JIM SUHLER & MONKEY BEAT
''TIJUANA BIBLE''
MAY 7 2007
71:20
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1 Tijuana Bible 04:09
2 Devil In Me 03:29
3 Drunken Hearted Boy 04:40 (Elvin Bishop)
4 Up To My Neck In You 04:51 (Bon Scott, Angus Young)
5 Long Hot Summer 05:22
6 Black Sky 05:08
7 Deep Water Lullaby 06:06
8 Years Of Tears 05:12 (Tom Hambridge, Jim Suhler)
9 Po' Lightnin' 04:08
10 Border Rock 03:28
11 Mexicali Run 04:02
12 Sunday Drunk 03:43
13 Chaos In Texas 03:54
14 Juice 04:05
15 I Could've Had Religion 05:20 (Rory Gallagher)
16 Cold Light Of Day 03:36 (Tom Hambridge, Jim Suhler)
Tracks By Suhler, Except As Indicated
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Jim Suhler/Guitar, Vocals
Carlton Powell/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Shawn Phares/Keyboards
Jimmy Morgan/Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Cheryl Arena/Harmonica On 15
Elvin Bishop/Slide Guitar On 3
Joe Bonamassa/Lead Guitar On 7
Jimmy Hall/Backing Vocals On 9
Tom Hambridge/Backing Vocals, Percussion, And Sleight Of Hand
Buddy Leach/Saxophones On 8, 10
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REVIEW / AMG
Hal Horowitz
Among the things guitarist Jim Suhler likely learned from his occasional boss George Thorogood is that three chords and a ton of sweat can get you pretty far in the blues-boogie business. On Suhler's fifth album, he plows through riffs that anyone with a ZZ Top or Thorogood album will recognize. And even if the songs aren't going to redefine the genre, they are more than just skeletons on which to hang hot guitar licks and a tough, swampy groove. Credit veteran blues-rock producer Tom Hambridge for bulking up the sound without cluttering it. On "Black Sky," the beat is pushed pedal to the metal like "Radar Love" as Suhler solos over a driving rhythm section. The guitarist rips a page from the Robin Trower songbook on "Deep Water Lullaby," bringing a Hendrix-styled "Little Wing" ballad to the mix as Joe Bonamassa guests on guitar. Buddy Leach's overdubbed saxes blow soul into the mix on the slow blues "Years of Tears" as Suhler uses his slide to slashing effect. Suhler gets his slow funk groove on for the Lightnin' Hopkins tribute "Po' Lightnin'," another tune where his slide gets a greasy workout. The 16 tracks are dominated by 13 originals and tough, fully realized covers from Rory Gallagher (a stomping "I Could've Had Religion"), AC/DC (a sufficiently explosive "Up to My Neck in You"), and Elvin Bishop, who even contributes slide guitar to an appropriately loose version of his Allman Brothers Band-approved slow blues "Drunken Hearted Boy." Tunes such as "Border Rock" (perhaps a bit too indebted lyrically to Top's "Heard It on the X"), "Mexicali Run" (built around a patented John Lee Hooker/Canned Heat lick), and "Chaos in Taos" are as gritty and rollicking as their titles imply. The piano-heavy closing ballad "Cold Light of Day" is pleasant enough but seems oddly out of place, as if grafted from an old Elton John album. Regardless, Suhler fills nearly 70 minutes with quality barroom rock, nearly as potent as that of his obvious influences, which will liven up any Americana party.
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ABOUT SUHLER / OFFICIAL
Jim Suhler and his band Monkey Beat have been on the music scene now for over twenty two years and have built a fanbase worldwide. The Dallas, Texas based group are known for their no holds barred approach to blues inspired rock ‘n roll and roots music. Their four Lucky Seven releases, two releases on Underworld Records and Jim’s solo acoustic CD ‘Dirt Road’ on Topcat records have shown an amazing depth of songwriting and playing, and their constant touring both in North America and Europe has garnered many admirers and accolades. The band has worked in the past with noted producers Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Stax records, etc.), and Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Grammy Award winning producer/songwriter Tom Hambridge.
Jim is also well known as lead guitarist with George Thorogood & the Destroyers since 1999, and has had his songs used in feature films (Spun, Wallace & Grommit) and is a multiple nominee in the prestigious Dallas Observer Music Awards, plus he is a member of BUDDY, Texas’ oldest music magazine Texas Tornado Hall of Fame.
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WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
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''TIJUANA BIBLE''
MAY 7 2007
71:20
**********
1 Tijuana Bible 04:09
2 Devil In Me 03:29
3 Drunken Hearted Boy 04:40 (Elvin Bishop)
4 Up To My Neck In You 04:51 (Bon Scott, Angus Young)
5 Long Hot Summer 05:22
6 Black Sky 05:08
7 Deep Water Lullaby 06:06
8 Years Of Tears 05:12 (Tom Hambridge, Jim Suhler)
9 Po' Lightnin' 04:08
10 Border Rock 03:28
11 Mexicali Run 04:02
12 Sunday Drunk 03:43
13 Chaos In Texas 03:54
14 Juice 04:05
15 I Could've Had Religion 05:20 (Rory Gallagher)
16 Cold Light Of Day 03:36 (Tom Hambridge, Jim Suhler)
Tracks By Suhler, Except As Indicated
**********
Jim Suhler/Guitar, Vocals
Carlton Powell/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Shawn Phares/Keyboards
Jimmy Morgan/Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Cheryl Arena/Harmonica On 15
Elvin Bishop/Slide Guitar On 3
Joe Bonamassa/Lead Guitar On 7
Jimmy Hall/Backing Vocals On 9
Tom Hambridge/Backing Vocals, Percussion, And Sleight Of Hand
Buddy Leach/Saxophones On 8, 10
**********
REVIEW / AMG
Hal Horowitz
Among the things guitarist Jim Suhler likely learned from his occasional boss George Thorogood is that three chords and a ton of sweat can get you pretty far in the blues-boogie business. On Suhler's fifth album, he plows through riffs that anyone with a ZZ Top or Thorogood album will recognize. And even if the songs aren't going to redefine the genre, they are more than just skeletons on which to hang hot guitar licks and a tough, swampy groove. Credit veteran blues-rock producer Tom Hambridge for bulking up the sound without cluttering it. On "Black Sky," the beat is pushed pedal to the metal like "Radar Love" as Suhler solos over a driving rhythm section. The guitarist rips a page from the Robin Trower songbook on "Deep Water Lullaby," bringing a Hendrix-styled "Little Wing" ballad to the mix as Joe Bonamassa guests on guitar. Buddy Leach's overdubbed saxes blow soul into the mix on the slow blues "Years of Tears" as Suhler uses his slide to slashing effect. Suhler gets his slow funk groove on for the Lightnin' Hopkins tribute "Po' Lightnin'," another tune where his slide gets a greasy workout. The 16 tracks are dominated by 13 originals and tough, fully realized covers from Rory Gallagher (a stomping "I Could've Had Religion"), AC/DC (a sufficiently explosive "Up to My Neck in You"), and Elvin Bishop, who even contributes slide guitar to an appropriately loose version of his Allman Brothers Band-approved slow blues "Drunken Hearted Boy." Tunes such as "Border Rock" (perhaps a bit too indebted lyrically to Top's "Heard It on the X"), "Mexicali Run" (built around a patented John Lee Hooker/Canned Heat lick), and "Chaos in Taos" are as gritty and rollicking as their titles imply. The piano-heavy closing ballad "Cold Light of Day" is pleasant enough but seems oddly out of place, as if grafted from an old Elton John album. Regardless, Suhler fills nearly 70 minutes with quality barroom rock, nearly as potent as that of his obvious influences, which will liven up any Americana party.
**********
ABOUT SUHLER / OFFICIAL
Jim Suhler and his band Monkey Beat have been on the music scene now for over twenty two years and have built a fanbase worldwide. The Dallas, Texas based group are known for their no holds barred approach to blues inspired rock ‘n roll and roots music. Their four Lucky Seven releases, two releases on Underworld Records and Jim’s solo acoustic CD ‘Dirt Road’ on Topcat records have shown an amazing depth of songwriting and playing, and their constant touring both in North America and Europe has garnered many admirers and accolades. The band has worked in the past with noted producers Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Stax records, etc.), and Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Grammy Award winning producer/songwriter Tom Hambridge.
Jim is also well known as lead guitarist with George Thorogood & the Destroyers since 1999, and has had his songs used in feature films (Spun, Wallace & Grommit) and is a multiple nominee in the prestigious Dallas Observer Music Awards, plus he is a member of BUDDY, Texas’ oldest music magazine Texas Tornado Hall of Fame.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
