Search - Bobby Charles :: Homemade Songs

Bobby Charles-Homemade Genius

John B. Ivey | Denver | 06/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The temptation here is to use all sorts of Swamp/Americana cliches extolling what a great CD this is ("a modern swamp classic,etc."). Instead, as one who would buy a CD of Bobby singing his tax-returns, I will say, go out and buy this album now!!! You'll dig it."

Scraping the barrel?

Luigi Facotti | Chicago Il | 11/23/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Having heard Bobby Charles' "Small Town Talk" from his Bearsville LP as a cult hit in London in the early 1970s I've followed his recorded career avidly - tracking down obscure releases on the many labels that Rice n 'Gravy. has contracted with. This his latest, now on his own Rice n' Gravy label (as opposed to licensed to Stony Plain, Proper or Bogalusa) is a disappointment - the singing is soporific rather than laid back and the sonics between the tracks leave much to be desired. The 1950s recording of "But I Do" is sonically better than the 2008 version and listening to "Football Blues" maybe the suggestion of another reviewer of Bobby singing his tax returns would've been a good idea. Nothing on this CD reaches half the level of professionalism and sheer joy as "I Wonder" on Last Train To Memphis."

Fun, funky, laid-back, a joy!

Jonathan Lyness | New York, NY United States | 04/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most purely pleasurable albums I purchased last year. It has a warm, soothing, laid-back sound for the most part, and Bobby's vocals are wonderfully soulful. Some of the songs lean towards novelty, but the soul of the vocals and the backing musicians more than make up for it. "Rose" is a standout for me...it's achingly beautiful. "The Mardi Gras Song" is a whole lot of funky fun, made slightly poignant by recent events (the opening line goes "They can rain on your parade, but they can't dampen your spirit"). It's hard for me to understand how anyone could give this a two-star review. Try it...I think you'll like it. :)"