Customer Reviews

Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk

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

 

 

This is one of my favorite T-birds albums. Robillard's funky rhythms on "Born to Love You" cannot be beat with a 20lb. stick. I love listening to this one at full volume while cruising in my car.

"Twist of the Knife" is a blues-rockin' sensation that never fails to make my blood boil. "Paralyzed" is a basic straightforward rock-n-roll tune, but very catchy. "Feelin' Good" borrows from a couple of influences, but the John Lee Hooker in it reaches out and grabs you by the unmentionables! If you can resist the urge to dance when this song is playing, then there's just something MAJOR wrong with you!

Not every song on the album is equally strong, but every time I hear this album, I like it even more. Even "Work Together" which initially seemed trite to me has grown on me and become a very fun song to listen to...kind of an audience participation groove.

If you like the true T-birds, with their blues roots exposed for all to hear, then this album is for you. If you only liked their MTV hit videos, then you probably don't have enough soul to appreciate this one and you should head back to top-40 land.

In the long and varied history of this smokin' hot living blues honor band, "Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk" is the blistering peak. The Austin boys get a pop and jolt from the Roomful master Duke and the sinewy skills of master producer Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, Springsteen and Scialfa) to craft this deliriously fun, funny and positively thundering album. You owe it to yourself to go to your local INDEPENDENT record shop like the wonderful Repo Records and Manifest Discs in Charlotte, NC, and dig up this masterpiece. And, while you're at it, fire a nasty and pointed e-mail in the general direction of Epic for doing the unthinkable and dropping these geniuses after this album. May the damned spirit of Robert J. forever haunt them!!

The eighth album by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, "Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk", suprisingly turned out to be a powerhouse. Founding member Jimmie Vaughan finally had left after their previous release, the decent but somewhat uninspired "Powerful Stuff." Having already appropriated his rhythm section from Roomful of Blues, singer/songwriter Kim Wilson made a key selection to replace Vaughan, RoB's lead guitarist, Duke Robillard. He, in turn, recommended a second New England blues musician, Kid Bangham.

The two new members added much needed new energy to the band. The cliche among T-Birds fans is that it took two guitarists to replace the "great" Vaughan, but I don't buy it. Unlike most fans, I think Vaughan was way overrated. Also, it should be noted that a fair amount of the T-Birds sound on the previous three albums was created by session keyboardists and multitracking Vaughan's parts, rather than any special virtuosity on his part.

With two guitarists in the group, the sound is lot more varied. Robillard not only brings in great playing, but a cool funky song, "Born to Love You", and a good voice, trading vocals with Wilson on a cover of the soul classic "Ain't That a Lot of Love?". All but one of the rest of the songs were written or co-written by Wilson. While he didn't really expand his lyrical repetoire (he's either ecstatic over or been done wrong by a woman, as usual), musically he's covering even more ground. "Twist of the Knife", the only song which got any airplay, is a great driving rocker; "Can't Stop Rocking" is an amusing, loping track; great crooning on the ballads "When I Get Home" and "Need Somebody to Love". "Work Together" is another highlight, wherfe Wilson's exhortation to make the world a better place is backed by a great groove from the band and superb backing vocals from a black gospel band.

This lineup was also excellent live, but the guitarists left after the tour, and the group hasn't been stable since. This album deserved a lot more attention than it got,and should be re-released. "Tuff Enuff" is the first essential purchase, since it's got the T-Birds big hits, but this one is, overall, much stronger, and should also be on the list for blues-rock fans -- if you can find a copy.

When Jimmie Vaughan left the T-Birds I, along with many other fans, were disappointed and left wondering what would happen to one of the best roots bands in the world. The result of adding two guitarists to replace "the man" was beyond expectations. Only the Duke could fill these huge shoes and Kid Bangham proved that as a second guitar, he is formidable and tasty. The interplay, multi-rhythms and complimentary lines and turn-arounds are mind bending. It's what the best of the Chicago cats could do effortlessly. I'm talking about Robert Jr. Lockwood, Hubert Sumlin, Luther Tucker, Pee Wee Crayton and many of the R&B players from the '50's and 60's. The Duke and the Kid create some of the best rhythm beds ever and along with the best bass and drum connection in the business, pull off a timeless classic album that sounds better every time you listen. You can focus on different things each listen and never run out of new discoveries and flavors. It's truly remarkable! I've owned this CD since '91 and it's still one of my favorites. I love Jimmie Vaughan's work with the Birds but this has to be their best album, overall. The production and engineering is spot on and all the musicians did an overwhelming job to put this disc in my permenant top 10!