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Well, Amigos, weÕre
still in Texas, and weÕre kickinÕ off this issue with a true guitaristÕs
guitarist Ð Mr. Stephen Bruton of Austin, Texas. The All Music Guide (www.allmusic.com)
concisely describes BrutonÕs tone as Òreflective, wistful, bittersweet,
rollicking and earnest.Ó All true, but thereÕs much more to consider here...
Bruton grew up in Fort Worth, the son of a jazz drummer and record store
owner.............
More from the interview in "ToneQuest
Report"
Check out what popped up on MSNBC's site:
SPECIAL TO MSNBC.COM July 16 Ñ ÊRight away I know IÕm in for trouble if
I call the Resentments
the best bar band in America.
"John Schulian"
John Schulian is a TV writer-producer in Los
Angeles. He writes the weekly column ÒAgainst the grainÓ for MSNBCÕs Living
section.
Spirit World
Vintage
Guitar magazine.
A CD of personal or autobiographical songs
can be tricky. The music can wind up meaning far more to its creator than
it does to its audience.ThatÕs
bad. Luckily for everyone, Stephen BrutonÕs Spirit World avoids this pitfall.
His third release of original material combines pithy lyrics with an ample
supply of infectious hooks and bridges. Stephen Bruton spent much of his
musical career as a guitarslinger in other folksÕ bands. HeÕs been Kris
KristoffersonÕs lead guitarist for over 17 years, and has been doing time
with Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan. In Õ93, Bruton released his first solo
album, What It Is, followed by Right On Time, and in Õ99, Nothing But The
Truth. Spirit World differs in its production. ItÕs more effect-laden, but
by and large the effects work quite nicely. On ÒJust a Dream,Ó BrutonÕs
voice is processed to sound like itÕs coming off of an old 78 disc for the
first verse. On subsequent verses, we get his full, gritty baritone. Another
difference between this and past efforts is the greater R&B influence. Several
cuts, including the title cut, have a groove thatÕd make Joe Tex or Solomon
Burke feel right at home. Bruton is a great guitarist, but his playing is
not about licks, but rather melody and texture. Even his lead on ÒAcre of
Snakes,Ó the hardest rocking cut on the album, is exuberant while coming
at you sideways like a rattler in the shadows. If you want to hear a well-recorded
acoustic, listen to the pre-war Martin 0-17 on the opening of ÒHate to Love.Ó
While you probably wonÕt hear any material from Spirit World on your local
classic rock megastation, that shouldnÕt stop you from searching for this
album in your local CD emporium. Modern music thatÕs conscious of its roots
is a rare thing in our painfully ersatz world.
This article originally appeared in VGÕs April Õ02 issue
All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine.
- Steven Stone
A plethora of reviews
http://www.greenmanreview.com/spirit.wood.htm
http://www.rockzilla.net/kunz53.html
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-02-22/music_phases.html
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2002-04-10/vibes_recrev3.html
http://www.nsnews.com/issues02/w042202/044202/artent/043302ae7.html
http://www.oregonvos.net/tta/SBCVIIIBruton.html
"If music were a competitive sport, in a league
pitting musicians against each other, there's no
question that the most valuable player on team Austin would be Stephen Bruton."
- Don
McCleese, Austin American Statesman
"Stephen
Bruton writes new classics. Part country and part Rhythm & Blues and
pretty much all rock-and-roll, he's a guitar player's guitar player, a songwriter's
singer and the producer of some of the finest alternative country and R&B
recordings I have heard in the last few years. His songs contain his own
brand of wit and roadhouse wisdom and the observations and reflections of
a man willing to look life full in the face and smile."
- Jackson Browne
"Stephen Bruton writes the best brokenhearted love songs for 30 years"-
- T-Bone Burnette
"Texas tempered vocals, Strat-O-Blasted riffs and timeless songs of
the heart and soul make Stephen Bruton
one of my all-time favorites"
- Sonny Landreth
"Stephen is a great songwriter, a great guitar player and a great friend"
- Billy Joe Shaver
"Stephen is one of those artists that evolved first as a writer and
now is coming into his own. He's great..."
- Willie Nelson
"Bruton is the best songwriter in America. It's only a matter of time
until some "brilliant" record executive decides to round-up our
favorite singers for the "Tribute to Stephen Bruton" album. I
pity the poor souls who try to top the performances on this new record..."
- Don Was
"I always new that Stephen was a great player, but Lord, I had no idea
that he was that deep from coming from the song well. I
can't stress how good I think the songs are"
- Lee Roy Parnell
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