The Southerners – Barstool Rodeo
Bandoleros -. Barstool Rodeo -. I Want A Love -. Let The Teardrops Fall -. Reachin For The Bible -. Lonesome Love -. Ripped In Two -. I’m Moving On -. Lovesick Man -. Forget To Remember -. The Dance -. Goodbye ’53 -. Little Devil -. Blues Medley
The Southerners were a young American (California) combo that played authentic and drumless rockabilly.
On the album, female vocalist Celeste Gilstrap is very well supported by the tight rhythm section of Justin Williams (slap bass) and Byron Williams (acoustic guitar) with fine interventions by lead guitarist Hector Mattos. They deliver a good mix of tunes, all originals but two, mostly penned by Byron Williams.,The album opens with the Mexican flavoured instrumental “Bandoleros”. “Barstool Rodeo” is a solid rockabilly where the team rhythm guitar/slap bass is perfect. Miss Gilstrap’s vocal is very personnal and you cant easily compare her to any other female singer but she would sound more like a female Johnny Cash ‘as you can hear on “Ripped In Two”. After a couple of another rockabilly tracks, you find “Lonesome Love” that slows the pace. That does not mean it’s a smooth tune but a very “threatening” rockin’ one with a nice “dirty” guitar. “Lovesick Man” is a “train song” with the adequate rhythm where both Celeste and acoustic guistarist Byron Williams sing. Gilstrap penned two song “Forget To Remember” and the beautiful “The Dance” another slow and haunting tune. “Goodbye 53” shows the acoustic side of the Southerners with just the vocal and a guitar. This good album ends with a rockin medley of “Saint Louis Blues/Basin’ Street” that starts with just the voice, the guitar and a mandolin and then turns into a wild rockin’ tune before slowing a bit for “Basin Street” and then ends even faster.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
