Search - Dirk Hamilton :: Go Down Swingin

Your Swings Make Wings

06/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dirk Hamilton was considered an "angry young man" when signed in the mid-70s to ABC and the four albums that followed went on to prove his profound worth as a songwriter. Unfortunately for Hamilton, his fans, and anyone who values great lyrics and songwriting, record companies are less interested in great work than they are in sales. Hamilton proved to be less interested in writing hit songs than in staying true to his muse and his poet's heart. Meet Me At the Crux, from 1978, is truly one of the great albums of the `70s. Rolling Stone would agree. Yet no reissue is planned. A CRIME! The three others, You Can Sing On Your Left or Bark On Your Right, Alias I, and The Thug of Love, are all incredibly crafted albums full of the imagery and power of a true poet with a potent energy and the leveling perception that scans and renders the most important moments in glistening, perfectly natural language.When Elektra booted Hamilton in 1980, he retired from the business, and from songwriting itself, for a few years. Local coffee house gigs and a stint as cover-band musician brought Hamilton out of his self-imposed exile. He began writing and performing original songs again around 1985.Meanwhile, he discovered a strong following in Italy... The Italian fans, passionate and loyal, cherished his albums and found his solo tours incredibly satisfying (he's embarked on 11 Italian tours since the late `80s). Go Down Swingin' was Dirk Hamilton's second album for Appaloosa Records, an Italian label that helped to resurrect this neglected artist's recording activity in the late 80s. Having financed Hamilton's Too Tired To Sleep - a compilation of various studio projects for never-inked record deals -- Appaloosa backed this follow-up, a cohesive and compelling album that arrived more than a decade after Dirk's big-label swan song, The Thug of Love (1980, Elektra).Go Down Swingin' was Dirk's first full-fledged studio effort in a decade. Offering up the riveting opener for which the album gets its name, as well as classics like "Borderline" and "Wild and Free," this collection runs the emotional gamut from frenetic and terrifying to soft and sweet. Hamilton can serve up phrases which are at once perfectly crafted and yet as natural as the spoken word. One subject that doesn't get ignored is how Hamilton has been ignored by the recording industry. No one will remember that/You're the one that stood up/ When the rest sat pat/Help someone find their coat get back, they've stole your hat/ Walk around all day backwards/ Never get a pat on the back/Every little cut ya' get will bleed/ With Your Heart On Your Sleeve/Your heart on your sleeve(With Your Heart On Your Sleeve)Go Down Swingin' is a superb introduction to one of the great songwriters of this century or the last."