Search - Terri Hendrix :: Cry Till You Laugh

Texas, Music, Hendrix

Lane | 06/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The three greatest ingredients in the world. Grab a cold one, a comfortable chair and let one of the most original, undiscovered diamonds of the Texas music scene entertain you."

Another interesting album by this songwriter who thinks (and

Steven I. Ramm | Phila, PA USA | 06/22/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

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Texas-based singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix has always taken the "road less traveled" when she releases an album. The major labels thought her to "outside the mould" and she proved them wrong by self-releasing eleven albums, most produced by her buddy Lloyd Maines and winning accolades. This new release makes it and even dozen, and contains enough variations and surprises to show you that Hendrix is still stretching her musical genres.



Who else would start off an Americana album with a grouping of short poems by Dorothy Parker set to music? And later on - in the first of two songs penned by Ike Eichenberg - we are treated to a New Orleans jazz- based song (" You Belong in New Orleans" with a Klezmer slant - and Hendrix swinging some vocalese. Hendrix has been battling epilepsy for 20 years - though you'd never know that by seeing her (usually with Maines by her side) in concert. She approaches that subject on "Einstein's Brain". And on "Hand Me Down Blues" (which is reprised later in the album) she sings that "pulling you up is dragging me down", and - just like her life so far - she's not going to let that dampen her spirits and will just move on. Maines is the Yin to Hendrix's yang and is there playing a multitude of instruments, as well as co-writing a few of the songs. Hendrix, herself, is no slouch on playing instruments as shown by her gutsy harmonica playing on the bluesy, and oddly-titled "Hula Mary". She still blowing that blues harp on the next track, "Come Tomorrow", but more country this time.



Her twelfth album was to be a "jazz album" but, apparently, something changed. So we get glimpses of what it would have been like in the two Eichenberg tunes as well as the more modern "Automatic". Besides these three tunes, Hendrix composed all the remaining songs.



With a positive attitude (and a truly wonderful smile - check out the cover), Terri Hendrix continues to do things "her way" and create some great music. While this album does feel a bit like a scrapbook at times, there's still some great songs and some fine playing here. Taking that "road less traveled" with Hendrix can prove to be an interesting - and rewarding journey.



Steve Ramm

"Anything Phonographic"

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