Search - Chuck Brodsky :: Letters in the Dirt

Nose Rings & Songs to Sing

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 10/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chuck Brodsky's 1996 set is one not to let pass by. "The Ballad of Eddie Klepp" is a great toe-tapper about a white baseball player breaking racial barriers by playing in the Negro League, "He could not ride the same busses or stay in the same motels; He could not eat in the same restaurants, couldn't have mixed clientele." "She's Gone" is another catchy tune with Gina Forsythe's fiddle adding a homey touch. "No More Mr. Nice Guy," is a toe-tapping hoedown born of frustration, "Gonna get me a black leather jacket & a skull & bones tattoo, a big old pair of stomping boots -- gonna get a nose ring too." "Talk to My Lawyer" is delivered talk-sing about frivolous lawsuits. David Wilcox's electric guitar and Annie Gallup's backing vocals assist the victim survivor song "Until You Can Forgive," "With the anger in your veins you have broken through the chains holding you accountable for whatever was." "Missing Each Other's Cues" is a humorous ditty about couples who often find themselves a bit out-of-sync. The set ends with a soft ballad, "The Goodbye Kid." Brodsky's "Letters in the Dirt" is a good set of folk songs that often sets your toe to tapping and puts a smile on your face. It alternates with more reflective themes. These are songs with deep meanings delivered with Brodsky's expressive vocals. Enjoy!"