California -- principally from Bakersfield and south -- has long bred roots rockers who favor a lean but muscular approach. It's a line that zig-zags from
Ritchie Valens to
Buck Owens to
X to
Dwight Yoakam.
David Serby continues this fine tradition. In fact, his debut disc suggests what the
Blasters might have liked if they favored country more than R&B. The toe-tapping twang-a-billy lead-off track "Red Lipstick and French Perfume" could easily fit in on a
Blasters CD.
Serby's vocals very strongly recall
Phil Alvin's country croon, although his voice has a softer, gentler side. This quality increases the sense of vulnerability in his heartache-filled songs like the cheater's tale "I Learned My Lesson" and the gambler's saga "Down to the Felt." His working man's ode "Dirt Beneath My Nails" might not be as gritty as a
Dave Alvin effort but it holds a nice nostalgic feel. Similarly, the quietly wistful "Cannonball Trail" takes a fond look back at childhood. What separates
Serby from the typical honky tonking roots rocker is his sharp songwriting skills. He displays a real talent for turning a phrase without turning it into country clichés. On the title track, he sings: "the California King's too big for one man all alone" to concisely yet vividly portray a man's loneliness and, in another song, he comes with the memorable metaphor: "It's time we cut this deck in two/'cause we've been playing Solitaire" to describe a crumbling marriage. His excellent lyric writing also is prominently showcased on the disc's closer "The Day That We Moved In" where he compares a couple's last day together in a house with the day that they moved in.
Serby is well served here by producer/multi-instrumentalist Ed Tree and his veteran backing crew (including Skip Edwards and Jay Dee Maness) but they mainly just stand back and let
Serby shine brightly on his confident, impressive debut. ~ Michael Berick