Stompin Tom,the man of the land,Moves Along!!
Robert Badgley | London,Ontario,Canada | 08/26/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well,this CD released in 1999 is a must have for any fan of Canadas' #1 man of the land and musical legend Stompin' Tom Connors.
This man has been in the public eye for almost 40 years now and shows no signs of letting up and this is to everyones benefit.Here is a self made,did-it-on-his-own true Canadian entertainer/artist/legend who has been the only one to stay true to his roots right from the beginning of his career.....before it was "fashionable" to do so.
I will always admire this man for what he has done for the country and the patriotism he shows.He has a whack of talent both as a performer and a songwriter.And there has never been a more accessible star than Stompin' Tom.What performer do you know will stay behind after most of his concerts to give his fans a chance to chat,get autographs and pictures? And still act like someone you've known for most of your life? No one.
Mr.Conners sports no affectations or attitudes.In fact using the term 'star' is really the opposite of how he's perceived and indeed comes across.What you see on stage or face to face is the real deal.No phoniness at all.Just a man proud of his country and proud and grateful to be where he is.
I urge all readers,if they haven't already,to get copies of his two books which will astound one as to how far Stompin' Tom has come in his life and how much he accomplished.
This CD is another testament to the living legend that he is.
It is pure Canadian music with one foot in country and this time one foot in rockabilly.One can't really peg him down to one genre of music because each CD can span several genres and sub genres.
But his talent and writing skills are in abundance on this one.
He does some cover versions one of one of his favourite performers Hank Snow with "Sammy Morgans' Gin" and an absolutely wonderful and surprising rendition of that Australlian classic "Waltzing Matilda".
The opening track and title of the CD is a great opening number and trucking song that instantly has your feet tapping and head bobbing.It's also a fine example of where Stompin' Tom has always excelled.He has had the knack of creating songs that are seemingly simple and with great hooks that beautifully sell the songs,whether it's ballads,up tempo numbers or rockabilly.
Mr.Connors surprised this writer by re-recording two of his most famous numbers,"Long Gone to the Yukon" and my personal favourite "Big Joe Mufferaw".He took this song, with the help of his fabulous backing talent of Mark Leforme and the Forms,and put some real "guts" into it and I now prefer it over his original interpretation.
Another standout is a song with a topic I never thought could be made into a song for the simple reasons of the difficulty in rhyming it and the topic itself.Who else but Stompin' Tom could make a great number(there's that wonderful 'hook' again!) about Sasquatches? Listen to the "Sasquatch Song",you'll love it.
Here's a man that has fought up close and personal with the Canadian entertainment industry most specifically the award shows and radio.He gets very little to NO exposure on radio or TV in this country.Yet he's as popular today as when he first started,if not more so.He gains more fans every year from youngsters to university/college students to seniors and everyone in between.
I invite you to see him in person and also more importantly to go out and buy his CDs,especially this one.This is among his best in years and deserves all of our support.
Thank you for the music Stompin' Tom.You're one helluva man and a Canadian."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1