Search - Bellfuries :: Just Plain Lonesome

Just Plain Lonesome- The Bellfuries

07/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...The Bellfuries are comprised of Josh Williams on Upright Bass and Backing Vocals, Joey Simeone on Lead Vocals, Rhythm and Lead Guitar and Bobby Horton on Lead Guitar and Steel Guitar. The first thing that struck me was the clarity of the recordings, the sound is vibrant and crisp without sounding cheesy or over produced. Recorded at Ft. Horton Studios in Austin and produced by the band with help from Billy Horton, the production serves the bands stripped down style. Of the thirteen songs, front man Joey Simeone wrote ten. Of the three covers that complete the disc, two of them are really obscure. Dion?s ?Gonna Make it Alone? from his 1963 album ?Ruby Baby? and Sam Cooke?s 1958 Keen recording ?Stealing Kisses?. Not your standard covers for today?s Rockabilly bands. That is where The Bellfuries are different; they are not your average rockabilly band. The trio embraces the genre stylistically and they can play the hell out of their rockabilly originals such as ?Take it to the Chapel? and ?So Sad and Lonely?. However, what makes The Bellfuries great is that they are able to step outside the standard three-chord formula. Their originals are full of changes, stops and chord voicing that you generally don?t hear in rockabilly. That concept may seem odd, maybe even detrimental, but in my opinion it works to their advantage. I found that I am able to listen to the disc several times without my senses burning out on the same three chords! The first tracking ?So Sad and Lonely? is an up-tempo rockabilly song. Simeone?s voice is powerful and sincere and the band shows it can play straight forward rockabilly without out even thinking about it. Next up is ?Wasted on Him?. Here is a good example where The Bellfuries break the rules. The song is a country weeper with Horton?s guitar buried in vibrato?and odd choice but it works well. Again, Simeone's vocals are strong; the vocal delivery almost has a bluegrass feel. Track three is Webb Pierce?s ?Teenage Boogie? a great song and the band treats it as such adding nothing special to it. ?Take it to the Chapel? is another strong up-tempo rockabilly style song with nice chord changes (more in the western swing vein) Josh Williams bass drives the band while Bobby Horton?s clean picking walks the line between Joe Maphis and Merle Travis. Simeone's vocals deliver the lyrics with sincerity while avoiding the cliché hiccups or growls. This is one of the best tracks on the disc (however there?s lots of competition here). The title track ?Just Plain Lonesome? is where the band really shines. A honky tonk shuffle, Simeone?s vocals are right out front, his voice is strong and sorrowful and he is an intelligent lyricist. The bass caries the song while Horton?s steel guitar sits behind the vocal track, his playing on this track is reminiscent of Jimmy Day on the Ray Price Columbia recordings. ?Gonna Make it Alone? is the Dion song I mentioned above and The Bellfuries cover it and make it their own yet it still retains the signature Dion Dimucci feel. ?Your Love? is a track that shows how far outside The Bellfuries can go while still being able to maintain a cohesive feel to the record. ?I Don?t Want to Wake up Tomorrow? is a great Honky Tonk song in the vein of Hank Williams with some very tasteful steel guitar work by Horton. Lyrically this song is a classic in its own right; add a great instrumental track and it can?t be beat. ?Up to Your Old Tricks Again? is my favorite song?I don?t even know how to describe it other than brilliant! Lyrically tormenting the song is set to an up-tempo beat?with the addition of a great guitar line?it is truly in a class of its own. ?Hey, Mr. Locomotive? is a great up-tempo train song?again, lyrically it is just classic with an airtight backing track. Horton?s steel guitar whines and Williams?s doghouse chugs along complimenting Simeone?s vocals. ?You must be a Loser? is a modern day love song, again a catchy hook with Simeone?s vocals delivering powerhouse lines like: ?You must be a loser / you must have a defect in your heart / I knew I would tear it all apart? Brilliant. Sam Cooks ?Stealing Kisses? gets a nice hillbilly touch with sparse fingering picking and solid slap bass that pushes the song along. Keeping the original melody intact, these is a great example of how The Bellfuries can take a song from a different genre and do it well with out having to go too far outside. ?Love Found Me? is probably the hardest edged song on the whole disc. Lyrically clever, it lacks the depth that Simeone?s other originals have, but here the band pushes a little harder and makes this track a great closer to an absolutely outstanding debut. The thing I find myself appreciating the most about The Bellfuries is that no where on this disc do you find the clichés that plague so many of today?s rockabilly releases. The playing is tasteful and appropriate, never flashy or over indulgent. All three musicians are consummate players who show that playing with taste, brains and style far outweigh flash and hype."

I heard this in a vintage store in Hollywood...

rockin'-lil-dolly | Manila, Philippines | 05/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And the clerk at the checkout counter said, they were playing a Bellfuries cd. So I jotted it down, and here I found it on Amazon. This cd is exellent, and is on the same high musical level as Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys or Cave Cat Sammy. This small group plays primarliy western swing with a more rockabilyl edge. There are hints of jazz and western roots, and the vocals are exellent with a slight echoe. A marvelous cd, and a tight band, great steel guitar solos too.A perfect rockabilly revival bands perfect cd, new fresh energetic and exciting music that sounds vintage as if it were recorded in 1954!"

Just Plain Awesome

Robert W. Heubel | San Leandro, CA United States | 12/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A friend of mine dragged me out mid-week to see these guys at a local bar. What a great show and simply fun music. I've heard alot of rockabilly albums and I've gotta say this album is one of the best I've heard in years. I continue to recommend it to all my friends and relatives, young and old. I hope these guys are around for a long time and continue to press albums. I'll buy every one! What a voice this guy has!"