JIMMY LAFAVE
''DEPENDING ON THE DISTANCE''
OCTOBER 8 2012
60:01
1. Clear Blue Sky/4:24
2. Missing You/3:53
3. Red River Shore/9:36
4. Living In Your Light/4:47
5. Vanished/4:01
6. Land Of Hope And Dreams/4:30
7. It Just Is Not Right/4:13
8. Red Dirt Night/3:14
9. I'll Remember You/5:51
10. Bring Back The Trains/3:06
11. Tomorrow Is A Long Time/5:22
12. Talk To Me/2:59
13. A Place I Have Left Behind/4:21
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Texas troubadour singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave has never been shy about flaunting his influences. He's usually good for at least one Dylan cover per album (this has three, others have more) so it's no surprise that he adds a Springsteen tune here to connect the dots. But surprisingly, one of the best of the five non-originals on LaFave's first album in five years is a stunning remake of John Waite's '80s power ballad "Missing You." He uses the catches in the phrasing of his grainy, distinctive voice to unlock subtleties in the lyrics (that many took for granted on the original) and expose the song's deep sentiments. Similar to his versions of Dylan's tunes, he explores new depths in the music by finding the tune's essence and bringing out the passion that was somewhat lost in the commerciality of Waite's performance. But LaFave is more than just a great interpreter. His compositions, such as the opening "Clear Blue Sky" are just as moving and introspective. The dark, melancholy groove is emphasized through songs of lost ("Vanished") and fading love ("Talk to Me") worthy of Jackson Browne in his prime. He brings church to a love-train, let's-build-a better-world gospel song ("Bring Back the Trains") and even goes born again with sincerity minus any pretensions in "Living in Your Light." The three Dylan tunes ("Red River Shore," "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," and a stunning, touching "I'll Remember You," complete with a string quartet) cherry-pick potent and relatively obscure tracks from three different Dylan eras. LaFave imports fresh expression to them in performances that are poignant and powerful. Acting as his own producer, LaFave captures a rootsy vibe and clean but not sterile sound from a terrific band, but the reliance on moody ballads doesn't do the album any favors. A few more chugging, twangy country-rockers such as "Red Dirt Night" would have helped the flow and offset the quieter material that dominates -- arguably over-dominates -- the sequencing. Still, LaFave sings the softer material with such obvious emotion, it's hard to complain that at 13 cuts and an hour of running time, some judicious pruning might have been in order. He's one of the finest under-the-radar Americana artists, and this is a terrific addition to a remarkably consistent ten-album catalog that has sadly been undiscovered by the masses.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richard Skelly
Austin-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Jimmy LaFave brings a passionate rock & roll energy to his original folk songs, whether he's playing solo or with a band. LaFave grew up in Wills Point, east of Dallas, but at 17, his family moved to Stillwater, OK. When he was in his teens, his mother purchased his first guitar for him with green stamps. While Stillwater was not exactly bustling with musical activity, it wasn't a ghost town either, and it was close enough to Tulsa that LaFave found all the opportunities he was seeking as a young singer/songwriter. The musical heritage of the area certainly was rich enough: folksinger Woody Guthrie, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, and jazz fiddler Claude "Fiddler" Williams, plus songwriter J.J. Cale and Leon Russell's Shelter Studios. But to find a wider audience and, more importantly, a record deal, LaFave thought it would be worthwhile to move to Austin. He found both after moving to Austin in 1985, and he's been based there ever since.
LaFave found a home in Chicago House, an Austin coffeehouse, and he spent the next eight years hosting open mikes there, honing his presentation skills as a solo artist. Through the latter half of the 1980s, he also worked with his band, Night Tribe, at other Austin clubs. With backing from Mark Shumate, a computer entrepreneur, LaFave was finally able to record his debut for Bohemia Beat Records, a company Shumate founded in 1992.
LaFave has released three albums for Bohemia Beat: Austin Skyline, (1993), his debut, a live recording titled as a play on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline album; Highway Trance (1994), a studio album that showcases his considerable skills as a guitar picker, singer, and songwriter; and 1995's Buffalo Return to the Plains, which contains just one cover, prime inspiration Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You." LaFave counts among his other influences Jackson Browne, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
LaFave's grassroots approach should give him a better foundation on which to build a successful career. The way he blends country, blues, folk, and early rock & roll, his work ethic, and low-key rapport with fans are all factors that work in his favor. Trail was issued in 1999; Texoma followed in early 2001. His next two albums -- 2005's Blue Nightfall and 2007's Cimarron Manifesto -- were issued by Red House Records.
''DEPENDING ON THE DISTANCE''
OCTOBER 8 2012
60:01
1. Clear Blue Sky/4:24
2. Missing You/3:53
3. Red River Shore/9:36
4. Living In Your Light/4:47
5. Vanished/4:01
6. Land Of Hope And Dreams/4:30
7. It Just Is Not Right/4:13
8. Red Dirt Night/3:14
9. I'll Remember You/5:51
10. Bring Back The Trains/3:06
11. Tomorrow Is A Long Time/5:22
12. Talk To Me/2:59
13. A Place I Have Left Behind/4:21
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Texas troubadour singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave has never been shy about flaunting his influences. He's usually good for at least one Dylan cover per album (this has three, others have more) so it's no surprise that he adds a Springsteen tune here to connect the dots. But surprisingly, one of the best of the five non-originals on LaFave's first album in five years is a stunning remake of John Waite's '80s power ballad "Missing You." He uses the catches in the phrasing of his grainy, distinctive voice to unlock subtleties in the lyrics (that many took for granted on the original) and expose the song's deep sentiments. Similar to his versions of Dylan's tunes, he explores new depths in the music by finding the tune's essence and bringing out the passion that was somewhat lost in the commerciality of Waite's performance. But LaFave is more than just a great interpreter. His compositions, such as the opening "Clear Blue Sky" are just as moving and introspective. The dark, melancholy groove is emphasized through songs of lost ("Vanished") and fading love ("Talk to Me") worthy of Jackson Browne in his prime. He brings church to a love-train, let's-build-a better-world gospel song ("Bring Back the Trains") and even goes born again with sincerity minus any pretensions in "Living in Your Light." The three Dylan tunes ("Red River Shore," "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," and a stunning, touching "I'll Remember You," complete with a string quartet) cherry-pick potent and relatively obscure tracks from three different Dylan eras. LaFave imports fresh expression to them in performances that are poignant and powerful. Acting as his own producer, LaFave captures a rootsy vibe and clean but not sterile sound from a terrific band, but the reliance on moody ballads doesn't do the album any favors. A few more chugging, twangy country-rockers such as "Red Dirt Night" would have helped the flow and offset the quieter material that dominates -- arguably over-dominates -- the sequencing. Still, LaFave sings the softer material with such obvious emotion, it's hard to complain that at 13 cuts and an hour of running time, some judicious pruning might have been in order. He's one of the finest under-the-radar Americana artists, and this is a terrific addition to a remarkably consistent ten-album catalog that has sadly been undiscovered by the masses.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richard Skelly
Austin-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Jimmy LaFave brings a passionate rock & roll energy to his original folk songs, whether he's playing solo or with a band. LaFave grew up in Wills Point, east of Dallas, but at 17, his family moved to Stillwater, OK. When he was in his teens, his mother purchased his first guitar for him with green stamps. While Stillwater was not exactly bustling with musical activity, it wasn't a ghost town either, and it was close enough to Tulsa that LaFave found all the opportunities he was seeking as a young singer/songwriter. The musical heritage of the area certainly was rich enough: folksinger Woody Guthrie, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, and jazz fiddler Claude "Fiddler" Williams, plus songwriter J.J. Cale and Leon Russell's Shelter Studios. But to find a wider audience and, more importantly, a record deal, LaFave thought it would be worthwhile to move to Austin. He found both after moving to Austin in 1985, and he's been based there ever since.
LaFave found a home in Chicago House, an Austin coffeehouse, and he spent the next eight years hosting open mikes there, honing his presentation skills as a solo artist. Through the latter half of the 1980s, he also worked with his band, Night Tribe, at other Austin clubs. With backing from Mark Shumate, a computer entrepreneur, LaFave was finally able to record his debut for Bohemia Beat Records, a company Shumate founded in 1992.
LaFave has released three albums for Bohemia Beat: Austin Skyline, (1993), his debut, a live recording titled as a play on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline album; Highway Trance (1994), a studio album that showcases his considerable skills as a guitar picker, singer, and songwriter; and 1995's Buffalo Return to the Plains, which contains just one cover, prime inspiration Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You." LaFave counts among his other influences Jackson Browne, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
LaFave's grassroots approach should give him a better foundation on which to build a successful career. The way he blends country, blues, folk, and early rock & roll, his work ethic, and low-key rapport with fans are all factors that work in his favor. Trail was issued in 1999; Texoma followed in early 2001. His next two albums -- 2005's Blue Nightfall and 2007's Cimarron Manifesto -- were issued by Red House Records.
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