| Lafarge, Pokey / Something In The Water |
|---|
| Album: | Something In The Water | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | Lafarge, Pokey | Added: | May 2015 | |
| Label: | Rounder Records | |||
| A-File Activity |
|---|
| Add Date: | 2015-05-01 | Pull Date: | 2015-07-03 |
| Week Ending: | Jul 5 | Jun 28 | Jun 21 | Jun 14 | Jun 7 | May 31 | May 24 | May 17 |
| Airplays: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Mar 18, 2023: | Hanging In The Boneyard Something In The Water | 4. | Apr 14, 2016: | Feng Shui The Spark | |
| 2. | Feb 11, 2023: | Everything When Did You Leave Heaven | 5. | Jul 28, 2015: | Mix Tape: That's Not Not Bluegrass Knockin' The Dust Off The Rust Belt Tonight | |
| 3. | Aug 05, 2017: | Buford J. Sharkley Presents: As Told to Hervey Okkles Cairo, Illinois | 6. | Jul 02, 2015: | Tetragonal Banana Knockin' The Dust Off The Rust Belt Tonight |
| Album Review |
|---|
| Wallace Brontoon Reviewed 2015-05-01 | ||
|
How is Pokey LaFarge possible? A modern-day Leon Redbone, insofar as he incorporates the whole of early 20th century popular music into a modernized (but still out-of-time) approach. Pokey LaFarge, of St Louis, seems an impossible character-- riverboat hustler, yodeling hillbilly, yelping hustler, and more. Early (rough-edged, crazy) jazz, ragtime, Western Swing, boogie-woogie-- all these musics combined together in a beautiful stew, presided with the piercing, precise, fluent welp of Pokey's vocals. FCC clean. Play anything (with exception of #5, which lacks the nostalgic mastery of the others). 1 (3:23) ****** Atmospheric, spooky tin-pan alley, with shades of Stephen Foster-- minstrel-y bg harmonic group. Slick guitar solo-- a really special song. 2 (2:48) ***** Wonderfully pinched '20s cornet, lovely spirited novelty blues with barrelhouse piano, sweeping boasting vox. Wonderful unhinged saloon music. 3 (3:27) **** Heavy tribal drums, banjo and brass group-- sounds deeply like the '20s "race music" as done by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Fun track. 4 (3:43) ***** Puts to mind the sessions Elvis did late at night, just him with his guitar and the Jordanaires-- wonderful expression in the slick (yes, Elvis-y) vocals, and the spareness of the arrangement is lovely, lovely. 5 (3:59) Straight-ahead folk-country (a la Old Crow Medicine Show); less loopy and original than the rest of the album (and a bit overproduced and treacly). 6 (3:22) **** Bouncey riverboat blues with harmonica, a bit of extra 78 shellack in Pokey's voice. High-speed, fun, with a nice harmonica break. 7 (2:52) **** Yes, some wonderful Western Blues emceeing, Bob Wills calls to his soloists-- cornet, trombone, banjo. Elegantly professional take of the Tampa Red composition. 8 (4:42) ****** Beautiful '20s Spaniard-tinted tin pan alley pastiche-- castanets, American-tinted mariachi... beautiful melody with swaying "la-di-da-di-da"s, atmospheric and haunted. 9 (3:13) ***** Slow, sad and sweet guitar (reminiscent of Mississippi John Hurt), with full-out broken-hearted country blues vocals. Small, cozy arrangement-- backing harmony group is subtle and so sorrowful. 10 (2:52) *** Sunshiney r&b (reminiscent of slick '50s soul-pop groups) 11 (3:09) **** More Western Swing influenced-- steel guitar and banjo strumming. As a take on the genre, just so frickin' perfectly executed. 12 (3:10) ***** Rampaging ragtime winner, with whiskey-scented jazz group just frickin' swingin it-- | ||
| Track Listing |
|---|