Search - Bill Kirchen :: Word To The Wise

Word to the Wise: buy this cd

ecle | 07/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listen up. Listen good. And while you're at it, shut up too (if you can't be nice). That's the sound advice from Dan Hicks, who co-wrote, sings, and scats the title cut with Bill Kirchen on Kirchen's latest record, Word to the Wise, just released May 25 from Proper American Records. Shutting up is also recommended so that you don't miss a beat, or a riff, or a sound on this duets album, which Kirchen says he set out to make with people "he shares a musical connection with." And because of his remarkable career, he's been musically simpatico with an impressive line of virtuosos through the years - musicians like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur, Norton Buffalo, Dan Hicks, Paul Carrack, Commander Cody, Chris O'Connell, and Blackie Farrell - all now happy to be his guests on Word to the Wise. Maybe Bill Kirchen isn't quite a household name, but he should be, if fame was in any way related to talent and artistry. He's one of the top telecaster players on the planet, a true icon of American roots music. The liner notes alone make a good read, tales of life-long friendships and mutual admiration, words rich with wit, humor, joy, loss and heartbreak. It's all there in the music too.

Take the first song, "Bump Wood," an original. The lead-in is unmistakably, quintessentially, Kirchen's telecaster signature sound. The sound that says "fasten your seat belts - it's going to be a bumpy night." The sound that makes you close your eyes and listen your heart out. It's a celebration of being alive, of one thing leading to another, of what's important in life, of interconnections; but all that sounds a little serious, which is most assuredly what it is not about. "I know in the morning that it's gonna be good, when I stick out my elbows and they don't bump wood." Combine that kind of sentiment with some kick-ass guitar and Austin deLone's killer boogie piano and there's not a serious bone in its happy-to-be-here body.

Now wipe that silly grin off your face, it's not all fun and games here. For a rock-hard, bare-bones pounding of existential angst, there's Elvis Costello's cover of Kirchen's own "Man in the Bottom of the Well." This is serious rock - the kind that makes you want to beat the crap out of someone when it's over. Gritty, gravelly, grimacing rock with words and a melody so of enduring that it's what you won't be able to get out of your head when you bolt upright in bed at 3:00 am wondering why you were put on this earth.

If you take your melancholy straight up, the old-fashioned way, it doesn't get much sadder than "Husbands and Wives," an old Roger Miller tune sung extraordinarily well by Kirchen and Chris O'Connell (ex-Asleep at the Wheel female lead). This one's pure country: a beautiful, plaintive waltz filled with appealing alliteration and a smooth rhythm. Kirchen's voice will break your heart here; this is the song you might play 235 times over and over after your spouse walks out on you and you're in a motel room on the outskirts of Vegas. Plus - it's hard to resist the word decline when it's pronounced de-cline.

Another highlight is Blackie Farrell and Bill Kirchen's "I Don't Work that Cheap" with ex-band-mate Commander Cody (George Frayne) himself on piano. And now we're back to rollicking, rock-n-roll boogie woogie fun. This is a hoot; an instant classic with genius lyrics, referencing everyone from Robespierre to Obama, with a wink and a nod to Bo Didley. The title came from a Johnny Gimble line - "don't try to pay me what I'm worth - I don't work that cheap."

These are only a sample of "Word to the Wise" offerings. The record ends with the moving and lovely "Valley of the Moon," basically a love letter to Louise Kirchen, Bill's singing and song-writing wife of 35 years. But in every song, from twangy rockabilly to sultry blues, old-time rock-n-roll to western swing, love song to visceral rock, hard-core country to plink-plankin' boogie, Kirchen gives his old friends and guests a chance to do what they do best. And the thread that ties them all together is, of course, his unparalleled guitar work. For Bill Kirchen understands the heart and soul of a song so clearly and deeply that he grabs it, runs with it, and nails it hard every time. Pure and simple.

"