While the instrumentation is fairly simplistic, it's nevertheless highly alluring. What makes it a "keeper" is the vocals - a sexy baritone croon (think Robbie Robertson's whispery soliloquy in "Somewhere Down the Lazy River", or Leonard Cohen's "A Thousand Kisses Deep")! I'm talkin' hypnotic, rattlesnake-charmin', ladies! I'm actually vocally reminded of debonair Hollywood singer/actor Maurice Chevalier, although that gentleman hails from a much more innocent era. Tim also plays keyboards (providing a lovely melody on "ride to fair") and harmonica on the CD, despite the modest omission of these credits.
If you are into romantic mysticism and dreamscapes, either Western or Eastern, this is the ticket, especially throughout the first half of the CD, which focuses on laid-back psychedelic Latino blues guitar (Tim Gibbons and Peter Atanasoff, of Tito and Tarantula and Brian Joens) and ominous bass lines, especially on "a far away place".
The mournful but perceptive "lonely one" appears on the Slingblade track, a film by Billy Bob Thornton, who is also a recording artist. Speaking of film soundtracks, I'd love to see what kind of music Mr. Gibbons could create for Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series of books.
Although all of the tracks are memorable, the killer track on the CD is "Lolita" (co-written by the CD's producer, Mark Howard, and Tim Gibbons). This one features Tim on keyboards and vocals that nail the essence of sleaze (and condemnation) inherent in such a volatile subject theme, no doubt attributed to the book of the same name by the late Vladimir Nabokov (who claims Lolita is the famous one, not he). Mark Howard also provides percussion on the CD. For more information on Mark, go to www.realmusicrecords.com.
Also contributing on Shylingo are Danny Frankel (Rickie Lee Jones, Fiona Apple, Lou Reed, etc.) on drums and the multi-talented Pascal Nabet Meyer (Rickie Lee Jones, Grateful Dead, etc.) on accordion.
I found the music on this CD so appealing, I literally wore out the batteries in my CD player listening to it repeatedly while commuting by train to work. This one's been added to my "all-time favourites" list!
To obtain your own copy, contact Rave Records in Hamilton, Ontario.
