Search - Sonny Burgess :: Sonny Burgess

As the back of the album claims: Burgess has still got it

tobyjason | Minneapolis, MN United States | 08/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems that some "purist" rockabilly fans aren't too high on Burgess' original stuff, seeing it as too r & b-oriented and insufficiently hillbilly-based. I've never understood that view: to me Burgess' records were the absolute wildest, and while they were perhaps not as obviously souped-up hillbilly as most of the recordings made by his Sun-label mates, there was no way Burgess could ever have been confused with the straight-laced white R 'n' B of early northeastern sax-driven bands. There was always southern-billy in his sound; it was just there in a different way than it was in most of the original rockabillies' sound.Anyway, Burgess' southern roots come through in a more variegated way on this cd than they did on the old stuff: the basic r 'n' b framework is still there, but the tempos are slightly slower and there is more of a straight honky-tonk influence on several of the tracks than there COULD have been in the 50's. A track like Hell Yes I Cheated could easily have come from a mid-60's Johnny Paycheck session.The key element making this a must-have release is the improvement in Burgess' voice since "the day"--not that there was anything wrong with it in '58. It hasn't actually deepened as much as it's gained SOUL: Burgess sounds like he's got gravel in his throat, but it WORKS, and how! Burgess injects FEELING into every track. While he did the same in the 50's, back then it was rather one-dimensional: his recordings exuded more enthusiasm and excitement than almost anything else anyone did at the time. On this cd, Burgess does that when necessary, but his voice conveys so much MORE than it once did, while still retaining its edginess. Sounding as he does today, Burgess ought to be recognized as an American treasure. Given the record industry as it exists, that'll never happen, which is tragedy. Get this and recognize it for yourself, at least."

Nice Ride

Mary Esterhammer-Fic | Chicago, IL United States | 06/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I treated myself to this CD right before I took a road trip, and it was perfect driving music. Burgess rocks; he must've been smoking for years to cultivate a voice that rich and gritty, and he more than does justice to "Tiger Rose," which Springsteen wrote for him.



And honestly, who doesn't like listening to a righteous rockabilly album on a wide-open interstate, even when you're driving a little silver Subaru and not a Big. Black. Cadillac?"