Search - Starlight Drifters :: Every Note a Pearl

If this doesn't make you dance you were buried yesterday

ts taylor (lkjh@arbornet.org) | ann arbor, america | 10/21/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It hurts to give away a secret about Ann Arbor, America, music because this Starlight Drifters' offering is going to get them invited to play all over the place. Every note is a pearl - oh, wait - that's the album name! Chris Casello plays guitars with a mastery that comes from the dedicated confluence of the multitude of styles Casello showcases here -- swing, blues, honkey-tonk, rock, rockabilly, steel, slide, -- this is devotion! OK, so I've been dancing to Casello's music for almost a decade, big yip. This combo makes it happen as well on this CD as they do on stage. Bill Alton does his "Good Singin'" with a personal style that simultaneously evokes the feelings of "Isn't this, uhh, umm, ...," with "Hey, who is this?" He's Bill Alton. On the upright bass (same as on stage) Rudy Varner plucks, pops and slaps his bass with such confidence that your feet tap in time involuntarily. Alton sings too. Marc Gray anchors the rhythm section with a percussion groove as tight as the timing of moon shots all the way from the heads to the rims. I highly recommend "Just Steelin," "Dear Baby," ummmmm ... and all the rest through "Jitterbug Judy" with the couple of slides toward Elvis and with deference to Hank Williams, Tin Pan Alley and the Starlight Drifters' history, too. Starlight Drifters' _Every Note is a Pearl_ is about as balanced and self-defining as you can get. Why only 4 stars? They will produce more and there is no six-star rating available. cheerrzz,ts"

SIMPLY IRESSISTABLE!

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 11/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If there's a better modern day rockabilly band around today than the Starlight Drifters, I haven't found em yet. This CD is so doggone good that even the great cover songs they do on this can't even outdo their own well done originals. Of course if you're a rockabilly fan, those old familiar songs that will attract your attention are Jack Scott's "The Way I Walk". Or "Driving Nails In My Coffin". Along with Hank Thompson's "Car Hoppin' Mama". But try out their own material, such as "Ain't Got Time For Love". Man, this song absolutely smokes like a pile of old burnin' tires. Or "Spoiled Rotten Baby", which has a hilarious steel guitar solo in the middle. Ya gotta hear this one. Although these guys are all excellent musicians, I think the true strength of this band is lead singer Bill Alton. Man can this hepcat belt em out. He's got a hell of a lot of style, and a sexy voice to boot. Just gimme the rejects from the rockabilly fillies this guy must attract when he sings songs like "Dear Baby". Or the country weeper "You Keep The Ring". Seriously, if you're a fan of true blue authentic rockabilly, but with very very good modern day production, you really need to have this in your collection. Like the album title says, "every note is a pearl". And for me, every song is a winner!"