| CD REVIEW |
| Burlington's "Krooked Cowboy" has enhanced his own personal finger-picking prowess (on pedal steel, acoustic and electric guitar) by inviting stellar guests to accompany him on this diverse collection of his (and his fans') favourite earlier recordings, which follows hot on the heels of You Asked for It, also a compilation CD, but produced on a solo platform. The "& friends" in question include Dave Johns on bass and Steve Sinnicks on drums on "Hank", "Michigan", "Jesus Loves You" and "Woodstove", the first one being an obvious emulation of Hank Williams, Sr. Dave also plays bass on "Say 2 U", along with Randy Hill on mandolin and backing vocals. "Beauty and the Beast" is performed by Shawn, Doug Elash (bass), Paul Dickenson (drums), Kevin Briggs (electric and classical guitar), and Michael Shotton (backing vocals), who also assisted on the production of this particular track. Michael also plays keys on "Don't Give Me the Blues". Clarence MacLean guests on electric guitar on "Mizz Josephine" and Bob Lucier plays pedal steel on "Day by Day" and "Falling in Love" (with Elash on bass, Shotton on vocals, Briggs on electric and classical guitar and Dickenson on drums). Additional guests on Shawn Brush & Friends, V.2 are multi-instrumentalists Dan Howlett on fiddle (who has his own CD, Puzzle Pieces) and Vince Rinaldo (Ray Lyell) on B3, Leslie and Fender Rhodes keyboards, notably on "Say 2 U" and "Beauty & the Beast", respectively. There are many different music styles represented here, as well - c&w/country-rock ("Hank", "Day By Day" and "Woodstove"); bluegrass ("Say 2 U"), a genre in which Shawn Brush has won awards; roots ("Michigan" and "One More Day"), jazz-blues ("Beauty & the Beast" and "Don't Give Me the Blues"). "Mizz Josephine" has a blues-roots feel to it, especially in its subtle sampling of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". "Jesus Loves You" is a mid-tempo country-rocker that is well-constructed, with a steady rhythm and snappy beat, but as I am a person harbouring an aversion to ANY song referring to this particular religious figure by name, this is the only track that made me cringe (and only slightly at that). "Falling in Love Again" begins as a standard country and western beat and then morphs into a classic cowboy reggae rhythm (think Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Maker" or Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville") - very pleasant! This CD is a proof-positive that the popularity of music depends heavily on the way it is marketed - "dress it up" and it changes your perspective entirely, while simultaneously garnering a better appreciation for the "stripped down" version, as well! A top-quality production by Shawn Brush, with the assistance of Carl Jennings (bassist-vocalist with Freedom Train and producer for The Hallucinations). |
| SHAWN BRUSH & FRIENDS, V.2 - SHAWN BRUSH |
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