Plano Road Publishing artist: Crooked Eye Tommy - Butterflies & Snakes - New release review

I just received the debut release, Butterflies & Snakes, from Crooked Eye Tommy and it's actually quite good! Opening with a cool blend of John Bonham style rhythm and early Lynyrd Skynyrd swagger, this track tells a crazy myth of Crooked Eye Tommy. West coast vocalist/guitar player/songwriter Tommy Marsh leads this band in what is undoubtedly his strongest effort. This is a cool track with nice slide work joined by Paddy Marsh on guitar as well as Glade Rasmussen on bass and Tony Cicero on drums. Very cool. Next out of the box is Come On In with a much richer Latin R&B feel sung by Paddy. This is a really hot track putting me in the theme track from the Wire (Cable TV show), Way Down In The Hole, written by Tom Waits. This is a really great song with euphoric guitar work throughout and super drum work by Cicero and joined by Jimmy Calire on sax and keys. Excellent! Jimmy Reed style track, I Stole The Blues, stays tight in the groove with rich vocals from Paddy and hot sax work from Calire. Funky jazz rocker, Time Will Tell, shows off some Allman Brothers style guitar lead with a twist of Larry Carlton/Denny Diaz flash for a poppy radio style track with a cool melody. Tide Pool is a really clean soul track featuring paddy on lead vocal with a rich melody and vocal harmonies. Solid keys carry the load and Marsh gets great guitar tone on his smokey solo making this another super radio track. Somebody's Got To Pay has a nice easy swing and casual guitar soloing. Calire isn't messing around when he steps up with his sax blowing the top off. Love Divine has a lot of 70's styling with and some really nice over the top guitar lines. With it's bright but funky beat and tight vocal package and twin guitar leads, it hits the line. Very nice! After The Burn is a hot, Latin influenced rock number that drives. Marsh plays a really crisp guitar solo on this track reinforcing what we all knew all along... he's damn good! Calire lays out another smooth key solo and Marsh is back again bolting the door closed with nicely articulated guitar phrases. Very nice! Texas style rocker, Mad And Disgusted, gets the joint rockin' with a driving beat and super piano work from Calire. Getting the Southern swagger going again, Calire really kills it on this one. Marsh's vocals really work well with this band and his brother's vocals, a deeper shade of blue is a great contrast. Soulful, Over And Over, has a real nice slower pace, digging for rich blues. Calire brings it on sax again and Marsh grinds out a super solo of his own. There is a female vocalist on this track singing background that is very reminiscent of the Dark Side Of the Moon. Very nice! The release is wrapped up with a pop country track, Southern Heart which could easily make a run on the country radio market.

   

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”