| CD REVIEW Chuck Prophet |
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Band : Chuck Prophet You know, I’ve wondered for a long time what this guy sounds like...I mean, with a name like that, you’d have to be an agnostic to have your curiosity smothered, I guess! Anyway, as I went a-looking for info on the dude (he IS California born), I immediatelly found out he got picked up from Berkeley College by renowned Psychedelic/ Country act Green On Red in 1984, and thrown into the back of a van to go on tour. The trip would last some 8 years, during which GoR released an equal amount of full-length albums and an EP! He released his debut solo album Brother Aldo in 1990 (the list is later extended to include 11 albums to date), and in his solo work he’s reported to betray his love for the kind of intelligent and sometimes experimental Pop (say Pop Rock) made British Invasion bands. He is also noticed as songwriter, and a list of people including Heart, Kim Carnes, Peter Wolf, Kelly Willis, Salomon Burke, Alejandro Escovedo, and more are known to have recorded their own versons of some of his songs! Prophet is also a renowned side-man and session artist, having worked with such people as Jonathan Richman, Warren Zevon, Cake, Kelly Willis (again…well, the connection with her has been somewhat extensive, as he’s contributed to several of her albums and even produced 2007’s Translated From Love – on which he not only co-wrote 6 tracks, but also played guitar on the complete album), Lucinda Williams, Aimee Mann, and Bob Neuwirth…and has frequently collaborated with songwriters Dan Penn and Jim Dickinson. As a guitarist, Prophet has a style which immediately had me thinking, “Is that a bit of tremelo I hear on that…Telecaster?,” because you see, the sound is somewhat typical. And chuck me (no pun intended) if my info sources didn’t tell me afterwards that Prophet indeed wields an Fender Telecaster, and is known for his guitar style which folllows in the tradition of guys like Keith Richards and Alex Chilton! A somewhat playful Bluesey style [which allows for the occasional adition of a mouth harmonica (check “Barely Exist”) or slide guitar (“What Can A Mother Do”, for instance)], but with a sunny disposition. Vocally, the guy has a pleasant nasal touch to a somewhat hoarse (let’s not exagerate) voice, which immediatelly sets him apart as an easily recognized singer! He also has a very nice way of singing through his story-like lyrics, and his style (at least on this album) actually comes over (for a large part) as if he’s singing/telling you a story, using plenty of “stop”-words in the process (aarghh, and after having finished the review, I suddenly think of someone to compare him with somewhat, namely Eddie Money!!!)! Well…if you don’t understand what I’m trying to convey to you here, just surf on over to the man’s page at myspace.com/chuckprophet, where no less than 4 of the 11 songs on this album were posted. Regrettably, the catchier Pop Rock oriented stuff like “Where The Hell Is Henry”, “You And Me Baby (Holding On)” (one of my favourite songs on the album) or “Hot Talk”, nor the more Country-geared “What Can A Mother Do” are not included in that list…but then you dó get full-length versions, plus additional songs off previous albums. If you’d like to hear the guy in liive conditions, that’s possible in the very near future, as Prophet’s European tour starts on September 17 (he’ll be performing at Antwerp’s Trix on Sept. 20, and Brussel’s AB the day after – Holland, look out for him in Terneuzen on Oct. 3rd, and in Amsterdam on the 4th). 92/100 Tony. |