Deadbeet Records artist: David Olney - When The Deal Goes Down - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (July 8, 2014), When The Deal Goes Down, from David Olney. Opening with title track, When The Deal Goes Down, Olney stirs a country style rocker with a moving beat and cool backing vocals, Olney throwing down some authentic Nashville style guitar riffs. Acoustic ballad Little Bird (What I Do) is very nicely written and backed by sweet female vocals. Clean stylistic guitar accompaniment nicely compliments this arrangement. Jazzy Servant Job ponders a conversation between Job and God. Light hi hat work and trumpet highlights give this track a different feel. Ballad Soldier Of Misfortune has a Jimmy Buffett feel with piano, Spanish style guitar and island backing vocals. Something In Blue is one of my favorites on this release with a taste of old country western music. Cool! Scarecrow Man continues with a country western taste in the ballad area. Interesting lead guitar work on this track sets it apart. Why So Blue has a stylized Hawaiian style that was popularized in the US as country pop in the 20's. The steel guitar work on this track is real nice! Mister Stay At Home is a vocal duet with a twist of Dan Hicks or Red Clay Ramblers and some nice little guitar quips. Fun! Roll This Stone has a cool bass line giving this country flavored track a funky rumble. Wide open lead guitar work on this track also makes it one of the more entertaining tracks on the release. No Trace is another track with a loose Jimmy Buffett island kind of feel with a Tex Mex taste provided by accordion. Sad Saturday Night, a different kind of arrangement between acoustic guitar and tuba, leaves Olney as a sole balladeer. Big Blue Hole has a raw, punky, stripped down sound. Wrapping the release with this track sews up an eclectic bag of music.

  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”

 

Master Storyteller David Olney Stacks the Deck on New Studio Album, "When the Deal Goes Down," Coming July 8 on Deadbeet Records

Master Storyteller David Olney Stacks the Deck on New Studio Album, When the Deal Goes Down, Coming July 8 on Deadbeet Records

Singer/Songwriter Will Celebrate New Disc with Grimey’s Too/Howlin’ Books In-Store on July 8 and Special CD Release Show on July 9 at The End in Nashville

NASHVILLE, TN – Master storyteller David Olney announces a July 8 release date for his latest studio album, When the Deal Goes Down, on Deadbeet Records. Produced by David Olney and Mark Robinson and recorded/mixed at Guido’s Studios South in Nashville, When the Deal Goes Down presents a dozen tales of roots music mayhem and delight, with the acclaimed singer/ songwriter backed by a cadre of some of Music City’s most creative players, including long-time Olney compadre Sergio Webb on guitar. The new album is the first time Olney and Robinson have worked together.

Olney will offer his hometown Nashville fans a special treat with a double-dose of performances to celebrate the new album: on July 8, a free in-store show and CD signing at Grimey’s Too/ Howlin’ Books (1702 8th Ave. South); and on July 9 a full-blown CD release show (with special guest RB Morris) at The End (2219 Elliston Place). Later this summer, David Olney will make his debut as a Shakespearean actor in the annual Nashville Shakespeare in the Park Festival. During the extended run engagement (August 14 – September 14) at Nashville’s Centennial Park, Olney will play the part of Lord Amiens in a modern version of As You Like It, and also contributes new original music to the play.      

Bolstered by Olney’s wicked sense of humor, counterbalanced with his knack for writing both dramatic and insightful lyrics, When the Deal Goes Down takes listeners on a wild ride of emotions from love and hope to fear and despair, all the while being entertaining as-hell. From the comedy of “Mister Stay at Home” and “Servant Job” to the tragedy of “No Trace” and “Scarecrow Man,” the new CD convincingly covers both the bitingly funny and chillingly stark sides of the street – and doing a fair bit of jaywalking in between them, too.

“I thought it might be helpful to God if I told him (or her) what I wanted from him (or her),” he says about the origin of the album’s title track. “God answered with a lightning bolt that just missed my head. What a kidder!”

On When the Deal Goes Down, he once again has several co-writes with long-time collaborator John Hadley, including the song “No Trace” “I pictured it in Africa, but it could also apply to West Virginia. Or anywhere in North or South America. Or the land of Canaan. Or the planet Earth. You get the idea,” Olney confides.” They pair up once more on “Mister Stay at Home,” a tune Olney says “has a jug band feel with some Mills Brothers thrown in. Grumpy old guy decides to go to town and have some fun. Hey, wait a minute, I resemble that remark.”

One of the most visual and visceral tracks on the new album is the mesmerizing “Scarecrow Man.” “There are any number of things in life that can do us in but what really terrorizes us are the demons we create in our own minds,” he says about the song. “They don’t disappear until we breathe our last breath.” And then he adds, “This was originally a Cha Cha.”

David Olney’s music has been compared to Tom Waits and Johnny Cash, and he has had songs recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Lonnie Brooks, Tim O’Brien and Steve Young, among many others. Over a career that span four decades, he’s recorded more than 20 albums and toured around the world. In 2013, his song, “Postcard from Mexico,” was prominently featured in the hit ABC-TV series, Nashville. His YouTube channel has become must-see destination for web fans every Tuesday with his “You Never Know” video shorts featuring the story behind a song and its performance, along with other personal observations, as well as music videos and classic poetry recitations, such as “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

“Olney brings to mind other acclaimed storytellers like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Randy Newman and his work holds its own with this esteemed company,” wrote Michael Berick in his Blurt review of an earlier album, adding, “Olney has created such a memorable set of distinctive characters and dramatic scenarios that this work seems like a soundtrack to a novella or stage production.”

Fans can pre-order When the Deal Goes Down in both digital download form as well as CD,  including immediate download of 2 tracks in the high-quality format of their choice (MP3, FLAC, and more), plus unlimited mobile access using the free Bandcamp listening app. They’ll also get the complete album the moment it’s released. To find out all the information on this offer, visit http://davidolney.bandcamp.com/album/when-the-deal-goes-down

For more information on the artist, go to www.davidolney.com

DAVID OLNEY ITINERARY

7/8                         Grimey’s Too/Howlin’ Books In-Store Show & CD Signing              Nashville, TN

7/9                         The End (CD Release Show)                                                                        Nashville, TN
7/12                       Private Concert                                                                                                 Whitefish, MT
7/17                       Machinery Row (solo show)                                                                        Great Falls, MT
7/18                       KGLT-FM Presents Live from the Divide (w/Sergio Webb)             Bozeman, MT      
7/19                       Waterworks Art Museum (w/Sergio Webb)                                        Miles City, MT
7/20                       The Murray Bar (w/Sergio Webb)                                                             Livingston, MT
8/2                         Musical Heritage Center @ Fiddle & Pick                                               Pegram, TN

8/6                         Music City Roots                                                                                               Franklin, TN 
8/14-9/14            Shakespeare in the Park – Centennial Park                                          Nashville, TN
8/20                       The 5 Spot (Band) - Residency                                                                    Nashville, TN
8/27                       The 5 Spot (Band) - Residency                                                                    Nashville, TN
9/3                         The 5 Spot (Band) - Residency                                                                    Nashville, TN
9/9                         Public Library Concerts (w/ Marshall Chapman, RB Morris)            Nashville, TN
9/10                       The 5 Spot (Band) - Residency                                                                    Nashville, TN
9/17                       Idaho Songwriters Ass/Sapphire Room (w/Sergio Webb)              Boise, ID
9/20                       Challis Arts Council Presents:  (w/Sergio Webb)                                 Challis, ID
10/25                     Huntington Hill Concert Series (w/Sergio Webb)                                Rochester, NY
10/26                     East Village House Concert Series (w/Sergio Webb)                         New York, NY
11/1                       Balsam Mountain Inn (w/ RB Morris, Brennen Leigh)                       Balsam, NC
11/12-11/25        The Netherlands & Germany
12/12                     Pinetop Mystics Presents: (w/Sergio Webb)                                       Nacogdoches, TX
12/13                     Red Dragon Concert Series                                                                          Baton Rouge, LA

Additional dates forthcoming ….