What people are saying . . .
"Crazy People" : A review in Maverick Magazine
THE ROWAN BROTHERS
CRAZY PEOPLE
EVANGELINE GEL 4050
You just have to love it! It’s bluegrass with a twinkle in the eye, possibly. Or good, old fashioned all-singing, all dancing Vaudeville entertainment, maybe. Or just good songs and great playing. Whatever, it’s the return of Peter Rowan, one of country music’s maverick greats, whether playing music from the mountains or the Mexican borderlands. Here he links up as a trio again with brothers Lorin and Chris, with whom he started his career many moons ago, for guitar picking and, in particular, harmonies to stop the world. So anyway it’s sort of bluegrass, and leads you into a false sense of security with its jolly title track opener, “CRAZY PEOPLE”, originally done by The Boswell Sisters. Then you get the breathy, “NOTHIN’ PERSONAL”, with its scratchy 78rpm vocals before drifting into the New Orleans-tinged “RED ROCKIN’ CHAIR”.
Then it really hits its stride with the Latin inflections of “ PRETTY SENORITA”, which heralds the return of Pete’s old sparring partner Flaco Jiminez on accordian. Next is one of those Pete Rowan classics that dot whatever album he’s making… “DON’T PICK THE BLOSSOM BEFORE THE FLOWER GROWS”. With Flaco’s accordian the immediate feel is lilting Tex-Mex ---before the calypso vocals come in over the harmonies. It’s backed by wonderful cardboard box drumming by Larry Attamanuik (who underpinned Pete’s otherworldy “DEAL WITH THE DEVIL” a decade ago), slap bass, and then Jerry Douglas’s dobro and Sam Bush’s mandolin.
Apart from that you’ve got another version of “THE FREE MEXICAN AIRFORCE”, starting in typical Flaco fashion but becoming a melee of beautiful Spanish guitars, another new classic “THAT’S ALRIGHT (LONG TIME), the jazzy “IN 1999”, the jazzy, bluesy “SHOPPIN’ FEET” and the chirpy “AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A FAMILY”, all with a roving all-star cast. An album of the year…fantastic. ND
THE ROWAN BROTHERS
CRAZY PEOPLE
EVANGELINE GEL 4050
You just have to love it! It’s bluegrass with a twinkle in the eye, possibly. Or good, old fashioned all-singing, all dancing Vaudeville entertainment, maybe. Or just good songs and great playing. Whatever, it’s the return of Peter Rowan, one of country music’s maverick greats, whether playing music from the mountains or the Mexican borderlands. Here he links up as a trio again with brothers Lorin and Chris, with whom he started his career many moons ago, for guitar picking and, in particular, harmonies to stop the world. So anyway it’s sort of bluegrass, and leads you into a false sense of security with its jolly title track opener, “CRAZY PEOPLE”, originally done by The Boswell Sisters. Then you get the breathy, “NOTHIN’ PERSONAL”, with its scratchy 78rpm vocals before drifting into the New Orleans-tinged “RED ROCKIN’ CHAIR”.
Then it really hits its stride with the Latin inflections of “ PRETTY SENORITA”, which heralds the return of Pete’s old sparring partner Flaco Jiminez on accordian. Next is one of those Pete Rowan classics that dot whatever album he’s making… “DON’T PICK THE BLOSSOM BEFORE THE FLOWER GROWS”. With Flaco’s accordian the immediate feel is lilting Tex-Mex ---before the calypso vocals come in over the harmonies. It’s backed by wonderful cardboard box drumming by Larry Attamanuik (who underpinned Pete’s otherworldy “DEAL WITH THE DEVIL” a decade ago), slap bass, and then Jerry Douglas’s dobro and Sam Bush’s mandolin.
Apart from that you’ve got another version of “THE FREE MEXICAN AIRFORCE”, starting in typical Flaco fashion but becoming a melee of beautiful Spanish guitars, another new classic “THAT’S ALRIGHT (LONG TIME), the jazzy “IN 1999”, the jazzy, bluesy “SHOPPIN’ FEET” and the chirpy “AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A FAMILY”, all with a roving all-star cast. An album of the year…fantastic. ND