This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 4/06
"Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"
Mark Twain said that 'truth is stranger than fiction, but it is
because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities, truth
isn't.'
It can be assumed that Twain didn't have Chuck Brodsky in mind when he offered his pithy quote--but he could have.
Brodsky uses his music to shine light on history's dusty folds and obscure crevices,
illuminating figures and events certain never to appear in any
standardized history text.
Eclectic is the best word to describe the subject matter of Brodsky's musical lineage.
For example: there's the barnyard animal linked to the curse of
the Chicago Cubs and why, despite a plethora of stars--Banks, Santo,
Williams, Jenkins, Sosa--Wrigley Field has not enjoyed a World Series triumph.
Or, a
not-so-jolly figure, most associated with gift-giving and good will towards men, creatively 'saluting'
Philadelphia Eagle football fans.
There's also a member of a pachyderm
parade who responds to stimuli like any human being would and
pays the ultimate price for doing so.
A recounting of the D.B. Cooper tale
is told as is one about the world's most arbitrary and mercurial taxi
driver.
Brodsky also continues to mine the sports vein for material with four offerings, the aforementioned two and another pair
involving ping pong 'diplomacy' and baseball being played as if one's
life depended on it.
But it isn't all a litany of the weird and offbeat. Brodsky
depicts what may very well be his family musical tree in "Old Song Handed
Down" and a similarly-themed tale in "A Toast to the Woman in the
Holler."
In "The Man Who Blew Kisses," Brodsky movingly portrays the quirkiest of
individuals but leaves it to the listener to determine if the subject is
someone mentally deficient or actually advanced. He sings:
"...The man who blew kisses in front of the stageThere's also a 'tribute' to our Commander-In-Chief, "Liar Liar, Pants on Fire," with such verses as:
Knew nothing of jealousy and nothing of rage
Nothing of prejudice, nothing of shame
He had never been broken, he had never been tamed
...The man who blew kisses eats tulips for lunch
And probably rainbows but that's just a hunch
Sunshine and pixie dust mixed in his punch
Daisies for breakfast he picks by the bunch..."
"...Talk the lingo, dress the partChuck Brodsky may be all over the map but, lucky for his listeners, he takes us along to the most unusual destinations.
Even put your hand on your heart
Bomber jacket, emperor's clothes
You can't even reach the end of your nose..."
Track List:
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