David
Ball burst onto the country music airwaves in 1994 with 'Thinkin' Problem'. The
infectious honky-tonk song was like a breath of fresh air and the hands down, debut release of the year.
While claiming the top spot on the year-end SoundScan charts, it also
garnered a horde of CMA, ACM
and Grammy nominations in its path. David Ball's entrance
on the country music scene was anything but inconspicuous and country music fans
heralded the arrival of the South Carolina native that could sing and write
honest to goodness, classic Texas honky-tonk music.
David's upcoming October 2nd
release on Dualtone Records, "Amigo", his first
project after 3 releases on the Warner Label, will take country music fans back
to the excitement his music generated in those early days.
Although David's music
has always reaped its fair share of critical acclaim, corresponding radio play
has not always been a given. Things are about to change. Traditional to the core and
arguably the best record he's done to date, David takes listeners to a simpler place and
time with an album of solid country music.
'Amigo' pulls off what has
become an increasing rarity in country music these days. There are no 'fillers'
on this CD, no tracks to skip. Not only does each song have the strength to
stand on its own merits, but each one lends itself intrinsically to the the artistic
whole of the project. The invariable strength of the CD is the effortless flow
of one song to the next.
The title track, 'Amigo',
kicks off the CD in unadulterated, pure country style. Co-written by David with
legendary Nashville songwriter, Kostas, the catchy, simplistic tale of a man, his guitar and their travels sets the
tone for what you can expect from the rest of the CD. David shamelessly puts
twang back into country music with an ample offering of fiddles and steel
guitars. The country-blues lament of 'Missing Her Blues' serves as the perfect
lead in to the Tex-Mex, mariachi sounds of "She Always Talked About
Mexico".
'Riding With Private Malone',
the album's current radio single, had already been making a stir on country
music radio prior to the September 11th's tragic events, but seems to hold even
that much more impact now, as the song and its story somehow finds itself acting
as a vessel of expression for people trying to come to grasp with recent heartbreaking
experiences. David graciously lends his vocals, as the music and the words tell
the memorable tale.
Musically, the
haunting, plaintive vocals on 'Whenever You Come Back To Me' are the epitome of
country and the song is easily one of the album's many highlights. Another is
found in 'Loser Friendly', a guaranteed
radio friendly hit that compromises nothing along the way, despite the 21st
century irony of its lyrics. From the uniqueness of its catchy lyrics, the pure honky-tonk melody
anchored by
David's solid delivery, country radio would be hard pressed to try and ignore
this one.
Borrowing a couple of songs
from the past David gives a nod to the greatness from which his music comes with
Merle Haggard's 'Trying Not To Love You' and Patsy Cline's
countrypolitan classic 'Just Out Of Reach'.
With a liberal dousing of honky-tonk
piano, steel guitars and fiddle, 'Amigo' seems to cover a wide range of country
music basics. Western swing, honky-tonk, and
even a self-penned instrumental polka shows the breadth of David's talent and
musical influences. For country music fans 'Amigo' is a welcome change from
what's become automatic and mundane. David helps us escape for awhile, while
giving us the grand tour of a time and place when country music was indeed
'country'.
To be honest, when 'Amigo', arrived in my mailbox
on September 13th, I hadn't felt much like listening to any music in the days
prior to that, but wanting a diversion from the endless bombardment of reality,
I slipped the disc into the player and I was quickly reminded why music is such
an important part of our lives. It has a healing power all its own, with an
amazing ability to take an overloaded mind and weary soul to another plain for rejuvenation. 'Amigo' let's us two-step around the room for a little
while, forgetting our cares, and allowing music to help heal our souls.
David
Ball burst onto the country music airwaves in 1994 with 'Thinkin' Problem'. The
infectious honky-tonk song was like a breath of fresh air and the hands down, debut release of the year.
While claiming the top spot on the year-end SoundScan charts, it also
garnered a horde of CMA, ACM
and Grammy nominations in its path. David Ball's entrance
on the country music scene was anything but inconspicuous and country music fans
heralded the arrival of the South Carolina native that could sing and write
honest to goodness, classic Texas honky-tonk music.
Laurie Joulie Take Country Back September 2001