copyright 1999
Trout Records - TRT - 14
P.O. Box 914
Prairie Grove, AR 72753
ph: (888) 439--8342
http://www.troutmusic.com
mailto:ktfia@aol.com
This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 3/00
"Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"
http://www.icogitate.com/~celticfolkmusic/index.html
mailto:celticfolkmusic@icogitate.com
Some are out to change the world. Some want to share their deep personal angst. Others want to shock or, failing that, become a personality. (Well, maybe not in the folk world, but...) Not Trout Fishing In America. Granted, Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood (don't their names sound like delicious characters out of a dusty Dickens novel?) certainly provide some philosophical offerings here but the utmost achievement is one of solid entertainment. The subject matter is presented in a velvet wrapping, tied with some clever wordplay. And that's just fine.
A timeless tale about the feelings of separation, "Closer To The Truth" is a sweet offering with a touch of humor. They sing:
"Driving the winding roads of Tennessee
saw an anchor on a mountain
a thousand miles from any sea
can't be too careful
never know what you might need
you know Noah went from fool to celebrity...
I'm getting further from the things I thought I knew
but I'm closer to the truth
there's a distance to be crossed
and it's the space between me and you."
"Dangerous" has an interesting Caribbean/reggae sound and rhythm. Singing about the various everyday possibilities featuring danger: thunder and lightning, midday sun, saying I love you, food that you're eating, lying and cheating, fools with guns, cash in a sock drawer, glitter and glamour, the pair close with:
"...the older I get the dumber I feel
and it's causing me concern
I haven't quit chasing automobiles
even ones that hit me
new tricks are hard for old dogs to learn
dangerous, dangerous..."
Remindful of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" in its opening, "Big Boys In Bad Shape" is an admonition on the fast life and culture in the 1990s:
"...Talk show with a top spin
hard sell for the big win
make it all up as you're going along
top dog in a tight jam
good job for the ad man
brand new version of the same old song...
there's a world out here and no one's watching
it's a beautiful world spinning out of control
we put our faith in heroes
where do they put theirs?...
wake up in the morning
invent the wheel every day
once you get it rolling
you just watch it roll away..."
"Alberta Postcard" is just what it says--a delightfully rhythmic description of a wintertime visit to Calgary and its environs. The duo sings, somewhat tongue-in-cheek:
"...It's not always this cold
guess we got lucky this time
but 35 below's impressive to a Southern boy
and memories likes this will always be frozen in time..."
"But I Do" and "There You Go" present similar subject matter--how to retain an innocence, a sense of wonderment in this world, a welcome with open arms to new experiences without succumbing to the turbulence of life and closing down to new possibilities and opportunities.
The zippy and witty "After You've Gone" describes the unshackling and breaking out after a relationship ends. They sing:
"...After you've gone
I'll leave the toilet seat up
I'll stop recycling and start smoking cigarettes
After you've gone
there'll be a holiday
I'll take my Keogh plan to Reno and invest
I'll shave and leave my whiskers in the sink
No, I'll stop shaving
I'll grow a beard
"Almost September" is the perfect end-of-summer feeling song. Idlet and Grimwood sing:
"Moonlight shines on the water
I can see it from the beach house deck
Cool breeze coming off the Gulf of Mexico
aloe vera for my sunburned back
walked on the beach in the brown sugar sand
felt like walking in an hourglass
Sea shells, sand dollars
pick up memories as the good times pass
It's almost September
There's a change in the wind
It's almost September
Never gonna be this way again
No no..."
These two guys know how to write and present music--something that sounds much, much simpler than it seems. It's doubtful you'll experience an epiphany while listening to this CD but you'll certainly consider it time well spent.
Track List:
All songs written by Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood, except as indicated.
Copyright © 1998-2008 Kevin & Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews. All rights reserved.
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