|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| . | |
Member
Of:  |
|
| . | |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
. |
 . |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The opening track "This Time", is the story of a man looking to the future and promising himself to move forward in life rather than getting hung up on the regret, anger, and mistakes of his past. Kevin sings in the opening lines "There is a time for moving on and letting bygones be gone and this time, I think that I will. Like Johnny Cash, Kevin Deal's faith has always seemed to be an important part of his life and his music and "This Time" is very much a modern country hymn. Deal sings "I'm gonna walk away from my chains. I'm gonna leave behind mistakes and pain. Oh and this time, I pray that I will. Kevin Deal has the unique ability to sing songs that are rooted in the moral principles of Christian faith without preaching down to his listeners. Johnny Cash has always had the same gift for singing songs of faith without being self-righteous. The second track "Last Drop" opens with beautifully done steel guitar and just gets better as the story unfolds. "Last Drop" is the story of a relationship between a young boy and an older man. The song dodges all the stereotypes of this recurrent country music theme by never revealing too much of the characters' relationship. "Last Drop" is a tribute to anyone who ever took the time to pass on something of himself to a child. "Last Drop" also goes a few steps toward establishing a new sound in country music. The "Blind Nello Sound". This song could easily fit on an album by Kevin Deal's label mates Mark David Manders or Max Stalling. Kevin has been playing "My Father,s Redneck" live for quite some time and it is wonderful to finally have this song on a Kevin Deal disc. "My hippie hair I saved in my closet. My tie-dye shirt I seem to have lost it. They say the apple don't fall far from the tree. Now I find my father's redneck belongs to me. The inclusion of this humorous song of the often rough and rocky road of father/son relationships is key the overall feel of "Kiss on the Breeze". Which is by far Kevin Deal's most light-hearted release to date. Whether you're a father, a son or both, you will surely be able to relate. "Can't Hold A Candle" is a slow fiddle filled song of a man's devotion to a woman who will never love him the way she loves her old flame. Kevin sings with sincerity, "I know she,s thinking of him right now. And I'm just the one she runs to when he's hurt her somehow. Way I feel for her I know she'll never feel the same. I can't hold a candle to her old flame. I still hold her just the same. Simple, honest, and amazing. Hell, we've all been there, right? The title cut finds Kevin rubbing musical salve on the wounds
left by "Can't Hold A Candle". "Kiss on the Breeze"
is literally that. A light-hearted kiss-off to a lover left behind
by a man who chooses to follow his dreams as they blow along
in a gulf coastal breeze. Kevin sings, "You know I've always
been a dreamer. Never could settle down. Just look for me in
the wind. That's where I,ll be found. Just send a kiss on the
breeze. Address it to me. Care of some forgotten highway, in
the land of broken dreams". "Kiss on the Breeze"
is one of those great songs that will instantly transport you
to a different locale- a week long south Texas vacation in just
three minutes and twenty-five seconds "A Thousand Words" is the first in a trilogy of great breakup songs. It is also a grand sad love song. Once again Kevin wrings painful honesty from his every word. "Parting is no sweet sorrow, it's a dull aching pain, it leaves you hungry and hollow. What you need to hear is how I need you here". Pain, heartache, longing, and regret have never sounded so wonderful. "A Thousand Words" takes you to the very far edge of heartache and makes you feel that if you ever make it back, you will never be the same. I first heard this song a few weeks ago and still can't believe the level of honesty in Kevin Deal's voice. The heartache continues on "The Phone That Don't Ring". Luckily, some time seems to have passed and our hero is doing a little better. Aided no doubt by generous amounts of steel guitar and loud smoky bars. The raw pain of "A Thousand Words" is beginning to heal as this traditional honky tonk dance number unfurls. "I could get whiskey drunk and slam it against the wall, but it ain't the phone's fault and it would not make her call. I know I have no one but myself to blame". On "Cracked Up", the wounds are almost healed. And, we are all finally able to laugh out loud again. Kevin sings on the chorus, "Now crazy ain't all it's cracked up to be, and I'm just a shell of the nut I used to be. Oh, darlin', won,t you please, please come back to me. 'Cause crazy ain't all it's cracked up to be. Kevin again showcases a humorous side to his talent that he had only occasionally used before. "Day The Blues Cried" is Kevin Deal's tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn. Kevin, like so many fans of Texas blues, recalls exactly where he was the moment he first heard the news of Stevie Ray's death. He sings "Though I did not know him, it did not stop the tear in my eye and the sense of loss I felt is hard for me to describe. It was the day the blues cried a Texas flood of tears from on high. The day that the blues cried, and Texas pride and joy fell from the sky". At this point I began to worry a little. Where were the rocking blues numbers that were always such a great part of Kevin Deal's music? I should not have worried. "Smoke" is a great blues rock song. Easily the best blues number Kevin Deal has recorded so far. "Smoke" is full of pounding drums, dark seductive guitars, greasy harmonica, and a snarling swagger that instantly calls to mind the Rolling Stones. Bluesy rock-n-roll hasn't been done this good in a while. On "One Good Ride", Kevin finds himself once again back on spiritual ground. You see, "One Good Ride" is a Christmas song. And first I have to explain I am not a fan of most modern Christmas songs. It is very rare today to find anything left of the true spirit of goodwill that used to mark the Christmas season. If you miss that, "One Good Ride" is for you. I first heard this song all alone in my truck in early December. I was truly moved. There are very few songs that I can remember exactly where I was the first time I heard them. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song. A little stretch of highway outside of Waco. A brilliant blue sky stretched all the way across Texas. A dazzling sun trying in vain to fight back the autumn chill. And, myself who doesn,t like Christmas songs and had just about given up on liking Christmas altogether, wiping a tear from my eye. You can pre-order "Kiss On The Breeze" by visiting Kevin's web site at kevindeal.com Contact Shannon Heaton at heaton-at-rockzilla.net
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
Kevin Deal's "Kiss On The
Breeze" is such a solid working class delight that one could
not help but draw comparisons between Kevin Deal the hard working
stone contractor and Kevin Deal the equally hard working song
writer. Kevin's songs are so well crafted and solidly built that
the comparison is only natural. From the initial ringing chords
of "This Time" to the last notes of the hidden acoustically
revisited "Honky Tonks and Churches", this album is
a blue collar, redneck, tour of the places country music needs
to return home to. No high brow pretensions or new age ideals
here. Just straight forward country songs that hit you right
in the gut, the head, and the heart. "Kiss on the Breeze"
is Kevin Deal's most fun-loving album to date. It is also the
album that best captures the spirit seeing Kevin Deal perform
live. All of these songs blend and fit together in such a way
that one almost never seems more important than the next. On
"Kiss on the Breeze", songs of faithful determination
snuggle up against odes to redneck fathers, which skip right
along to a hotter than habanera Tex-Mex tune. A tribute to a
fallen Texas legend, a blazing blues rocker, a Christmas song?
As on his previous recordings Kevin Deal still draws on diverse
musical influences, yet, it all seems to fit a little more naturally
this time around.
|
|
|
|