Sometimes I lose, sometimes I get lucky
loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 12/10/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Whole Fam Damnily by The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band explodes off the blocks with Can't Pay the Bill, a stinging screed about the state of health insurance, and chugs along with other rants and revelries that capture the hardships and triumphs of folks living on the margins.
There is a high, lonesome romp in the amazing Worn Out Shoe, a madcap moment of recognition in the very funny Your Cousin's On Cops, barely tramped-down rage in tracks such as The Creek's Are All Bad or Walmart Killed The Country Store. (I have to say, though, that by the end of the album, I'm ready to move on to other tales, other voices, other viewpoints.)
The Reverend Peyton plays a mean guitar and his singing is more likely to raise the hackles on your neck than soothe your soul. His so called Big Damn band is mainly the percussion (drums and washboard) that help keep matters chugging along a pretty full tilt. Also, The Reverend knows how to work a lyric and can infuse a fair amount of emotion into his lines.
If there is an underlying theme here, it might be from the chorus to Worn Out Shoe: "Sometimes I lose, sometimes I get lucky." This recording is one of the best Americana releases of the year and likely the best one that no one is listening to. I was lucky to stumble across this gem.
"
Simple, but good...
Sean Thomson | Columbia, South Carolina | 09/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Well, if you mix Dom Flemmons (carolina chocolate drops), Charlie Patton and Jack White (from the white stripes) together and have it start smoking at age 10, you've got the Rev. Peyton...
The rhythm section can be a bit weak at times, but it's still awesome... As good as Mama's Fried Potatoes...."