The Power a Secret Holds ...

The title to this blog posting is a play on The Dead Brothers' song "The Power a Secrt Holds," which can be found on the incredible Voodoo Rhythm Records Records to Ruin Any Party Vol. 3. I have had nothing but praise for the label and these compilations, and this one, complete with Juke Joint Pimps, Pussywarmers, Urban Junior, Reverend Beat Man, Possessed by Paul James, Bob Log III, Andy Dale Petty, Roy and the Devil's MC, and many more doesn't disappoint.

But I, like Peter David, digress ...

It's been about two years since I've last had a post here. Why? I've been busy. Very. Busy. Black Devil Spine came out, which meant I was listening to classic rock for months of editing. (Classic rock is a huge part of that story.) I also started the Sinful Cinema series, which is proving to be popular with film fans. So, yeah, blog posts took a backseat to other ventures.

As I was cleaning the house and tossing out stuff, I was listening to this compilation, and when Reverend Beat Man's "Jesus Christ Twist" came on I thought, "I haven't written a blog post in a while!" What better music to inspire a new posting? Voodoo reinvigorated my love of music, and now it's served as a catalyst to getting the blog going again. I can't promise this will be a regular thing, but I'm sure going to try and make it so.

As to be expected, I believe that anyone who appreciates excellent music should march out and find this CD. Sure, it's six years old, but the music is as timeless as sunsets and funeral rites. There's blues trash, swamp rock, psychedelic, and just about everything else to stir the heart. I'm not saying this because I received it free to review, either. This is stuff I'd be recommending regardless of how much I had to pay for it. Trust me, this is worth it, as are the other two volumes in the set.

Maybe next time I'll delve into how music fit into the writing of Black Devil Spine. Maybe not. In the meantime, you've got some trash blues to enjoy ...

Hot Shit From Switzerland

Urban Junior's Two Headed Demon is much like you'd expect from a one-man band.  Experimental.  Rockin'.  Uncompromising.  Now think about this: The CD was recorded in one take.

Suck on that, Soundgarden.

Released on Voodoo Rhythm, the only label that consistently takes chances on acts such as this, the album is 13 songs of pure joy.  No.  It's not deep in the way whatever the navel gazers are into this week.  It's not meant to be.  It's just there to be experienced.    That's why you get songs like "Heidi's Head," "Das Leben," and "Man on the Run" (the CD's single).  Nothing quite sounds the same, yet it's all coherent.

"'I wanna stick my tongue in the mouth of a girl/A girl like you."  That's the lyric that sticks in your mind from the appropriately titled "A Girl Like You."  My guess is that after seeing Urban Junior perform, more than one female wanted to be that girl (and perhaps a guy or two, too).  The music, while not sexy, has sex written all over.  It's practically dripping down its thighs.  Carnival sex in the bed of a pick-up truck while your friend is driving you on some back country road.  It's the kind of music that makes you glad you don't know what your local radio station is playing, and even happier that you can't identify a single tune by Bruno Mars.

Thank you, Mr. Urban Junior for proving that one-man bands aren't the domain of street people whose motivational speaking is directed at a brick facade that reeks of piss and old punk fliers.  You have given faith to the faithless and hope to the hopeless.  Keep up the good work.

Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: Yep, I received this with the hopes I'd review it. Clicking on a link could earn me some cold, hard cash.