Search - Joe Ely :: Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch

Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch
Joe Ely
Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

Texas maverick Ely will never top his own Honky Tonk Masquerade (1978), a seminal album that defines the best of the Lone Star school of songwriting-and-swagger. But at 60, his quavering vocal remains as urgent, skittish, ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Joe Ely
Title: Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rack'Em Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 2/6/2007
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, Outlaw Country, Singer-Songwriters, Country Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 750532974927

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Texas maverick Ely will never top his own Honky Tonk Masquerade (1978), a seminal album that defines the best of the Lone Star school of songwriting-and-swagger. But at 60, his quavering vocal remains as urgent, skittish, and distinctive as ever, and he's still a free-flowingly eclectic writer, as capable of a sweet, affecting Cajun love song ("Little Blossom") as an erotic and insinuating blues tune ("July Blues"). Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch is a misleading title for this group of 10 originals and a lively cover of compatriot Butch Hancock's "Firewater," for most of Ely's protagonists carry an air of desperation, either hustling for love or money (the excellent "Jesse Justice," a tough-edged portrait of an itinerant pool shark), or gripping the windowsill of life with grimy fingertips. Too many of the songs here ultimately disappoint--"Miss Bonnie and Mr. Clyde," one of Ely's epic outlaw ballads, is as shot full of holes as the real-life bandits, and "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes," about the displaced victims of Katrina, fails to elicit either the outrage or the poignancy it seeks. But the hardest-working live entertainer in Texas always finds a way to charm his listener. "Sue Me Sue" wears out its refrain way too soon, yet in laying a "She's About a Mover" riff over some early Elvis rockabilly, the Lubbock Kid connects all the right musical--and emotional--dots. --Alanna Nash

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CD Reviews

On His Own--Joe Ely Rides Again
J. Reiser | Texas | 05/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Now recording on his own label, Joe Ely plans several releases this year, along with an excellent book of poetry and an exhibition of his drawings. "Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch" is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the 2007 effort and would be the centerpiece of most artists' careers. Joe, who just turned 60, continues displaying not only his extraordinary musicality, but his concerned worldview, his offbeat imagination, his wanderer's observations, his wit and finally his sense of hope. He is as complicated, yet down-to-earth as Texas, which has always been his home. Listen to this, his best work in several years, and realize that Joe is also a National Treasure and a singer/songwriter at the very top of his game, celebrating 30 years on top of his craft."
For a minute there, I thought I put the wrong CD in the play
R. Kyle | USA | 10/19/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)

"My first thought was horns, what the heck? But, Joe Ely's one of those singer-songwriters who I'm willing to listen to just about anything he does. While this isn't "Letter to Laredo" it's still not bad--there's a couple of killer lines in each song and some of the songs are just plain killer.



Of course, my favorites of this CD are the outlaw songs. "Jesse Justice" is about a gambling pool playing man and "Miss Bonnie and Mr. Clyde" deals with a partnership between a young man and the infamous duo. These two are what I really hoped for from this one and they're the pick of the litter.



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