Roots rocker
Randy Weeks has made a great album here, and it's hard to know whether more credit should go to the no-frills arrangements (two guitars, bass and drums, garnished with the occasional distant wisp of organ), the no-nonsense hookiness of his tunes or the unassuming grace of his voice. The voice is worth noting: it's uncannily similar to
Freedy Johnston's, which means that there really is more than one songwriter in the world whose writing is good enough to distract you from a voice like that. A bit too nasal, a bit too thin, and somehow perfect because of it. The thing about Weeks is that he makes it sound sexy, both on the sly title track and on the soulful "Baby You Got to Choose," wherein he promises "I'll bring you biscuits, baby, and so much more." There's the essence of his charm: on the one hand, you know exactly what he's after, but on the other hand, he does promise to bring biscuits. "Long Ride Home" sounds like a Blasters outtake (that's a compliment), "Get Back to Me" sounds like a
Dan Penn outtake (ditto), and on "Countryside with You" he makes more use of one note than some singers do with twelve. Great, great stuff. ~ Rick Anderson