Search - Savoy Brown :: Kings Of Boogie

A concept album?

grego | Enumclaw, Wa USA | 03/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well!... now here's a soulful CD. Call it a concept album if you like - a chronicle of the various stages in a love affair that apparently was not meant to be. Between the idealistic beginning of the relationship and the bitter end, the singer (the great Dave Walker) takes us through the various stages of heartbreak by sharing feelings such as regret, anger, loneliness, frustration, horniness, resignation, yearning and love. Who said men don't know how to share their feelings? This album is PERSONAL. Dave tells us exactly how he feels. The intimacy is both engaging and somewhat shocking. "Too hurt to cry, I'm holding back the tears. I want to run and hide, from all the wasted years. In this lonely room, I sit and stare... a man alone... a man alone." But before the relationship went sour, there was lots of excitement. "I got a brand new shirt, my pants are pressed just right. I turned the TV off... I've got a date tonight! I'm gonna meet Lucille, we're gonna go downtown. She's got her dancin' shoes, we're gonna shake it down. 'Cause we're the kings of boogie... we're really gonna shake it down!" And where is the great Kim Simmonds in all this emotional drama? WAILING on guitar of course, and letting us know how all these emotions really feel to Dave. Kim Simmonds plays great slide guitar on the title track, as well as on "All Burned Out," getting those fat, thick tones out of his old Gibson Les Paul. His playing on the other songs is always tasteful, emotional and to the point, a hybrid blend of blues and rock, never just one or the other.

One of the reasons why Dave's having a hard time getting over his failed relationship is because his sweetheart left without even telling him why. He's lost and confused and when you hear the pained quality in his voice, you know he's hurting. That's why the songs have titles like, "No Win Love," "Mean Business," "Bad State of Mind" and "All Burned Out." Nevertheless, as he sits alone in his room contemplating his "No Win Love," we find out the depth of the conflict he feels. On the one hand, he thinks, "I'm so glad you're gone... I'm better off without you." But on the other hand he sings, "I miss you all the time, I need you by my side. I know I'll always feel this way... until the sky fades away." The conflict between "Heartbreaks Make You Strong," and "heartbreaks can sometimes destroy even the strongest man," is what gives this CD its edgy tension. We're never sure from one song to the next whether he's going to succumb to his own suffering, or triumph over it. As to which way it goes, I'm not going to give it away. Buy this CD and find out for yourself."

The Kings of Boogie is Dave Walker at his finest! Deep and S

StraightAhead | Jake | 12/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"he's back! I have two copies of this very special (to me, anyway) CD. I originally became a fan back around A Step Further and earlier. Chris Youldon was perfect dynamite. But, things changed..(hey, gotta get used to it with SB!) and Dave puts in an incredible performance on this disk. You have to hear it and you will feel it. It does seem like a "theme" as grego said, along with the rest of his very astute comments and perceptions. Dave Walker surfaced after 13 years after, I'm not sure, survivalist/indian perhaps, we have to ask him. Hey, there's a thought, Kim, why don't you dial Dave up and see how he is. He looks and sounds great on the tribute CD to Sonny Boy Williamson, rated five stars full, you'll hear classic Dave throughout the CD, starting immediately on at least the first three songs and many more. I guess I have been 'looking back' lately finally finding that song I just couldn't remember "Waiting in the Bamboo Grove" on that truly excellent CD A Step Further. It's a horns/drums/screeching guitar instrumental (do more like this!). It also seems like I keep finding CD's I've never seen before (an early one done in Japan, plus a couple of others). Kings of Boogie is, indeed, a very special CD, by a very special band."