Reviews
Updated as of 12/04/2006
We are happy to announce that NJ musicologist and DJ Brett Gash will be sharing his impressions of the songs off the American Hawk "Americana Brew" cd. We will be publishing them here as Brett completes them so check back periodically and check them out.
One of my favorite melodies on the "Americana Brew" CD. This song has 2 views, maybe more, one the narrator is singing form personal experience and the other as the voice of our Armed Forces, past and present. He also gives the protesters a voice stating "If you don't believe in that" it's your right, however, the singer will continue to "Wave the freedom flag" in the face of adversity. Flying the flag of freedom is his way to remind the people that turn their heads or go one with their daily lives that we have men and women putting their lives on the line for our country and they deserve support regardless of political or religious views.
This song is a great prelude to an upcoming Memorial Day and should somehow find its way onto the airwaves. Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten" and this song would make a great pair of troop support songs in any collection.
Forget the words right now, Jerry Lee meets Elvis head on at Sun Studios. Simple lyrics and a great rock and roll beat, the top down and hair (what's left of it) blowin' in the breeze. Long Ride to Memphis is a true rockabilly tune with Rotondo laying down Link Wray type guitar licks. I waited to write anything about this song until I heard this song live, which I did on Sunday night at City Streets, it kicked the evening into full gear, with Rotondo's guitar leading the way and Steve's bass keeping the beat steady.
A true fun song that doesn't need to be over analyzed, a true rocker, country style.
I listen to a song several times and write thoughts down each time. I was playing BACK HOME in the car on the way home from work yesterday and my wife says " what is this nice music" Now, I love my wife dearly, but, she is the ultimate "pop radio girl" and i rarely think she pays serious attention to what I listen to. She normally refers to me as one of those "Bruce People". The fact that Back Home got her attention is a tribute to the songs flow. The melodic rhythm which, is almost waltz like, flows throughout the entire song. Bob Rotondo's lyrics are smooth and understandable as the lost love thread which is prevalent in many tracks of this disc stands out in a Norwegian Wood type of way. The broken hearted wants his baby back, and is willing to "fly around the world" to find her and bring her back, but, he sits alone, refusing to believe that this relationship is over. Obviously, a strained relationship, which the male wants to repair, the writer has a vision of reconciliation, true love and desperate hope.
The combination of the pedal steel and the Little
Steven type mandolin gives this song its personality. The whining pedal
steel is tugging at the heart strings of the man who so desperately wants
his girl to come home, but we never know if his vision is complete, as is
the case in so many loves, lost & found.
This is a straight ahead, top down, pedal to the medal, I'm gettin' outta here rocker. The writer is headed away from a torn relationship and knows there is no going back. This was a strained relationship, one sided at best, as Bob Rotondo writes in verse 2, "no need for long goodbyes" and in the chorus, "a thousand miles away is too close to you" It is apparent that the male subject in Midnight Train, was more affected by the split than the woman. However, he's moving on, away from all that reminds him of the girl he wanted to have a life with. The vocals remind me of Lennon's "I'm a Loser" at times, rough edged, with a smooth delivery.
American Hawk is tight and the recording crisp. This
is a very radio friendly cut and could be a break out tune on college,
country and independent stations in the near future.
This was the original song I
had the opportunity to hear before any others off of this fine CD. Bob
Rotondo speaks through his lyrics as a father, son, and grandson, not only
to his immediate family, but to all families who have been touched by the
wars this country has been involved. He writes of the importance of family
values and the protection of our country as a whole, as well as the land
where we, individually, make our homes.
In verse 3, nine-eleven is directly addressed as Bob Rotondo writes of the
"beams of light pointin to the sky". This verse is survival statement. We,
the USA, has faced terror head on and survived. The beams of light represent
the path the victims took to heaven for their sacrifice, and a guide for us
who don't understand why this happened to keep following, although the true
answer of why this happened, may not lie ahead for generations or at all. A
true Mellencamp (pink houses) mid-America type anthem that keeps our values
in front of us, but, reminds that freedom cannot not be taken for granted.
At the end of this CD lies the diamond in the rough. The acoustic version of
"Home of the Brave." Rotondo's stripped down version, gives this song a
whole new feel. A bit more of a surrendering notion is present here. The
acoustic version has the Dylanesque harmonica, Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl,
Bruce Nebraska, texture. It makes one want to go rent a black & white movie
and remember the times before technology consumed so many of our lives when
we actually had time to eat family dinners and spend time together and teach
our children that we live in the Home of the Brave and to be proud of our
heritage.
Opening chord gives "Everything Here But You" the feel of Bob Seger's "Mainstreet" but that is where the comparison stops. The opening track shows the writer reflecting on what he has or has accumulated through his life as a musician or has obtained as a result of his success. Material things are present. Especially the ring. The recipient feels it is given w/out true love being present and probably through an ultimatum. She knows where the writer's true love lies, in his music, and didn't want to settle for another material object, so she leaves.
This is a song for the lonely with the crying steel guitar and passionate mandolin providing the pace and setting the tone. I can see a middle age rocker sitting on a rocker on a big farm staring out at his land, as well as a "dotcommer" in his 20's looking over the NYC skyline from a penthouse apartment with his life ahead of him and only able to satisfy his financial needs