LoneStarMusic Magazine Reviews Darryl Lee Rush “Live From The River Road Icehouse”
Posted by: admin in Daily Buzz, Darryl Lee Rush, Reviews
If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that I am just a bit
partial to live albums. My belief is that you get more of who an artist
really is when you hear them live and a live album is the closest thing to a
live music experience that you can get without being there. “Darryl Lee Rush
Live from the River Road Icehouse” from Darryl Lee Rush is the perfect
example of this. Darryl Lee Rush is not only a great songwriter but is one
hell of a performer. As the first artist ever signed to Shiner Records, the
pressure to deliver great Texas music is intense. But he does it. And he
does it with such enthusiasm and energy that just listening to the album
makes you want to call into work the next day because you are “not feeling
well” from the night before.
True to the unconventional nature of DLR, the lead track on this live album
is not live at all. “Lot” is a studio cut, usually reserved for the tail-end
of albums, that highlights DLR’s ability to communicate a snap shot of a
desperate life in thoroughly convincing fashion. When the live cuts start on
the album, I would suggest that you return the tray tables to their upright
and locked positions and extinguish all smoking materials. DLR pays homage
to his hometown right off the bat, with the tune, “Town Too Tough To Die,”
giving the story behind the song without missing one raucous beat. He
follows it up with the Matthew Ryan penned song, “Irrelevant,” which will
cause even the most casual listener to lose their minds at DLR’s talent for
song delivery. There are only two other songs on this album that come from
the pen of others — Steve Earle’s “Johnny Come Lately” and Sam Baker’s
“Truale.” The rest are pure unadulterated DLR. “Uncle Freddie Drove a
Tractor,” “White Trash Paradise” and “Smuggler’s Prayer” run the gamut of
themes and emotions and further remind us why we love live Texas music.
Speaking of Texas music, DLR gives us his ode to the genre that we all love
with the song, appropriately titled “Texas Music” that hits on themes that
all lovers of this music will be able to identify with.
Bottom line: Darryl Lee Rush gives us a pure Texas music album that is at
times rowdy, at other times serious and reflective. It makes us want to
consume copious amounts of Shiner beer and should be added to the collection
of any true Texas music fan.
by El Presidente
http://www.lonestarmusicmag.com/
�
Entries (RSS)