SOUTHSSIDE JOHNNY & THE POOR FOOLS

SONGS FROM THE BARN

2013-03-24

Southside Johnny has always been known as one of the finest bar & party bands from the Jersey shore & just like friend and fellow rocker Bruce Springsteen has dabbled in folk and down-home heartland rock. This CD a side project from The Asbury Dukes "though employs several members" is a mixture of original tracks as well as great cover tracks from Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan & Randy Newman. The CD begins with two originals and it is easy to see the heartland direction Johnny and producer John Lyon are taking this disc. "Cant Let Go" is a terrific cover of a Lucinda Williams track and one of the highlights on this disc. Chris Kenner's tack "Something You Got" combined with "Down Home Girl" has a 1960's soul sound and could easily have been released on a Jukes disc. Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a bluesy track where the vocals have a real Tom Waits sound to them. The CD bookends the country heartland sound with the Randy Newman original "Old Kentucky Home". This CD unfortunately will still not make Southside a household name, but after almost 40 years, I am sure he didn't expect. It will though put a smile on the faces of his legion of loyal fans. Reviewed By: Gregg Saur

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Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.