September 1999
The choice of material is inspired, even a little zany. There are mostly covers, which sound both new and old simultaneously, along with four originals, the best of which is the sweet, hummable "Emily," which makes me wish I knew an Emily to tell. Both guitarist Whit Smith and Elana Fremerman on violin handle the lead-vocal duties, and I can’t say that one is better than the other. Both make the respective songs they sing their own. Bassist Billy Horton pounds the fret of his instrument into submission on the upbeat numbers and provides a strong foundation on the others. I suspect these three would be a joy to see live. I find myself saying some of the same things about this disc that I’ve said about the others I’ve recently heard from HighTone -- mixture of styles, respect for craft and tradition -- and they’re evidence of the uniformly inviting acts the label records. It is a notable CD that can make you smile in admiration and tap your toe in equal parts, but Tall Tales pulls it off for me. This is a crossover recording of the highest order. More please -- and soon. GO BACK TO: |
The Hot Club of Cowtown - Tall
Tales
![[Reviewed on CD]](../format/regcd.gif)
From
the opening magnetic minutes of track one, the instrumental "Draggin’ the
Bow," through the last song, the traditional "Sallie Goodin," The Hot Club
of Cowtown’s second disc for HighTone, Tall Tales, is a gas. I doubt that many
rock bands expend more energy in their playing, but what I admire most here is the unified
point of view: a nostalgic love of western swing, big-band crooning, ragtime, even jazz
improvisation. All this is conveyed for the most part by three musicians on fiddle, guitar
and upright bass. A word from the audio-reviewing lexicon comes to mind -- synergy -- but
it’s deeper than that here as this trio delights in making its musical stew.