From Amazon.com
you gotta check this out...
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I actually saw this band play in a rundown little bar in Chicago called the Hideout. Most of the bar was consumed by the band equipment made up of a stand up bass, guitar, washboard(complete with symbol)and harmonica. The raw voice of Rick Cookin' Sherry filled the rest of the space. This CD does a great job of getting as close as possible to the atmosphere that I experienced. A little more crowd noise and cheap beer would complete the mood. If you get a chance and are in Chicago on a Tuesday, you should check them out. Don't be too afraid of the outside, it really is quite a place. If not, grab a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon, a few cigarettes, this CD and close your eyes...perhaps you can imagine.
Takes a little getting used to...
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I really like this disc, but it took some time. Initially I had a problem with the vocals. They are deep and, if not listened to carefully, can seem droning. The instrumentation is really nice, and quite novel with a tuba and washboard giving an old-timey kind of feel. The songs are real catchy, and once I began hearing the subtlety of the singing, I was able to really enjoy these guys.
a chicago treasure
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: it is hard to classify this band: they cover a range of old, traditional styles ranging from blues, to delta, to shuffle, to hymnals, to jazz, to country, to cajun. how about his "kitchen jug music"?
on this album, the gang expand their musical palate: there's a sizzling fiddle here and there and "cookin'" cooks up a mean clarinet in a tune that you might know already. it smokes.
the highlight, apart from the aforementioned "feel like steppin' out," may be "manifold." the title itself suggests the profundity of this motley band which you might not anticipate upon first listening. the song is about cookin' a fish on a car radiator on a hot summer day. it's good music and great storytelling: the best of americana.
there's some serious blues harpin' goin' on here. add to it some wicked acoustic guitar and the smooth thumping of a double bass or tuba. yes, a tuba! how about a washboard and a kick drum? and "cookin'" has a mean, don't mess with me, bassy voice.
are these guys a bunch of... hoodlums? with a title like "lepidoptera" i don't think so.
a melting pot of roots influences
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: First rule of thumb: it's on Bloodshot Records, it must be good. This is the second release from Devil in a Woodpile, a Chicago-based roots outfit. They lace ragtime, jazz, blues, and all kinds of roots influences into their sound. My only complaint would be that the lead vocals are a bit flat. Otherwise, this is a fun cd.
The Devil is back and at it again!
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Devil in a Woodpile is the Division Street album by a roots group with seemingly few pretensions. It's a thick stew of rootsy blues standards and originals, guaranteed to satisfy. Rick "Cookin'" Sherry has a quirky vocal style that, at times, seems a direct pirating of Leon Redbone. Or is it just the similarity of the tuba backing them? Instrumentation is varied -- harmonica, washboard, a thumpin' stand-up bass, and the aforementioned National steel and tuba. Division Street is entertaining fare whether you like blues, "alt.country" of the "No Depression" school, or good ol' roots music. Don't try to genre bend. Just call it a soundtrack to sip yer 'shine to, kids, and all will be well. Go Devil, Go!
Purchases
1 Big Boat - Devil in a Woodpile, Brown, R.
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