Texas Troubadour Unearthed.....
Todd W. Smith | Midway, KY | 09/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"By all accounts, Blaze Foley was a colorful character with strong convictions whose musical genius ranks among the greats. But fortune never smiled on him- in part, because Blaze could never get out of his own way. Lucinda Williams called Foley a "beautiful loser", and her "Drunken Angel" (which appears on her "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" album) was based upon Foley. Townes Van Zandt, a good friend of Foley's, said that Foley "definitely had rhythm". The two were outlaws of the Austin music scene and Van Zandt penned "Blaze's Blues" about him. In fact, legend has it that Foley rescued Townes once when a shaky Van Zandt was having trouble remembering the words to "If I Needed You".
But this review is about the music itself on "Cold, Cold World". What was Foley's music like? This album seeps and oozes West Texas blues. Foley was definitely a blues man who indeed had rhythm. Foley basically lived his adult life as a homeless person who survived by the graces of others. It's probably no coincidence that the blues numbers here are "blues shuffles" that have that "street corner bluesman" feel to them. They are high quality tunes, even if they're comical and irreverent, at times. The best one here is probably the bouncy "No Goodwill Stores In Waikiki"- which reeks of rhythm and attitude.
Foley's more serious songs were powerful, as well. When these recordings were made, Waylon Jennings was blazing fresh trails and pioneering a sound. Quite simply, Waylon was changing music. Foley's voice resembles Jennings'- although Foley's is stronger and clearer here. It's not that Foley was ripping Waylon off. But it's obvious they were west Texans from the same cloth, and that Waylon influenced him. You can hear this influence on "Picture Cards", "Rainbows and Ridges", "Christian Lady Talkin' On A Bus", and the title track. All four are great songs. This doesn't even account for "If I Could Only Fly" (a song recorded by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson), which isn't included on this album.
I'm glad this was recommended to me. Foley obviously was an enigmatic talent. Watch for a DVD documentary on Foley to be released near the beginning of 2008."
A tragedy and a legend
Bt | Parts unknown | 09/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the tradition of Townes and Guy Clark, we had Blaze Foley, a interesting character right of the movies. A part of the Austin Texas folk scene, Blaze was known for his excellent songwriting and his penchant for letting his dark side come out. The stories are legendary and as the previous reviewer mentioned, his story is being released on dvd. Blaze met his end in violence but he sure left his mark. As one the titles of one of his live discs is titled,"Wanted more Dead than Alive", it's sad that he didn't get more recognition when he was around. How many musicians do you know with more tribute albums than releases themselves? This is authentic, gritty stuff that the "Americana" scene is seriously lacking today. Thanks to Gurf and "Lost Art Records" for bringing this out (Thanks Craig!)."
TEXAS GREATNESS
BILLYBOBUK | PLANO,TX | 07/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The music of Blaze Foley is now becoming available, thanks to Lost Art Records of Austin and Gurf Morlix.These recordings come from 1979/80,and are wonderful.Songs include Cold,Cold World,Picture Cards,Faded Love,17tracks in total.Blaze died in an Austin bar in 1989,his story is coming out on DVD soon--he was part of the Austin scene back in the day,listen to Townes,listen to Blaze--greatness.
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