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Colton Turner

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Colton Turner – S/T

Self released [2017]
Rock It – Truly – Honky Tonkin’ Ain’t What It Used To Be – Don’t Forget – Drifting – How Many Times – Live By Night – Rock-A-Bye – Won’t You Come Back Home – I Miss You Baby – That’s Right – Saturday Night

With the exception of Alberto Telo their drummer who played with the Horton Brothers and Shaun Young, I have to admit I don’t know much about this band. I assume they come from California and used to play in a band called the Senders. That’s pretty much all that I can say except that besides Colton Turner on vocals and Alberto Telo on drums the other musicians are Zane Turner on lead guitar and Yari Bolanos on upright bass. But that doesn’t matter since what is really important is that album. And trust me, this is one of the very best Rockabilly album I’ve heard in ages.
It’s made of twelve originals with a majority of mid-tempo Rockabilly, some Honky Tonk here, a slow tune there and a wild number thrown in for good measure.
Colton Turner sure knows how to write songs and icing on the cake, he has the perfect voice to sing them. A true Rockabilly voice (with hints of Johnny Maccree of the Smith’s Ranch Boys mixed with some Carl Perkins too.)
Recorded at Fort Horton by Billy Horton (talent knows talent), this album blew me away from start to finish. When I first played it, it took me back to 1990 when I listened to “Fly Rite with Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Trio” for the very first time. Yes, Colton Turner and his band are THAT good.

Available at Swelltune records.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Soul of Liberty

in Albums/Contemporary artists/Reviews

Soul of Liberty
Lover S.O.L

CYBER LABEL JAPAN / 666C-034 [2005]
Yesterdays – Endless Dream – Song Bat – Drive A Go Go – My Life – Into A Memor – (japanese song)- Lonesome Night – Go Ahead ~Theme Of Little Fighter – Fly Away – Just Tonight – Let’s Get Together
This is the first full length album, after a 6 track mini lp, from this Japanese (Nagoya) trio formed in 1998. They play a very good and refreshing neo-rockabilly with a lot of Stray Cats/Setzer influences mixed with some Psychobilly here and there. On the harder edge of their repertoire “My Life” and the instrumental “Go Ahead – Theme Of Little Fighter” are more into the style of the Reverend Horton Heat. They also quote The Ramones, Joan Jett as well as Dwight Yoakam and The Derailers as influences. Two songs show their country music side : “Drive A GoGo” and “Into A Memory” (the latter featuring a steel guitar). You could be surprised at first to hear that Okinaga mixes Japanese and English when he sings, but it brings a fine touch of exotism that gives this band a part of its originality. For all those who like their rockabilly with a modern twist..
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Leroy and the Rockets

in Albums/Contemporary artists/IJKL/Reviews

Leroy and the Rockets
Rockabilly Rollercoaster

Prestige Elite Records CDSGP 1313 [2012]
Challenge – Dianne And The Gypsy Queen – The Old Man Is Down The Road – Swordfish – Memphis, Tennessee – Goin’ To Chicago – Remember Me – Summertime Blues – It’s All About Me – That’s Life – Livin’ This Way – Dangerous Man – Shaking All Over – Witchcraft – Love Roulette – Strange Business – When You Were Mine – Zippin’ Pippin – Bad Moon Rising – Mars Attacks (Venus)

Rockin’ Rocket 88 has lived, here comes Leroy & the Rockets. But if the name changed, the line-up and the quality remain the same. There’s just a slight evolution in the sound, something like a more modern approach. Of course this is still roots oriented music, mostly rockabilly but with elements of blues (Goin’ To Chicago), hillbilly (Memphis Tennessee and Summertime Blues with a fiddle) and obvious references to the pioneers like Elvis (Dianne and the Gypsy Queen) or Johnny Cash (Remember Me). But they really aim to create a brand of music for the 21st century. To achieve their vision they asked Stevie Paul to produce the album. Paul is as far as you can imagine from the Rockabilly world having worked with Rod Stewart, Mary J Blige, Toni Braxton, Edwin Starr, Mike & the Mechanics to name but a few. His fresh approach mixed with the band’s background results in a brand new sound: something like a mix between the Blue Cats from the Tunnel era and Chris Isaak’s rockingest material.
With artists as Kitty Daisy and Lewis or Imelda May touching a large audience, it would be justice that a band which plays this music for more than 25 years, even if it was under another name, obtains a little recognition.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Enregistrer

The Juke Joint Cruisers

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The Juke Joint Cruisers – s/t

Juke Joint Records
Hot Rod Guy – Juke Joint Jumpin’ – Nagging, Nagging – Road King – Tore Up – Diamond Ring – Your Love – Rhythm Rustler – The Last Petal – Latina Tina

The Juke Joint Cruisers come from Colorado and they are Randy Watson (guitar and lead vocals), Mike Boyce (double bass and lead vocals) and Lee Lippstrew (drums). This is their debut album and it’s been entirely recorded live which is the best way in my opinion to record this music. Produced and recorded by the band It’s a very solid album, featuring all original material. They have the good idea to keep it short (10 songs and 30 minutes), which avoids the temptation to include second choice material. All the songs here are first rate and varied. It also takes you back to the good old vinyl days a feeling reinforced by the Side A and Side B on the back cover. Their sound mixes rockabilly with rockin’ blues and the result is sure to appeal to fans of Lee Rocker, the Nervous Fellas and most of all the early Paladins. In addition you’ll also find more country oriented stuff like “Nagging, Nagging ”, latin beat (Latina Tina) and a Chuck Berry meets Link Wray and Duane Eddy instrumental (Rhythm Rustlers). No rockin’ album would be complete without a rockaballad and Boyce’s The Last Petal perfectly fills this void.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Sue Moreno

in Albums/Contemporary artists/MN/Reviews

Sue Moreno – One Track Mind

Western Star Records – WSRC 037
One Track Mind / The Fire Is Burnin’ / Too Late / Time is Wastin’ / Gone Gone Gone / Don’t Hurt Me Baby / Gonna Get Back Home Some How / What About Tomorrow? / Record Hop / Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad / Cinderella Story / Walkin’ With Angels / Time is A-Wastin.

When rockabilly girl Sue Moreno meets the boys of Jack Rabbit Slim, the result is sure to be hot. Contrary to many of her counterparts, Sue doesn’t try to sound mean and plays more on the seductive side of things which is a good and refreshing thing (when you can afford to do it, and she can). She never screams or else, but instead use her warm voice to whisper in your ears.
She penned the Fire is Burnin’ a fine rockaballad with a slight country tinge. Still on the country side are “What About Twomorrow” with a melody that reminds a bit of Buck Owens’ Street Of Backersfield. She also gives a great rendition of Tammy Wynette’s Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.
Jack Rabbit Slim’s frontman Bob Butfoy provided eight songs tailor made for the singer, going from rockabilly to latin-with-a-Johnny-Burnette-feeling (Don’t Hurt Me) and even a country gospel (Walkin’ With Angels). In addition to Jack Rabbit Slim, you’ll find the talent of Jim Knowler (Keytones) on backing vocals as well as producer Alan Wilson playing guitar on Elvis‘Gonna Get Back Home Somehow.
In my opinion the sole low point is their cover of Gone Gone Gone that borrows more to Robert Plant/Allison Kraus version than the Everly Brothers original. But it’s not enough to waste the overall feeling of this excellent album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Hi-Q’s

in Albums/Contemporary artists/GH/Reviews

The Hi-Q’s – Hop and Bop

El Toro Records. ETCD-3090
Dirty White Bucks – Hi-Q Boogie – Bop Crazy Bop – Worn Out – Rock ‘n’ Roll Guitar – I Wanna Live – Twenty-One Days – Jungle Boy Jack – Speed Limit – Wiggle Walkin’ Baby – Hop ‘n’ Bop – All The Time
The United States undoubtedly are reconcilied with the rockabilly and to be convinced is only to see multiplicity of high-quality bands which have emerged on the tracks of headlights bands of the US revival of the beginning of the Nineties like Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys, High Noon and the Dave & Deke Combo. It is necessary to add now this Detroit trio make up of Matt Strickland singer (and creator of the site www.planetrockabilly.com/ devoted to… rockabilly) and composer of 9 of the 12 titles of this first album published on the Spanish label El Toro. Around him there are not unknown ones but musicians of talent who work already in many prestigious combos: Rudy Varner the double bass player (Starlight Drifters, Jack Scott and the Signal Ranks, Earls Jack & The Jimbos) Paul ‘ Smokey Links’ Cook with the guitar (Missing Links, the Big Barn Combo, Rumble, Tilt-a-whirl and Jack Earls & the Jimbos) and Loney Charles the drummer (Big Barn Combo, Jack Scott & the Top Ranks and Jack Earls & the Jimbos) which are all irreproachable, combining smoothness of the play and constant and fascinating rhythm. This «Hop and Bop» is remarkable from the beginning to the end: of «Dirty White Bucks» which open the disc with the Sleepy LaBeef «All The Time» resumption of while passing by the boppin «à la Burlison» eponymous title and the purple passages like «Bop Crazy Bop», «I Wanna Live»( which makes me think of Ramblin’ James) , «Jungle boy Jack» and the strolling «Wiggle Walkin’ baby». I guess you have already understood it by yourself right now: a VERY highly recommended album
David Phisel

Rockabilly

Colton Turner – S/T

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