Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
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BUCK69
"WHEN SHE WHISPERS YOUR NAME"
BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO © OCTOBER 2007
The biography of BUCK 69 states that the band is influenced by more than three generations of music. This father and son blues rock band claim to be made up of three members over the age of 45 and five members under the age of 30. And when I looked at the picture, with absolutely no further help, I was able to figure out who the three were and who the five were...amazing!
Having said that let me now introduce all eight of them, and not necessarily by age. BUCK 69 consists of: TOM CLAWSON, lead vocals, songwriter and father; ALEX CLAWSON, lead guitar and son; BUZZ ANDERSON, lead guitar; CANDICE COLEMAN, vocals; DAVE ALAN, drums; B J LOVE, keyboards; TODD OVALL, bass; and PAM BERGER, harmonies. On several tracks are special guests JOHN SEVILLA on lead guitar and BOBBY DUNLAP on drums.
You blues rockers don't even need to read this review.....as a matter of fact, just stop right here and go directly to www.buck69.net and buy yourself a copy of "WHEN SHE WHISPERS YOUR NAME". C'mon there's not one, not two, but three lead guitarists.....what are you still doin' here? This disc should've been called "Shootout at the Strat Coral"
The smoke, and the music both start on "T-TOWN", the opening track. This one's all about the CLAWSONS. With a rhythm section that's absolutely on fire behind them, dad and son tear it up on vocals and lead guitar. Plain and simple - ass kickin', rockin' blues at it's best.
The title, and following track, "WHEN SHE WHISPERS YOUR NAME" and "MISERY", temporarily slow things down a bit. On both of these, the band is in a slow but very tight groove with TOM and the ladies doing an absolutely wonderful job on vocals and harmonizing. Very smooth stuff right here.
Good old, down home, Blewzzmans kinda blues is featured on "COLD WIND". Once again, the masterful vocals of TOM, PAM and CANDICE highlight this slow and very soulful ballad. Of course, down home blues is nothing without some low down and dirty guitar licks and there are lots of those provided by BUZZ. Unquestionably one of my favorite tracks on the disc.
Another of "WHEN SHE WHISPERS YOUR NAME" highlights is "SOMETIMES". On this one, with some of DAVE'S best drum work going on behind him, BUZZ absolutely tears it up on guitar. PAM and CANDICE are at discs best on this one as well. The vocals and the harmonizing are constantly sharp and impressive throughout.
"SOMEONE LIKE ME" is another of the slower, more true to the blues tracks. This one features the third of three of the most phenomenal young guitarists this listener has had the pleasure of hearing lately - JOHN SEVILLA . This one is all JOHN and TOM.
Other tracks on "WHEN SHE WHISPERS YOUR NAME", that were not covered due to a lack of space and a fear of setting off the smoke detector over my computer, are: "RISK IT ALL", "NO TIME FOR LOVE", "SEX DRUGS UR MOM AND ME", "SWEET SPOT", "I'M A KING BEE", "THE MONKEY SONG" and "THE BEST PLACE".
Once again, you can check out BUCK 69 by going to www.buck69.net. Although we'll all know you're really there to win the $1069 they're giving away, you can still tell them you came 'cause the Blewzzman sent ya.
Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
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William and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
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Excellent Guitar Rock CD
"When She Whispers Your Name" by Buck 69 is blues rock guitar at it's best. This father and son duo bring their chops to the table with tons of energy and a world of talent. The band as a whole is tight and talented, backing the boys nicely. The production quality is great. You can certainly hear every instrument represented in each track. The vocals are very Clapton-esque, with that nice warm and a pleasantly raspy quality. Highlights are the opener "T-Town," which sets the tone nicely with a big sound, wailing guitars and a big attitude. "Misery" has a catchy chorus with nice female backing vocals. "Risk It All" mellows things out a bit with some nice work on the keys and variance in guitar sound. "Sex, Drugs, Ur Mom and Me" speaks for itself and absolutely shreds. If you like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, you'll enjoy this one.
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MuzikReviews
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“When She Whispers Your Name”, the track for which the album is named, is like t
Buck 69 is the creation of father/son musical team Tom and Alex Clawson. It is a multi-generational, blues-style jam-band with some off-the-hook guitar playing. For their debut When She Whispers Your Name, they have served up a funk injected blues album that would be the perfect accompaniment to a late night swingers’ party. Why a swingers’ party? I’ll get to that.
“When She Whispers Your Name”, the track for which the album is named, is like the song JJ Cale and Dan Hicks never recorded together. With its cool Rowland-style electric piano, courtesy of BJ Love, and funky guitar by Alex Clawson it creates the mood of a late night on the other side of town. Tom Clawson’s vocals hint at 70’s era Eric Clapton as he sings the words “What about the night? / who’s gonna get you through the night?” This up-beat little number could very well be that perfect song the band is searching for.
On the blues-rock ballad “Good Days Bad Days”, Tom Clawson sings about what it takes to live through each day with the loss of his son Thomas – to whom the album When She Whispers Your Name is dedicated. The song isn’t as depressing as it would seem, it has a down-to-earth optimism and the music just feels good, and Alex plays the sort of sustained guitar that is at the heart of classic rock.
On the other hand, “The Monkey Song” is like the joke that went on for too long. It is either a rambunctious song for children about a pet monkey, or a raunchy song from a man who likes his woman to keep her panty zone free of hair. Judging by another song title, “Sex Drugs Ur Mom & Me”, it’s a safe bet that children weren’t even a consideration. After about two minutes I’d say I got the joke, but the song goes on for another three minutes and twelve seconds.
Slightly less obvious in its innuendo is “Sweet Spot”, an advisory song about how to keep your lady happy. This track features Alex cookin’ up the chicken-fat on guitar, and it exhibits the band firing on all cylinders with a tight and funky groove.
Buck 69 is a solid band with various great songs and some over-the-top guitars, but I hesitate to recommend When She Whispers Your Name to everyone because of the lyrical content of several tracks. This offering is for an audience that shares that special lifestyle; one where bath robed men keep exotic oils on their night-stand and the women can dance for hours in six-inch stiletto heels. Alright… that last part was bullshit; this album is actually a superb example of adult-themed American biker-bar rock.
Chad Adams - August 17, 2005
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Jim McEowen
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One of Toledo's Finest
This is a well produced, great sounding CD of blues based (mostly) original music that gets funky, rocks out, features a lot of soul, often all in the same tune. Guitar fans will find a lot to listen to in each and every tune. The lead and background vocals are all well executed. Rythm section is tight, and you get a keyboard solo every now and then too. Extra points for the profesional looking artwork. I first saw Buck69 as a two piece act years ago, and this expanded lineup really does justice to both the original and cover material. This is a class package.
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