'Sit Back, Relax' reviewed by Blowtorch Blues Society
Blowtorch Blues Society Review
- Randy Hoffman
Sit Back, Relax
Tom Rosencrans & Nate Myers
By Randy Hoffman
For the Blues Blowtorch Society
I don't usually write reviews on, or even listen to, Acoustic Blues. So many cd I receive in this genre are either so Dobro repetitive they drive me crazy, or they've been to Fur Peace Ranch and have copied Jorma's techniques to the Nth degree. I received a nice request from Nate Myers to review this cd and when I received it there was a nice note, so I put it in on my last road trip. As soon as I knew it was Acoustic Blues, I thought 'OK, maybe I can make it through this'. NICE SURPRISE!!!
This is a very cool cd. It opens with an original, one of three on the sixteen-cut self-produced cd, and it was soooo smooth. Following that is a nice mixture of 'traditional' and more well known tunes. Every Acoustic Blues cd needs a train song to be authentic, and 'Ruebens Train' fills the bill. Hot Tamales is a fresh rendition of the Robert Johnson classic, as well as 'Walking Blues'. I found that I was actually enjoying listening to this cd a second time... rare for me.
The guitar playing is very, very nice. There is excellent guitar work by both guitar players. I can't really tell who is playing when, but it fits together nicely with each other, the vocals and the harmonica. The vocals, and once again I can't tell which is which, were filled with tone, emotion, and strangely enough 'authenticity' for the genre. By that I mean that even though they don't sound like a scratchy 1930's recording, they sound like they should be singing these songs. They could be a touch stronger in the mix.
My impressions on the downside are: the mix is too hot on the harmonica. The relatively flat EQ on my car stereo produced some rather piercing and sometime grating harmonica effects. The playing was good, but the mix wasn't. I gotta say I have heard better kazoo than what Nate played on this cd!! I know what you are thinking, who is qualified to judge kazoo playing? Well, I think I am, since one of my old bands had a backup tune that the guitar player occasionally pulled one out and grabbed the audience's attention. I probably would have let it go, but since Nate owned up to it in the liner notes, I felt compelled to comment.
OK, I give this one a thumbs up, so I better tell you where you can get one. Email: bonnietrump@yahoo.com or go to Nates website: www.natemyers.com
