Search - Buddy Blue :: Pretend It's Okay

Public Enemy Number One And All-Around Nice Guy

Clark Paull | Murder City | 12/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Apparently Buddy Blue has garnered a reputation as some sort of cantankerous ball of hate for his no-holds-barred (and usually hilarious) ramblings in his "OC Weekly" column as well as for the taskmaster-like approach he brings to the rehearsal space, stage, and studio. Due to the fact that he e-mailed me a note of thanks for my ham-handed attempt at praising The Beat Farmers' "Tales Of The New West," in my book he'll always be someone who stands tall and sings into the light. Besides, at the end of the day, it's his name on the marquee and the albums, so why not get it right? Which is exactly what he does, again, on "Pretend It's Okay," another showcase of guitar, harp, drums, piano, saxophone, bass, accordion, fiddle and Might Joe Longa's mighty Hammond B3, as the Blue man strums, picks, blows and sings his heart out on what is obviously a labor of love. To make sure he got it right he even went out and formed his own record label, fer Crissakes. Blue explodes right out of the hole like a top fuel dragster running on melted down barrelhouse blues and jump records with the one-two punch of "When Merrill Pitched A Boogie," dedicated to fallen hero Merrill Moore, and "Hurricane Of Love," a loving tribue to his better half. Once again Blue is ably assisted by a roster of friends that reads like a who's who of roots/blues/swing/jump/fill-in-the-blanks, including Billy Bacon, Freddie Brooks, Chris Gaffney, and Judy Henske (who, based on her vocals on "You've Done Lost Your Good Thing Now," must subsist on a steady diet of Pall Malls and gargled razor blades). Throw in a spirited re-make of The Beat Farmers chestnut "Goldmine," "57 Kids" (a spirited paean to, you guessed it, the late Screamin' Jay Hawkins) and Blue's bid for acceptance by women's groups the world over in a cover of Bo Carter's "Please Warm My Weiner," and what you have is a shining testament to the power of real people playing real music with real instruments and a beacon of light in an age of musical pitchblende."