Title: The Texas Gypsies
What is it? CD of Texas Swing music with a French Gypsy feel.
Technical Quality: Extremely high. Singing and playing all first rate, album design and artwork is above average - with photo of Texas flag atop the Eiffel Tower. Songwriting skills solid with clear understandable lyrics. Musical arrangements are above average.
Innovative Quality: Not high - nothing here that hasn't been done by others. But note the novel versions of some standard songs, and the Texas theme throughout.
Review: CD of Texas swing mixed with that French, Jazzy, Gypsy sound is breezy , mostly up tempo, and a lot of fun. The group includes all acoustic instruments: two guitars, violin and bass. Songs are sung by rhythm guitar player Erik Swanson, with harmony by lead guitarist Steve Curry, and bass John Hewitt. Jim Baker violin, and Larry Reed special guest bass. Original songs written by guitarists Swanson and Curry. Lots of leads by both lead guitarist Curry, and violinist Baker throughout. Produced, recorded, and engineered by Steve Curry.
Let's look at the songs:
1. Nothing to Worry About: Original song starts with a siren and goes on to sing the tongue in cheek, ballad of crooks that don't think they have anything to worry about. "I tripped the fire alarm just for fun," A tale of Keystone Robbers!
2. Dallas & Fort Worth - fun original song about his Texas gal from Dallas and Fort Worth. "I just pray them boys from Houston never learn about my gal from Dallas and Fort Worth".
3. It Don't Mean A Thing - up tempo version of Duke Ellington classic.
4. C'est La Vie - Big ballad sound here with different instrumentation - an orchestra of violins in the background, even a harp. A wistful original love song, more serious and passionate than the others.
5. Gypsy Paradise - Waltz. "Listen to the Gypsy guitar. He plays all night long. The song he sings speaks of my love for you."
6. A Distant Dream - this original instrumental has a slower tempo and gives a change of pace from the other songs.
7. I Will Survive - Yes its the disco hit - one of the better songs of that era. This instrumental gives all the lead players a good chance to showoff. And surprisingly the song fits their style quite well.
8. Ring of Fire - Another cover. This one is the Johnny Cash classic.
9. Texas Gypsy Theme - Another fast one "Texas Gypsies, Texas Gypsies We wander all around the Lone Star State. Texas Gypsies, Texas Gypsies. We hope you'll come to see us when we play."
10. When I'm Sixty-Four - The Beatle classic done in the gypsy guitar and violin instrumental style.
11. The Golden Age - the CD ends with a fine slow single guitar instrumental.
It's hard not to like this CD. It's easy listening, breezy, with lots of melody, straightforward, singing, (though I would have liked to hear some more background vocals) some fine instrumental leads throughout, good originals, well chosen covers done in a fresh way, nothing too serious, and not a clinker on the CD. Perfect for a Texas party!
Contact Info: www.texasgypsies.com
modernvintage@sbcglobal.net
Overall Grade: 6.2
Grading system: 9-10 Highest grade - Life's work of a master (ex. Collected plays of Shakespeare, collected symphonies of Beethoven) 8-9 Single best work of a celebrated master's career. 7-8. Best work of an era or genre or decade. 6-7 Best work of the year. 5-6 Very good. 4-5 More good than bad. 3-4 Average amount of good = amount of bad. 2-3 Mostly bad with some redeeming parts. 1-2 Nothing redeemable. 0-1 So bad it is offensively bad and outrages the reviewer for taking up that time in his life - just awful.
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tomhendricks474@cs.com
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