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Straight up Great!
Kevin
from Mascoutah, IL
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 He
sits by himself in the corner.
Long hair, gamblers hat, peg leg jeans and fancy boots. Oh
yeah, he's got a guitar. And from the first note on that guitar
you know he's not a pretender.
At 25, Brian Curran has absorbed the essence of Delta Blues
and he's happy to share them with all who will listen. While
this CD leaves you able only to imagine his fingers sliding
over the strings and dancing over the frets, that really is
enough.
"Find Me a Place' is a real gem. The liner notes describe
it as a very personal song - he played it at his Grandfather's
funeral. The pulsing bass line combines poignantly with the
stinging melody for a sound that is hard to match. What a
powerful tribute to what must have been a great man! The laid
back feel of I Believe in Love is another song worth the price
of the disk. Again, the bass line will set your toes tapping
- if you are not already out slow dancing with the one you
love.
For having been "written under the influence of a hangover,"
Tribute to Bukka provides an exuberant romp on a great guitar
riff, as does the "written while messing around with
an open C" on St Louis Stomp. Lonesome Town, Southbound
and Preachin' Blues all deserve special mention, as do 'You
got to have me' and 'Guitar Rag'. 'Bring me Flowers', 'Love
Bug', 'Driftin' Blues' and 'Jailhouse Blues' round out this
strong performance - there isn't a weak song among them. All
in all, this is an outstanding debut CD; driving one minute,
laid back the next - always pleasing to the ear. My only complaint
is that it is too short. Just when a song has really set it's
hooks in you, it is wrapping up. But that really isn't a problem
because the song that follows will be just as good, and by
pushing the repeat button on your player the tunes don't have
to stop! If you can't find your way to hear Brian live, buy
this CD and bring him to you. I've found the best way to listen
is softly over a boom box while sitting around a campfire
drinking beer with your friends. Just imagine Brian sitting
across the fire from you, eyes closed and in his own world,
picking, strumming and sliding across the strings of his guitar,
gentle vocals reaching up into the trees and beyond. Ahhh,
this is the life!
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