Search - Don Nix :: Back to the Well

Zounds! This is Good Stuff!

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 01/16/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don Nix may not be a household word, but he put out 3 LPs I repeatedly played in the 70s: "Living By the Days" on Elektra in '71, "Hobos, Heroes & Street Corner Clowns" on Enterprise in '74, & "Skyrider" on Cream in '79. I was surprised to find this one & immediately put it in my cart. 8 years after it's release, "Back to the Well" wears well. Billy Crain's blistering electric guitar propels the opening soul-funk track cowritten with Mac Gayden, another 70s cult hero, on "Goin' Down the Road to Memphis." Nix keeps the energy cranked on the gospel wail "Waiting for the Help." Another hot electric rocker follows cowritten with Gary Nicholson, "Don't put no 'Plastic Flowers' on my grave." On track 4, Nix slows the pace a bit for the tender "Angel Tears," "When my angel cries, you can feel the heavens tremble in her eyes." Soaring background vocals sell the midtempo "Easy Street" where Nix's vocals sound tired, counterpointing the optimism of the lyric and giving the song deep levels. "Out on the Road Again" is a flat-out rocker. "Fool's Paradise" is a midtempo rocker rife with hooks and great pop. "Too Dumb" is a rocker where Nix regrets a love that got away, "I was too smart for my own heart." Bob Welch cowrote the swamp rock "Moon Madness" that sounds like it might have been a Creedence Clearwater track if they'd recorded in the late 50s! "Dance Chaney Dance" is not a track about Vice President Dick Cheyney trying to answer questions about the Enron Corporation. :) It's lightning bolt soul-rock that sounds like a renegrade track from Delbert McClinton. My current favorite track is the near-classic, titulating "Cruise Control," "Pulled off the highway late last night, switched off the keys & I turned off the lights, we got in the back seat, I must've come on too strong. She said, 'You better slow down or we won't be here long.' My baby's got cruise control!" The CD ends with acoustic guitar & fiddle on the eulogy "Jerimiah Gage." This CD has the right mix for me with about two-thirds fast rockers & one-third slower tunes. Nix is in good form. 8 years later, it's about time for another recording. Buy this one & give the man some encouragement! I thank you!"