Stevie Silver feat. Duke Robillard – Cruisin’
Self Released [2025]
Cruisin’ – Red Hot – Saturday Night – Apache – Rip it Up – Aces & Eights – Gimmie, Gimmie – Rockbilly Boogie – Racing With The Devil – Summertime Blues – Sleepwalk – Wild Child
Some records don’t look like much at all, but when listened to, they exude such infectious pleasure that they awaken unexpected bursts of proselytism within you.
Take this Stevie Silver album. At first glance, the idea of an album composed halfway of covers, and very well-known ones at that, isn’t necessarily the kind of thing you’d jump into without hesitation. But that would be skimming over the surface (and as Bo Diddley taught us, “You Can’t Judge A Book by the Cover”) because if you look at the credits in detail, you see that this record was recorded in part at Sun Studio, and that not only did Duke Robillard play guitar on seven tracks, but he also produced it.
This is enough to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded. So we start listening to the album and realize that we are dealing with an excellent singer (whose voice could at times make one think of Levi Dexter), coupled with a very good guitarist supported by a more than solid group namely Doug James on sax (The Jimmie Vaughan Band), Dave Limina on keyboard (Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters), Mark Teixeira on drums, Marty Ballou on bass (both from The Duke Robillard Band), Arthur Edmaiston on saxophone, Carl Caspersen on double bass and Andrew McNeill on drums.
The covers are certainly standard, but where Silver succeeds is that, while respecting them, he injects enough of his personality to give completely personal versions. And we realize the feat that this represents when we are dealing with classics like Apache, Rip It Up, or Summertime Blues. But after all, let’s not be snobs. These songs are made to be played and thus to be discovered by new generations. If the Stray Cats had not one day had the idea to cover Double Talkin’ Baby or Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie, I probably would not be here writing these lines. But let’s get back to this album, which deserves more of your precious time than me telling you about my life.
As I said, the remaining half consists of Silver’s originals that fit perfectly into the ensemble. Saturday Night is a danceable Rhythm’n’Blues, halfway between Shake, Rattle & Roll and Rock This Town. The singer is perfectly supported by an excellent saxophone and a guitar solo that bursts forth without giving any concessions. The atmosphere on Ace & Eights is heavier, with the muffled drums hammering out an almost tribal pulse, guitar chords settling an almost menacing ambiance with a honking sax in the background. Gimmie, Gimmie is a very good Rockabilly modeled on Baby Let’s Play House. Cruisin’ and Racin’ With The Devil are not Gene Vincent covers, but two Silver’s originals. The first is a catchy Rock’n’Roll with saxophone and harmonica, with a relentless drive, which, while not being able to jump in your car, gives you an irresistible urge to dance, and the second is a Rockabilly tinged with Country, supported by a galloping rhythm.
Certainly, this album doesn’t reinvent anything, and that’s not what we’re asking of it. But if you’re looking for a well-crafted, straightforward rock’n’roll album with a good singer and a good band, there’s no doubt that Cruisin is for you. As they say, “Perfect for parties”.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
