country, Rockabilly and Western Swing that have become hallmarks of Hancock's sound. Thematically, "Tulsa" aligns with the rest of Hancock's discography featuring songs about driving, lost love, drinkin' and Texas. In fact, if there's balanced feedback for this living legend, it's that this material sounds very familiar to the rest of his work. At this point, we can see a repetition of themes, chord progressions, keys and musical chemistry. Not that this is a criticism by any means; Wayne has an amazing sound and he works it to its fullest potential. Far from being static, a few songs on "Tulsa" even feature the addition of a Dixieland brass band. As an ingredient, Dixieland has the high potential to ruin such a project. In the hands of a master like Hancock, the Dixieland is worked with light brush strokes, often employed as bookends on most tunes. Comparing this to the rest of Hancock's discography, it may be one of his best, up there with A-Town Blues. As with other reviewers, I too have been fortunate enough to see Wayne on the 2007 Winter tour. It was a joy to hear this music in front of a grateful audience. Whether performed live or as played on this CD, the songs off "Tulsa" stand as a doughboy in the resurgence of twang.

When I first heard "Tulsa" on the radio, I didn't know who was singing and I had never heard of Wayne Hancock, but I thought at the time, "This guy, whoever he is, is channeling Hank Williams!" Luckily, I found out who sang that song and immediately went out and bought this album. If you like country swing, you will love this CD!

Wayne the train...what can I say? Been listenin' to this fella for longer than I can recall now, seeing him live in so many dingy joints than I care to remember. Played pool with him in Birmingham, had Coca-Cola's with him in Atlanta (he's a double a daddy after all), just shot the breeze with him out west. Been there and done that so many times, and he never fails to touch my soul with his lyrics and music and give it all he's got. Few others are like that these days. Remember hanging out with him and Dale Watson once and just wishing my granddaddy was around to have heard them both...

Those who are coming across are either doing so by accident or because they know the scene and Wayne. If the latter is the case, then no words that I half-a*sedly string together can do him justice...you already know. If it's the former case, I still can't do him justice, but you can now at least hear it for yourself.

Start by getting every single thing you can by him. Start with Thunderstorms in my opinion. Then go on to What Daddy Wants...from there, well fella, I really can't pick anything over the other. You just gotta hear it for yourself and then you'll understand.

Can't recommend this cat highly enough...both as a person and through his music.

Wayne Hancock is a genius. Tulsa will move you with its songs, with its musicianship, with its soul. The sound of the great Southwest.