Metal Shed Blues

Amazon.com
The Old Joe Clarks' solid debut, Town of Ten, was all delicate acoustic picking and melancholy motifs. The 1999 follow-up Metal Shed Blues remains faithful to those country-blues beginnings, but it also marks a significant step forward for the group. Singer/songwriter Mike Coykendall's craggy voice sounds something like Bob Dylan's might after a small hit of helium, so it's not really surprising that his songs occasionally bear Dylan's influence: "Passers By," for example, feels like Dylan's "Meet Me in the Morning" run low on batteries, and "Thirsty" is reminiscent of "Country Pie." The best cuts here, though, fuse such expected folk-rock inspirations with a bittersweet melodicism at which the group's debut never even hinted. "Slow," "Turn," and "Eyes Closed" travel the back roads of relationships dead and dying, with a poignant and spare pop sense that's quietly beautiful. --David Cantwell

Tracks:

No Going Back
Metal Shed Blues
Slow
Passers By
Thirsty
Spent
Falling
Ocean Blues
Rising Fences
Tiple Blues For Chris
Turn
Eyes Closed

Amazon.com

The Old Joe Clarks' solid debut, Town of Ten, was all delicate acoustic picking and melancholy motifs. The 1999 follow-up Metal Shed Blues remains faithful to those country-blues beginnings, but it also marks a significant step forward for the group. Singer/songwriter Mike Coykendall's craggy voice sounds something like Bob Dylan's might after a small hit of helium, so it's not really surprising that his songs occasionally bear Dylan's influence: "Passers By," for example, feels like Dylan's "Meet Me in the Morning" run low on batteries, and "Thirsty" is reminiscent of "Country Pie." The best cuts here, though, fuse such expected folk-rock inspirations with a bittersweet melodicism at which the group's debut never even hinted. "Slow," "Turn," and "Eyes Closed" travel the back roads of relationships dead and dying, with a poignant and spare pop sense that's quietly beautiful. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews:

my album of the year.......1999-09-05

This record is amazing. The melodies are timeless, and the music is simply beautiful. I'm in love

my album of the year.......1999-09-05

This record is amazing. The melodies are timeless, and the music is simply beautiful. I'm in love

my album of the year.......1999-09-05

This record is amazing. The melodies are timeless, and the music is simply beautiful. I'm in love

my album of the year.......1999-09-05

This record is amazing. The melodies are timeless, and the music is simply beautiful. I'm in love

Haunting melodies and the ghost of Jerry Garcia.......1999-03-25

The Old Joe Clarks second release, Metal Shed Blues, is stunning in it's simplistic beauty and haunting melodies. The songs are all originals, written by vocalist Mike Coykendall, and sung so pure and straightforward, they evoke an honesty and directness often lost in the over-produced major studio efforts of today. The title track, with it's dead-on acoustic guitar shuffle, lonesome harmonica and lap steel harmonies sets the tone for the entire album. Yet there are one or two surprises in store; try the wooden-floor barroom rocker "Rising Fences" with its Little Richard keyboard riffs. Other highlights are "Ocean Blues" sung by Coykendall in his voice that evokes the ghost of Jerry Garcia while providing the thread that seamlessly binds the songs together. "Tiple Blues For Chris" an instrumental that says more than most lyricists ever have, leads into "Turn", with its blend of country-folk sadness that both identifies and personifies this band. It's honest music folks, and the bonus is that The Old Joe Clarks are honest players. It's a combination that shouldn't remain an undiscovered treasure. Tell a friend.

Music Album:

Music Album