CD REVIEW - Shiver
By Too Slim and The Taildraggers
I had heard of, but never heard "Too Slim and the Taildraggers." The chance to review and hear "Shiver" was a welcome opportunity. Tim Langford (Too Slim) has been around for 25 years and this is his 16th CD. Also in the trio are drummer Tommy Cook and new bass player Polly O'Keary. I looked at his schedule to see if I could catch him somewhere close, but he seems to be only touring on the West coast. First, the music is very good -catchy tunes and tasty guitar licks. Second-the lyrics are pretty intense, not your every day stories, I'll tell you that. Here are some examples. First from the initial song "Stoned Again"-the devil drinks his whiskey and Jesus drinks his wine. One is a sinner- the other is divine-now tell me what's the difference when both of them are getting high". The second song, "Daddy's Bones," deals with a chilling subject. It is about a man who was rumored to have 'snitched' on big-time criminals , and was killed and thrown in the swamp. The story is a plea from the son to find his bones and save the farm. Whew! On a different side is "Workin." This is a protest on what the government is doing to the working man. "We the people bailed out your ass, maybe oughta think-about giving some back "People everywhere just wanna get workin', cheap talkin words don't pay the bills."
Some of my favorite tunes are the title tune, "Shiver," with a great lead guitar by Too Slim's son,
Austin Elwood, while Dad plays rhythm guitar. They sound great together! Another favorite tune is "As the Tears Go By," with a Stevie Ray sound on guitar. This CD left me with a few questions. Why did it take me so long to hear this guy? Will I ever get a chance to see him perform live? Where are all the other 15 CDs I haven't heard?
Let me end with this...when I review CD's, I try to listen at least 3 times. This hint came from Jim Weber. It sometimes is difficult to muddle through the CDs I get even twice. I think I listened to "SHIVER" at least 25 times, and will again and again. You should try at least once.
~ Don Vecchio
