Langhorne Slim
"Electric Love Letter" CDEP
Narnack
Records
Genres: country blues, rockabilly
Narnack Records
381 Broadway
Fourth Floor
NY, NY 10013
Sep 13 - 19 2004 |
Electric Love Letter starts with a cover of old-timey blues
guitarist Willie Brown's "No Future," and right off
the bat we know where Langhorne Slim's influences lie.
Although he has a definite rock ethic in his music, Slim knows
exactly where he's coming from - all of these songs are lovable,
true-to-form country-blues numbers. The "My Future" cover and "Loretta Lee Jones"
see Slim's affinity for rockabilly blues - with liberal doses of
foot-stomping energy, gritty vocals, and good ol' harmonica, he'll get
your hips shaking and your mood up in no time. The hidden track,
a live version of "Cut It Down," is also in the same vein;
the distant, echoing recording doesn't interfere with Slim's
energy at all.
However, Electric Love Letter's best songs are those that
choose to meander around a bit more, touching on slow blues and
folk. "Lord" is touchingly emotional - infectiously so
- and "One Sunday Morning" should comfort anyone in need of
a good cry. "The Electric Love Letter," meanwhile, is
this EP's best song - its wonderful melody, as well as Slim's
superb vocals, make for a minor classic... and a song worth holding on
to. Electric Love Letter may be short, but it shouldn't
be ignored - I'd rather have six songs this good than an album's worth
of average music.
87%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
5 tracks + 1 hidden, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |