BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS
''SOUTH''
JANUARY 14 2014
44:46
1 North (Tom Wilson) 03:18
2 South (Collin Linden) 04:21
3 Gotta Stay Young (Dave Thompson, Tom Wilson) 03:34
4 I'd Have To Be A Stone (Stephen Fearing, Tom Wilson) 04:26
5 Blow Me A Kiss (Colin Linden, Tom Wilson) 03:09
6 Summertime's Over (Colin Linden) 03:56
7 Everything I Am (Stephen Fearing) 04:25
8 I'm Still Loving You (Colin James, Jesse O'Brien, Tom Wilson) 03:30
9 Reinventing The Wheel Of Love (Colin Linden, Gary Nicholson) 03:06
10 Try Try Again (Erin Costello, Stephen Fearing) 02:42
11 Fleur De Lys (Colin Linden, Tom Wilson) 04:11
12 Drifitin Snow (Willie P. Bennett) 04:05
Stephen Fearing: Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Colin Linden: Acoustic Guitars, Dobro, Mandolin, Vocals
Tom Wilson: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
John Dymond: Upright and Electric Bass
Gary Craig: Drums and Percussion
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings started out as a project in which three singer/songwriters -- Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson -- got together to pay homage to a friend and colleague, and as good as they are together, BARK are a band that cherish their sense of democracy so much that no one ever seems like the leader. As a result, their best recordings have the feel of a casual guitar pull more than a group of heavyweights hatching a grand project, and that's certainly the case with South, the trio's eighth album. "Gotta Stay Young" even leaves in the false starts as the gang briefly stumbles before finding the groove, while a few stray laughs can be heard in "I'm Still Loving You," and much of South sounds like it could have been recorded in a couple afternoons in someone's living room with good microphones and some whiskey on hand for company. And that's a compliment; the loose, spontaneous feel of these sessions serves the songs especially well, while the minimal accompaniment and hands-off production (by Linden) reinforces the sense that this album doesn't put up many barriers between the performers and the listener. And it sure doesn't hurt that these guys brought some solid material to the table, such as Wilson's rough and sweet "Gotta Stay Young," Linden's rough-hewn but evocative "Summertime's Over," and Fearing's fierce and bluesy "Everything I Am." South is simple but strong, an album that succeeds simply by offering fine songs played well by three guys and a few extra friends who sound honest and invested in their music; that may not seem like the state of the art in contemporary music, but it worked many moons ago and remarkably, it still works today.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Mark Deming
One of Canada's leading roots rock acts, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings is a collaboration between three well-respected blues, folk, and rock musicians, Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson. Fearing is a Vancouver-born, Irish-raised singer/songwriter who returned to the city of his birth in 1981; since 1986, he's released a number of critically acclaimed albums, and is a multiple Juno-award winner. Colin Linden hails from Toronto, and has collaborated with artists as varied as Leon Redbone, Bruce Cockburn, Robert Plant, and the Band, as well as producing albums for a number of artists and releasing several fine solo albums. And Tom Wilson, from Hamilton, Ontario, was the leader of the celebrated blues-rock band Junkhouse before going on to a successful career as a solo artist and songwriter. Fearing, Linden, and Wilson were friends and colleagues who had frequently appeared on each other's albums, and in 1996, they joined forces to pay homage to Willie P. Bennett, a singer and songwriter from Southern Ontario who won a cult following (and later a Juno award) for his powerful, evocative story songs. The trio recorded an album of Bennett's songs called High or Hurtin': The Songs of Willie P. Bennett, and released it under the group name Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, a reference to the title of an album Bennett released in 1978. The album was well received both commercially and critically, and in 1999, the three reconvened for a second album, Kings of Love, in which they covered songs from a variety of different tunesmiths, as well as presenting a few original numbers. In 2004, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings released Bark, their first album dominated by original material, which solidified the group's solid, scrappy fusion of blues, country, and rock influences. In the fall of 2006, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings issued Let's Frolic, which also featured what had become the group's regular rhythm section, bassist John Dymond and drummer Gary Craig, as well as guest vocals from Pam Tillis. The band cut enough material during the Let's Frolic sessions that a second album of outtakes, Let's Frolic Again, appeared in the spring of 2008. The Rodeo Kings returned to their collaborative roots on 2011's Kings and Queens, in which each of the 14 tracks featured duet vocals from a different female artist, including Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Cassandra Wilson, and Patti Scialfa.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
''SOUTH''
JANUARY 14 2014
44:46
1 North (Tom Wilson) 03:18
2 South (Collin Linden) 04:21
3 Gotta Stay Young (Dave Thompson, Tom Wilson) 03:34
4 I'd Have To Be A Stone (Stephen Fearing, Tom Wilson) 04:26
5 Blow Me A Kiss (Colin Linden, Tom Wilson) 03:09
6 Summertime's Over (Colin Linden) 03:56
7 Everything I Am (Stephen Fearing) 04:25
8 I'm Still Loving You (Colin James, Jesse O'Brien, Tom Wilson) 03:30
9 Reinventing The Wheel Of Love (Colin Linden, Gary Nicholson) 03:06
10 Try Try Again (Erin Costello, Stephen Fearing) 02:42
11 Fleur De Lys (Colin Linden, Tom Wilson) 04:11
12 Drifitin Snow (Willie P. Bennett) 04:05
Stephen Fearing: Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Colin Linden: Acoustic Guitars, Dobro, Mandolin, Vocals
Tom Wilson: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
John Dymond: Upright and Electric Bass
Gary Craig: Drums and Percussion
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings started out as a project in which three singer/songwriters -- Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson -- got together to pay homage to a friend and colleague, and as good as they are together, BARK are a band that cherish their sense of democracy so much that no one ever seems like the leader. As a result, their best recordings have the feel of a casual guitar pull more than a group of heavyweights hatching a grand project, and that's certainly the case with South, the trio's eighth album. "Gotta Stay Young" even leaves in the false starts as the gang briefly stumbles before finding the groove, while a few stray laughs can be heard in "I'm Still Loving You," and much of South sounds like it could have been recorded in a couple afternoons in someone's living room with good microphones and some whiskey on hand for company. And that's a compliment; the loose, spontaneous feel of these sessions serves the songs especially well, while the minimal accompaniment and hands-off production (by Linden) reinforces the sense that this album doesn't put up many barriers between the performers and the listener. And it sure doesn't hurt that these guys brought some solid material to the table, such as Wilson's rough and sweet "Gotta Stay Young," Linden's rough-hewn but evocative "Summertime's Over," and Fearing's fierce and bluesy "Everything I Am." South is simple but strong, an album that succeeds simply by offering fine songs played well by three guys and a few extra friends who sound honest and invested in their music; that may not seem like the state of the art in contemporary music, but it worked many moons ago and remarkably, it still works today.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Mark Deming
One of Canada's leading roots rock acts, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings is a collaboration between three well-respected blues, folk, and rock musicians, Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson. Fearing is a Vancouver-born, Irish-raised singer/songwriter who returned to the city of his birth in 1981; since 1986, he's released a number of critically acclaimed albums, and is a multiple Juno-award winner. Colin Linden hails from Toronto, and has collaborated with artists as varied as Leon Redbone, Bruce Cockburn, Robert Plant, and the Band, as well as producing albums for a number of artists and releasing several fine solo albums. And Tom Wilson, from Hamilton, Ontario, was the leader of the celebrated blues-rock band Junkhouse before going on to a successful career as a solo artist and songwriter. Fearing, Linden, and Wilson were friends and colleagues who had frequently appeared on each other's albums, and in 1996, they joined forces to pay homage to Willie P. Bennett, a singer and songwriter from Southern Ontario who won a cult following (and later a Juno award) for his powerful, evocative story songs. The trio recorded an album of Bennett's songs called High or Hurtin': The Songs of Willie P. Bennett, and released it under the group name Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, a reference to the title of an album Bennett released in 1978. The album was well received both commercially and critically, and in 1999, the three reconvened for a second album, Kings of Love, in which they covered songs from a variety of different tunesmiths, as well as presenting a few original numbers. In 2004, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings released Bark, their first album dominated by original material, which solidified the group's solid, scrappy fusion of blues, country, and rock influences. In the fall of 2006, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings issued Let's Frolic, which also featured what had become the group's regular rhythm section, bassist John Dymond and drummer Gary Craig, as well as guest vocals from Pam Tillis. The band cut enough material during the Let's Frolic sessions that a second album of outtakes, Let's Frolic Again, appeared in the spring of 2008. The Rodeo Kings returned to their collaborative roots on 2011's Kings and Queens, in which each of the 14 tracks featured duet vocals from a different female artist, including Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Cassandra Wilson, and Patti Scialfa.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
