Cowboy Mouth – Cover Yo’ Azz’
This is the 4-decade-strong New Orleans, Louisiana band’s big album of 10 covers from artists/songwriters they admired over the past 60 years. Woo Woo – this is like a 10-year-old opening a big heavy box at Christmas & having no idea what’s inside. The group itself has been a progenitor of alternative rock, AOR, jam-band & roots rock.
Driving their musical road since 1990, Cowboy Mouth (taken from an early Sam Shepard play) has survived major labels, independent labels, live shows & being inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Throughout their long career, the band has had many members. This set, Cover Yo’ Azz’ (Drops Aug 15/Symphonic Distribution), is their first effort since 2014. The LP outlines not only the songwriter but the singers who made the songs hits.
The band offers these covers in their own peculiar & impressive way. The Paul Anka classic, made famous by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley & Sid Vicious, is rendered with energy, but not with the smoothness of Sinatra, the operatic overtones of Presley, or the overcooked version by Vicious. Cowboy Mouth has lots of drums on their take & is far more energetic.
Then it’s on to The Who’s “The Real Me,” & the Roger Daltrey alchemy is perfectly reproduced along with The Bonerama Horns. Fred’s vocals & drums are nuclear powered yet, at no time did this sound like an imitation but a respectful take on Daltrey’s superb singing.
The majority of the covers were all performed with expertise, finesse & style. Cowboy Mouth is masterfully tight & certainly knows their subjects. For a small unit, they have a thick rock ‘n’ roll sound that’s aggressive, musical & has a wide berth in their approach. Not a crack in their musical armor. It motivates hands to clap hard, feet to tap fast & heads to rock ‘n bop.
Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople’s lead singer), “Just Another Night,” is another fiery rocker with a wall of striking guitars in its attack. It has bite & charm with a touch of female backup that’s sensually soulful. A little more in a novelty-oriented realm is Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” with its hoedown style that ups the humor quotient & makes the set entertaining. As it should be.
There are covers also captured from The Replacements, Fats Domino, Crystal Gayle & Blue Rodeo, R.E.M., Cher, Hootie & the Blowfish. That’s a good word…the album summed up is a hoot.
Highlights – “My Way,” “The Real Me,” “I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday,” “Just Another Night,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,”
Musicians – Fred LeBlanc (lead vocals/drums), John Thomas Griffith (guitar/vocals), Brian Broussard (bass), Frank Grocholski (rhythm guitar/vocals).
Color image courtesy of the band’s website. CD @ Apple + https://www.cowboymouth.com/
