The Agoraphobic Cowboy

Rick Moranis

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 7, 2006)
• Original Release Date: September 27, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wepi / Artistshare
• ASIN: B000E115CC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,120 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Howdy? It started as a lark. My kids had been listening to a lot of alternative country and bluegrass in the house: Widespread Panic, Stringcheese Incident and Yonder Mountain Stringband. These reminded me of the country crossover hits from the 60's that I'd listened to growing up: The Statler Brothers, Roger Miller, Johnny Cash and especially Ray Stevens. So I started writing some songs and singing them to friends over the phone. Then, musician and producer Tony Scherr heard them and invited me to record them in his home studio in Brooklyn, New York. I hadn't done any music recording since the old SCTV days and the film soundtrack for "Little Shop of Horrors". Tony and I had a terrific time. He played guitars and bass. And we brought in fiddle, banjo and mandolin players. We put the CD on the ArtistShare website and almost immediately the word got around. Radio stations contacted me, major news outlets did stories, Country Music Television called, and then, a sweet surprise, a Grammy nomination! There are 13 songs, all of them have a little spin to them; including the bonus track, which is a train song called "Bonus Track." Country or Comedy? Hopefully both! Thank you, Ray Stevens. ? Rick Moranis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect album, full of humor and smarts, February 28, 2006

By	Don Van Natta Jr. "Big Time D" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

I was fortunate enough to hear Rick Moranis perform "Press Pound" on Conan O'Brien's show. I immediately began tapping my foot and smiling at the smart lyrics and sprightly melody. I immediately purchased Agoraphobic Cowboy on amazon, and I was amazed at how good this album is. Backed by outstanding musicians, each song is an irresistible combination of great melody and intelligent lyrics. I was struck at how respectful Rick and his band is to the genre of country music, while still poking gentle fun at it. And the songs are just so good. I dare you not to tap your foot and smile along with Nine More Gallons, SOS, Oh So Bucco or Four More Beers.

But the highlight, for me, is I Ain't Goin' Nowhere. Wonderful, rhyming lyrics combined with an amazingly fast-paced melody make this an instant classic.

Great job, Rick. Never knew you had a cowboy inside you. Looking forward to more songs from your home on the range.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, laugh-out-loud hilarious, yet thought-provoking, February 24, 2006

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Intelligent humor is an odd thing in the music business; it comes and it goes. Ray Stevens was pretty good at it, as was Roger Miller; not-so-coincidentally, you can hear the influence of both of those performers on this record.

I won't even attempt to summarize these songs one-by-one; that would be too difficult, and I'd be inclined to include too many quotes (every song is a perfect example of witty, intelligent wordplay). There are love songs, drinking songs, train songs...the fact is, this is a solid traditional country record, but intelligent enough to appeal to the masses. Moranis's humor is sharp and decisive, his songwriting abilities are far above most contemporary country stars, and his voice is melodic enough to convey the messages of his songs in a user-friendly manner. THE AGOROPHOBIC COWBOY is a must-have for listeners who like their music smart, witty, and brilliantly unique.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Why do birds suddenly appear?", February 8, 2006

By	Perry Der "I can read books!" (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

Apart from his a capella from "Parenthood" and "Little Shop of Horrors", I haven't heard much musically from Mister Moranis. After hearing about and subsequently previewing his music CD, I have to recommend this more in the vein of Weird Al than William Shatner's "Has Been". Especially Moranis'"I Ain't Goin' Nowhere", a lil' tribute to Johnny Cash. Rick's singing voice is not forced, nor is it overprocessed, as in other celebrity efforts. Give it a whirl, and add this platter to your collection!