COWBOY MOUTH
''VOODOO SHOPPE''
FEBRUARY 21 2006
41:23
1. Joe Strummer /3:36
2. Misty Falls /3:27
3. Winds Me Up /3:34
4. Hole In My Heart /3:58
5. VooDoo Shoppe /3:54
6. Slow Down /3:36
7. This Much Fun /2:45
8. Supersonic /2:35
9. I Told Ya /3:16
10. Home /3:13
11. Glad To Be Alive /3:35
12. The Avenue /3:55
John Boutté /Vocals
Herman V. Ernest III /Drums
Steven Gardner /Radio
John Thomas Griffith /Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Fred LeBlanc /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
George Porter Jr./Additional Personnel, Bass
Paul Sanchez /Guitars, Vocals
Sonia Tetlow /Bass, Vocals
REVIEW
by Joseph McCombs
Their status as a popular concert draw had never translated to album sales, so New Orleans rockers Cowboy Mouth went in a more hit-oriented direction for much of 2006's Voodoo Shoppe. The lead single, "Joe Strummer," is a self-conscious statement of priorities: singer Fred LeBlanc's dumping a girl who's demonstrated her insipidity by not knowing who the titular artist is. The song's mildly amusing, but repeat listens reveal it to be more or less a rewrite of Bowling for Soup's "1985." Cowboy Mouth are far better off with the wild rockers that gave the band its live reputation: the searing "Winds Me Up" and "I Told Ya," the latter evoking mid-'70s Kiss. Those two slammers are easily the high points of the album, but the giddy I'll-be-a-kid-forever vibes of "This Much Fun" and "Glad to Be Alive" will please longtime fans of the band as well. Poppier tracks like "Slow Down" are fun but the steam-cleaned productions are just too precious for their own good. More seriously, two of the final three tracks confront the unavoidable subject of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of their Louisiana home: "Fix yourself a drink" is the first order of business on the mournful, passionate "Home," while LeBlanc and Company play it straight on the inherently touching "The Avenue." Both tracks represent an unusually reserved, adult side of the group, confirming that they're quite capable of being much more than a party band. Still, unfortunately for Cowboy Mouth, Voodoo Shoppe proves half sure-fire, half misfire, their remarkable energy remaining frustratingly uncaptured in the studio.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Cowboy Mouth are a collective of '80s rock & roll survivors -- musicians with slight new wave and alternative connections who have aspired to AOR stardom. Formed in the early '90s after alternative rock had broken into the mainstream, the group fused AOR with alternative and roots rock influences on a handful of indie releases before signing with MCA Records in 1996. Although Cowboy Mouth had trouble remaining on a major label's roster, the band has continued releasing material in the new millennium on a variety of imprints and indie labels.
Paul Sanchez (vocals, guitar) had previously recorded as a solo artist before teaming up with Fred LeBlanc (vocals, drums). The pair formed the Backbeats, who were short-lived. After their breakup, Sanchez moved to New York, where he continued to perform solo. In 1988, he returned to New Orleans; LeBlanc, who had just finished playing with Dash Rip Rock, had Sanchez join his new band. The duo began jamming with Griffith (lead guitar, vocals), who had just left the Red Rockers, a new wave band who had a hit with "China." The trio played with a variety of bassists until 1993, when Rob Savoy -- the former frontman for the Bluerunners -- joined the band. The band released its first album, Mouthing Off, late in 1993 on the independent Viceroy Records. Two years later, they released It Means Escape on the Monkey Hill label.
By 1995, the group's following had grown large enough to earn attention from major labels. Cowboy Mouth decided to sign with MCA in early 1996, and they recorded their major-label debut, Are You with Me?, with producer Michael Wanchic during Mardi Gras of that year. The album was released in the summer of 1996 and charted a hit with "Jenny Says," an older song that the band had reprised for its major-label debut. The following spring, Cowboy Mouth released Live on Monkey Hill; Mercyland appeared a year later, and both All You Need Is Live and Easy followed in 2000. Disappointing sales prompted Atlantic to drop the band after Easy, but Cowboy Mouth, undeterred as always (even with the departure of bassist Rob Savoy), rose to the occasion and released the blistering Uh-Oh on the independent Bayside label the following year. Voodoo Shoppe, which was issued by Eleven Thirty, arrived in 2005. Fearless followed three years later, featuring a spunky ode to TV personality Kelly Ripa. After another three years passed, Cowboy Mouth returned with Mardi Gras, an EP salute to their hometown of the Big Easy.
DoWnLoAd
''VOODOO SHOPPE''
FEBRUARY 21 2006
41:23
1. Joe Strummer /3:36
2. Misty Falls /3:27
3. Winds Me Up /3:34
4. Hole In My Heart /3:58
5. VooDoo Shoppe /3:54
6. Slow Down /3:36
7. This Much Fun /2:45
8. Supersonic /2:35
9. I Told Ya /3:16
10. Home /3:13
11. Glad To Be Alive /3:35
12. The Avenue /3:55
John Boutté /Vocals
Herman V. Ernest III /Drums
Steven Gardner /Radio
John Thomas Griffith /Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Fred LeBlanc /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
George Porter Jr./Additional Personnel, Bass
Paul Sanchez /Guitars, Vocals
Sonia Tetlow /Bass, Vocals
REVIEW
by Joseph McCombs
Their status as a popular concert draw had never translated to album sales, so New Orleans rockers Cowboy Mouth went in a more hit-oriented direction for much of 2006's Voodoo Shoppe. The lead single, "Joe Strummer," is a self-conscious statement of priorities: singer Fred LeBlanc's dumping a girl who's demonstrated her insipidity by not knowing who the titular artist is. The song's mildly amusing, but repeat listens reveal it to be more or less a rewrite of Bowling for Soup's "1985." Cowboy Mouth are far better off with the wild rockers that gave the band its live reputation: the searing "Winds Me Up" and "I Told Ya," the latter evoking mid-'70s Kiss. Those two slammers are easily the high points of the album, but the giddy I'll-be-a-kid-forever vibes of "This Much Fun" and "Glad to Be Alive" will please longtime fans of the band as well. Poppier tracks like "Slow Down" are fun but the steam-cleaned productions are just too precious for their own good. More seriously, two of the final three tracks confront the unavoidable subject of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of their Louisiana home: "Fix yourself a drink" is the first order of business on the mournful, passionate "Home," while LeBlanc and Company play it straight on the inherently touching "The Avenue." Both tracks represent an unusually reserved, adult side of the group, confirming that they're quite capable of being much more than a party band. Still, unfortunately for Cowboy Mouth, Voodoo Shoppe proves half sure-fire, half misfire, their remarkable energy remaining frustratingly uncaptured in the studio.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Cowboy Mouth are a collective of '80s rock & roll survivors -- musicians with slight new wave and alternative connections who have aspired to AOR stardom. Formed in the early '90s after alternative rock had broken into the mainstream, the group fused AOR with alternative and roots rock influences on a handful of indie releases before signing with MCA Records in 1996. Although Cowboy Mouth had trouble remaining on a major label's roster, the band has continued releasing material in the new millennium on a variety of imprints and indie labels.
Paul Sanchez (vocals, guitar) had previously recorded as a solo artist before teaming up with Fred LeBlanc (vocals, drums). The pair formed the Backbeats, who were short-lived. After their breakup, Sanchez moved to New York, where he continued to perform solo. In 1988, he returned to New Orleans; LeBlanc, who had just finished playing with Dash Rip Rock, had Sanchez join his new band. The duo began jamming with Griffith (lead guitar, vocals), who had just left the Red Rockers, a new wave band who had a hit with "China." The trio played with a variety of bassists until 1993, when Rob Savoy -- the former frontman for the Bluerunners -- joined the band. The band released its first album, Mouthing Off, late in 1993 on the independent Viceroy Records. Two years later, they released It Means Escape on the Monkey Hill label.
By 1995, the group's following had grown large enough to earn attention from major labels. Cowboy Mouth decided to sign with MCA in early 1996, and they recorded their major-label debut, Are You with Me?, with producer Michael Wanchic during Mardi Gras of that year. The album was released in the summer of 1996 and charted a hit with "Jenny Says," an older song that the band had reprised for its major-label debut. The following spring, Cowboy Mouth released Live on Monkey Hill; Mercyland appeared a year later, and both All You Need Is Live and Easy followed in 2000. Disappointing sales prompted Atlantic to drop the band after Easy, but Cowboy Mouth, undeterred as always (even with the departure of bassist Rob Savoy), rose to the occasion and released the blistering Uh-Oh on the independent Bayside label the following year. Voodoo Shoppe, which was issued by Eleven Thirty, arrived in 2005. Fearless followed three years later, featuring a spunky ode to TV personality Kelly Ripa. After another three years passed, Cowboy Mouth returned with Mardi Gras, an EP salute to their hometown of the Big Easy.
DoWnLoAd
No comments :
Post a Comment