published: 10 /
1 /
2014
Label:
RPM Records
Format: CD
Extensive and often compelling combination of country rock, rockabilly and balladry in first album in twenty years from veteran musician and producer, Dave Edmunds
Review
Singer-songwriter Dave Edmunds’ new release ‘…Again’ is a collection of fifteen songs, and it includes a few well-known covers: ‘Return to Sender,’ ‘Baby Face’, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and Elton John’s ‘Your Song’.
Edmund sings well, throws a lot of energy into his performance and, judging by the excellent cover photo, bears the confidence of the proverbial showman, but the album is so stylistically diverse that by its very nature it might create a wedge between his artistic vision and his audience.
Edmund seems most comfortable performing country-rock, and the instrumental work is solid and riveting. Still, if he loves old rockabilly standards like ‘Return to Sender’ you wonder why he doesn’t just do a slew of those rather than committing to an album line-up, which skips skittishly between country rock, rockabilly rock and heartfelt balladry. I got the sense that he really loves a certain cross section of music, and I found myself wanting him to really pour himself into that dream genre.
That said, he’s done a great deal of work here and manufactured a lot of exuberance. The hooks are catchy as in ‘Hooks and Ladders’, and there’s a lot of heart in songs like ‘Standing at the Crossroads ’and ‘It Doesn’t Really Matter’. But ‘Baby Face’ and ‘People Wanna Get High’ don’t really accentuate Edmund’s natural gifts. Still, when an album includes so many tracks, there isbound to be a few fillers.
`But all in all there’s a lot of good ensemble work and likeable music that rekindles memories of an earlier era and some kicking Americana.
Track Listing:-
1
Again
2
Chutes and Ladders
3
Halfway Down
4
I Got the Will
5
I Love Music
6
Standing at the Crossroads
7
Return to Sender
8
Georgia on My Mind
9
It Doesn't Really Matter
10
People Wanna Get High
11
I Still Love You
12
Babyface
13
The Claw
14
Your Song
15
A Better Word for Love
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/DaveEdmundsOf