Sixties-inspired Psyche/Alt-Country masterpiece that blends the early honky-tonk of Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton with the British Invasion pop sensibilities of the Zombies, the Move and the Tremeloes. Definitely worth a listen, or two, or three.

12 MP3 Songs
POP: 60's Pop, COUNTRY: Alt-Country

Show all album songs: No. 9 Songs


Details:
This is an ambitious effort as Jim Saco attempts to fuse the hardcore honky-tonk of artists like Johnny Horton, Roger Miller, and Chet Atkins; the British pop sensibilities of the Zombies and Move; and the garage attitude of the Standells and the Barbarians into a cohesive album. But what really makes this baby hum are his collaborations with engineer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Brian McShane and keyboardist extraordinaire Matt Cunitz (All Ones). They handle everything Saco throws at them with flying colors, creating thoughtful, groovy arrangements. McShane holds down the fort by playing bass, drums and guitar and also contributes some great vocal harmonies. Cunitz utilizes no less than thirteen different keyboards to add color and sonic breadth, including Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes and Hohner electric pianos, Hammond C-3 organ, Minimoog synthesizer, and Mellotron.

This CD definitely falls in the Psyche/Alt-Country cross genre, but the "Psyche" may be as much psychotic as it is psychedelic. The opening track âAmbulance Driverâ is akin to the Moveâs âFire Brigadeâ. Weâre not entirely sure if itâs about emergency service personnel or drug dealers but it a psychedelic nugget nonetheless. On âCoalâ Saco cleverly uses a spousal argument to address the age-old question: why are we still mining/burning coal? To get his point across, Saco is not scared to cross the line, exemplified by the highly controversial âDrinkinâ, Drinkinâ, Drivinââ, where he takes us through the mindless destructive behavior of those that drive while intoxicated. The second verse goes: "Janie was my first girl, she wasn't any fun, then one day I met Suzanne and we drove and drank 'till dawn." Obviously, Janie had her head on straight but Saco leaves that for the listener to figure out. The album includes three covers, the first of which is Howard Hauseyâs âWhispering Pinesâ. Saco gives the song a much more intense and strident treatment than the classic Johnny Horton version. As he says, âthereâs no way anyone could sing it as pretty as Johnny so I took an entirely different approach.â McShaneâs slide work, particularly on the second verse, with long clean lines followed by short edgy bursts, is reminiscent of Alan âBlind Owlâ Wilsonâs best work. âSteppinâ Under Laddersâ takes the listener back in time with Chet Atkinsâ style guitar licks and Rod Argent/Zombies-era electric piano fills. Cunitz unleashes a sonic barrage on the garage masterpiece âHear Me Nowâ with clavinet played through a distortion box and wah wah peddle. On the Beau Brummels âTheyâll Make You Cryâ Saco shows his humorous side as he opens the song with a brief Johnny Cash-like diatribe about his âfirst job outta college.â Sacoâs pre-falsetto sometimes sounds more like Neil Young than the man himself, and this is the case on the masterfully crafted âPatriotic Christian Songâ. Again, showing absolutely no fear of crossing the line, he takes artistic liberties with one of President Bushâs better known quotes to build the chorus âYouâre either with them or youâre notâ¦â In this case, âthemâ being the Administration, neo-con right and evangelicals. Following âPatrioticâ thereâs an interesting juxtaposition with a cover of Donovanâs âJersey Thursdayâ, which Saco and McShane give a renaissance-like treatment. McShaneâs vocal harmonies shine big time on the next two tracks â âMickeyâs Blue Roomâ and âI Donât Like Youâ, which draw heavily on Sacoâs honky-tonk influences and sense of humor. Based on a true story, âMickeyâs Blue Roomâ has one of the CDs finest hooks with the chorus âif you ever played poker in Mickeyâs Blue Room, everybody there packinâ boom boom boomâ¦â With its Beatlesque back beat and Tex-Mex pump organ, âI Donât Like Youâ reminds one of Doug Sahmâs early work with the Sir Douglas Quintet. Finally, another of the CDâs highlights has to be the breathtaking rave-up on âFarewellâ with McShaneâs pulsating bass and Cunitzâ orchestral arrangement laying the foundation for Sacoâs soaring vocals. âFarewellâ should strike a chord (no pun intended) with every frustrated songwriter: âwhen I should have hit the text books I was searching for a word, when I should have written papers, I was searching for a chordâ¦â One can only hope this isn't his swan song.

This CD is an absolute monsterâ¦one of 2007âs finest independent releases.

--Guitar Empire