DAMON FOWLER

SOUNDS OF HOME

2014-02-16

On his third Blind Pig solo release, Damon Fowler, a Tampa Florida native who sings and plays guitar, lap steel and dobro steps away from his other gig as part of blues super-group Southern Hospitality and lays down 11 tracks that range from the J.J. Grey style grungy swamp groove of "Thought I Had It All" to the Stonesy rock riffs of the title cut, the Z.Z. Top boogie of "I Grit My Teeth" and the straight up reading of Elvis Costello's "Alison". The darkly mysterious "Trouble" has some jazzy riffs worth of a Steely Dan disc while Spark and Johnny Winter's classic "TV Mama" hue closer to the blues. "Old Fools, Bar Stools, And Me" is infused with both nostalgia and regret with Fowler's lap steel dicing his pain into small slices as he laments the fact he can't be with people but can't stand being alone either. "Where I Belong" and the traditional "I Shall Not Be Moved" find Fowler at the other end of the emotional spectrum with buoyant riffs and upbeat vocals. Joining the core band of Fowler, Chuck Riley on bass and James McNight on drums, producer Tab Benoit contributes harmony vocals and guitars on a number of the tracks and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux makes a brief appearance on the title cut. Another solid disc from Fowler's burgeoning catalog of top notch tunes. SMITTY