Monday, April 11, 2005

Webb Wilder's About Time: A Review

It came out a couple of week late, March 29th instead of March 15th, but after nine years the new Webb Wilder is in my greedy hands. It actually showed up in my mail box this Friday, so I've had the chance for multiple plays all weekend. It was pre-ordained that I was going to like the thing, but I'll take the time to review it anyway.

About Time, is not exactly a typical Webb album. That isn't to say that any individual song doesn't sound like something he would do. They all fall into the Webb-like genre alright. It is the preponderance of the 1950's rock and roll feel that makes the album a little unusual. On previous albums you would find a couple tracks that hearkened back to that early rock era, but it was never the overarching theme before. Even the covers album Town & Country was more eclectic than deliberately a throwback the way this one is. The overall effect certainly is a good one.

That being said, it is interesting that two of the first three tracks do not fall into the 50's style really. "Down On The Farm" and "You Might Be Lonely For A Reason" are great examples of what made Webb's previous albums so much fun. "Down On The Farm" has the horns that marked such earlier songs as "Big Time" off of Doo Dad, and "..Lonely For A Reason" evokes the days of Webb's first album It Came From Nashville and a track like "Is This All There Is?"

The 50's rock and roll feel comes over most strongly with tracks such as "I Just Had To Laugh" and "Miss Missy From Ol' Hong Kong," the latter of which has a real Jerry Lee Lewis feel about it. "Scattergun" sounds like a cross between "Streets Of Laredo" and "The Ballad Of The Green Berets," if you can imagine that sounding Johnny Cash cool. Webb and the Nashvegans also offer a nice laid back old time bluesy version of the song "Jimmy Reed Is The King Of Rock And Roll." The lyrics of the "Battle Of The Bands" with its invocation of Eddie Cochrane's classic "Summertime Blues" only adds to the nostalgia factor.

When they break into "Old Copper Penny" they have a tendency to make it sound like a Jimmy Buffet song (for better or for worse-that's up to you); think of a mix of "Slow Boat To China" and "Pencil Thin Moustache." The boys then punch things back up by offering a medley of the covers "Mary Lou" and "Move It," which offer high energy even if they aren't the most memorable of songs. More memorable is another rocking cover "Little Boy Sad."

The last of the originals "The Only One" is simply fantastic. It just has a wonderful vibe, and a terrific vocal performance from Webb, a vastly underrated singer. I can't think why they buried the thing as the 13th track. It should prove a staple of the live shows. I know I'll be yelling for it.

If you enjoy the genre of Roots Rock at all you simply have to pick up on Webb Wilder. About Time would even make a good starting point if you haven't heard him before. Enjoy! And here is hoping it isn't nine more years until the next album.

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