Search - Lee Roy Parnell :: Tell the Truth

New Label, New CD, Parnell's guitar playing soars.

musicnu | Deerfield, IL | 07/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Play that guitar Lee Roy! Parnell dropped by Arista Nashville is now with Vanguard Records. The change in labels is for the better, as Arista was attempting to make Lee Roy a country star. Vanguard has never been a label that worries about radio play and Lee Roy has recorded a CD of more than just 3:00 minute songs. Parnell has always been known as a good slide guitar player but not until this CD has he cut loose in the studio. Parnell like his friend, Delbert McClinton are what you might call Americana artists - their roots and their playing span country to rock. Except for a couple of throw away songs about Texas, this CD is superb. We can only hope that Vanguard will allow Parnell to develop as an artist."

If you Love Bonnie Raitt or Keb Mo, buy this record.

P. Bradt | NYFB, United States | 06/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lee Roy Parnell has been looking for the freedom to make his music, his way, for a long time. In this record he's finally found it. He's turned his back on the Nashville Pop music machine and turned in a wonderful collection of Blues, Soul, Gospel and Rock and Roll, enough to engage your heart and mind, and make you want to get up and dance. More than ever, his songs are such that you understand they come not simply from conceptualization, but from experience. On "Crossin' Over," you understand how a pair of San Angelo boys might try to make a run for the border, to find a rite of passage, only to walk away from it, after an attack of conscience. On the same song, if Lee Roy 's slide guitar playing doesn't set your hair on fire, check your pulse, you might be code-blue. "Breakin Down Slow," a duet with the great Bonnie Bramlett, Lee Roy sings of lost love and the healing power of the human spirit. You know he's gone through his share of heartache by the passion he sings with. "South by Southwest," a duet with Delbert McClinton, is a wonderfully fun romp about homesickness, with a little poke at the Nashville establishment as well.The suits in Nashville would have done well to keep him, with the dearth of good music on Music Row these days, a guy like Lee Roy could serve them well. On this song, special mention needs to be made here of rhythm guitarist James Pennebaker's terrific, SLAMMIN' playing and Kevin McKendree's incredible piano solo. Both are first rate."I Declare," with Keb' Mo', invokes images of shaking free of the shackles of life, rebirth and renewal, bathed in the glory of the Delta Blues, cloaked in good fun and camraderie. You get the impression these two guys are dang near twin sons of different mothers. When Keb' Mo' sings "hallelujah," you know he is happy for Lee Roy. "It Takes What It Takes," is quite simply, the most unexpected surprise on the record. Touches of jazz but steeped in R&B and Blue-Eyed Soul, it just knocked me out. Again, Lee Roy's guitar playing will set your hair on fire, it's got a passion that even his best country records could not match. "Brand New Feeling," will have you shaking and waving your hands in the air, regardless of your faith. The Mississippi Mass Choir adds a wonderful touch but clearly, Lee Roy had the spirit all by himself. Kevin McKendree has a career in gospel piano playing if his full-time gig with Delbert McClinton ever winds down. Good on you, Lee Roy. In a time when music is little more than sampled older songs, drum machines, pitch correction and Pepsi ads, Lee Roy Parnell and his band, James Pennebaker, Kevin McKendree, Stephen Mackey and Lynn Williams have made a record that will get your heart pumping and your feet moving. Good job, guys."

You can take the boy out of the country but.....!

deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 06/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like Willie Nelson (Milk Cow Blues), Lee Roy Parnell has taken a time out from his usual country recordings and ventures into the blues. However, unlike the covers CD performed by Willie, Parnell pens nine originals out of the ten songs offered on the CD. Also, unlike Willie, Parnell limits his "friends" to just a few including, Keb Mo's overdub on "I Declare", Bonnie Bramlett on "Breaking Down Slow" and Delbert McClinton on "South by Southwest".As usual, Parnell's guitar work is smooth and engaging and his vocals are, well...country. In fact, the truth is that while this is a good CD, Parnell strays only slightly from his country roots and the result is a country blues CD with the emphasis on "country". The results should please his followers but will not win over any fans of modern electric blues. Two of the better tracks are "South by Southwest" and "Loves Been Rough On Me"."