Bold as Love

I bought a new CD Monday. Actually I bought 2, but have really only listened to one.
Because I want to listen to it over and over!

Let me start over.

What happens when you are in love, and then fall in love again. Or not again, but deeper, further, farther off the cliff?

The cause is probably always easy to identify. Your baby smiles. Your 2 year old drones, "dumb, dumb dumb" on her drive to school because she likes the sound of it. Your dog kisses you more softly than you can imagine. Your wife trustingly lets you rub her belly.

You get the picture...but what happens is harder to say.

Let me start at the beginning.

3 maybe 4 years ago I was shopping late into the Christmas season, I needed a present for Katy badly, and had no ideas. I was in a borders in Tucson, AZ. waundering through their CD's and I saw a blurb from Nick Lowe on a CD.

“Discerning music lovers have long known that Watkins is not only an artist and entertainer of the very top drawer but also, bafflingly, an all too well-kept secret. Being so individual his style is hard to define -– I would file him as the missing link between Paulo Conte and Howling Wolf.”- Nick Lowe

Who knew if the CD was any good? But desperate, I decided if it was good enough for Nick Lowe it was good enough for Katy. That record was Geraint Watkins, "Dial W for Watkins." And as it turned out, it is just about the perfect record. Soulful and sweet, it carries you along with its words, its rich vocals, its wonderful music.

Watkins, apparently is a longtime session musician, longtime member of the cajun band Balham Alligators. And most of his records are out of print, including his one other solo record, Bold as Love

So I have been waiting for years for his next record. It came out in October of '08. In Brittain.
I have checked and checked, but it was never released here, never on I-tunes (which I kind of hate), Until I checked again on Monday. Here's the line-up.

Easy to Say "Bon temps Rouler" --Easily my new favorite song.
Champion -- Smooth and sweet (see below).
Unto You -- a haunting warning, ancient, like a response to Vincent Price
Fools Like Me -- a late age Nick Lowe type song...wonderful and reflective
Chagrin -- Storm weather and windy seas... guitar, violin and accordion. He makes you sway
My Love -- This song sounds very much like a song I know and I can't place it. Moody Blues? comes to mind but without the flights of fancy. Vocal Harmonies, easy pop, twang guitar...It will drive me crazy until I figure it out.
Bourgeoise -- As frenchy as the title.
History -- Drum Machine, Swaying Organ, overdubbed vocals...Part strangers in the night...part Barry White. a masterful song.
Jenni -- Lost love with a low gravel. With Geraints organ taking center stage.
Heart of the City -- an odd re-mixing that grows on me.
Catch On -- Another Nick Lowe type song. Adult love. Adult because you've recognized your mistakes, not overcome them. They are what engulf you and only by singing can you be set free.
At Last -- A dance number waiting for a Fred Astaire. My heart was wrapped in clover the night I looked at you.

Unfortuenetly, because i-tunes sucks, I have no idea who plays on the songs, nor even who wrote them. I know "Heart of the City" is a Nick Lowe standard, but Geraints version is very different.

Lets not focus on the negatives. Here is a sample of what he can do:
champion

I was ready to write a pithy little review of the record when I found this video and my stomach dropped out from in me. There is always the fear when buy a new record that it will pale in comparison to what you know. This record is both similar and distinct from "Dial W." It is both similar and distinct from things you've heard before. Here is his Myspace page if you want to listen to more songs, and see more video...http://www.myspace.com/geraintwatkins

But really go buy the damm records...even if that is something you never do...because both "Dial W" and "In a Bad Mood" reward me everytime I listen to them. Do i have to wait 4 more years for something else new? I can't do it.