Catfish
and the One Eyed Jacks
"The way you move" CD
Tiny
Records
Genres: country, folk, blues
May 24 - 30 2004 |
The design of this release is far from pretty, but the music is of a
decently high quality. That is, assuming you like Southern fried
blues-folk-country. Catfish and the One Eyed Jacks' main focus
is the vocals and the guitarwork of the lead singer, Catfish Stephenson,
who is a master of twangy, swinging songwriting. Every tune here is
basking in influences as diverse as Johnny Cash, Skip James,
Jimmie Rodgers, and even Neil Young. For any collector
of old fashioned country-folk, The way you move could make for
an enjoyable, effective listen - even if some of the tunes drag on a
bit too long and rely on unlasting hooks ("Sweet
Intoxication," "Slow and Easy").
The best aspect of this release is its atmosphere, which is
country-ish, but still moody and a tad noir-esque. There are
plenty of fine songs here, but the disc can sometimes be a bit too
long for its own good, occasionally becoming flat-out drab.
The way
you move's best moments make it worth a purchase, though a few of
the less interesting songs may bear down on its effectiveness as a
full album.
80%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2002] |