- The Last Hombres
Redemption
Koch Records
- By Kevin Minihan
 When
I heard that Levon Helm, the legendary drummer and vocalist from
The Band, was involved in a new project, I got pretty excited.
And you can bet your last dollar that the members of the band
he decided to join, The Last Hombres, were very excited too.
It all happened like a fantasy for the roots rock veterans.
They met Helm through a contact at Pie studios in New York.
Through this, they were able to land an opening spot for Mr.
Helm at a club gig in New York. As they were setting up, Levon
suggested they play a few songs together towards the end of the
night. Evidently, Helm liked what he heard and felt that night
because he called the Hombres' guitarist/vocalist Paul Schmitz
the next night (it was his birthday, no less) and asked if he
could be their drummer! Now that's one hell of a birthday present.
All I got last year was a lousy card but that is a different
story.
As I was pulling the CD out of the case, I couldn't wait to
hear the distinctive voice of the man behind such classics as
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Cripple
Creek." But as I listened to the opening track, that great
voice was nowhere to be found. I thought, "Maybe he'll
sing the next song?" Wrong again. As panic set in, I grabbed
the liner notes which revealed that Levon doesn't sing at all
on the album. The horror. Maybe I shouldn't have set myself
up for such disappointment. As I discovered later, there was
a very good reason why Levon doesn't sing on the record -- throat
cancer. He has since recovered, but he can no longer sing.
But, as he has said in many interviews, Mr. Helm is very happy
to be alive and to 'just' be a backing member of band. So, consider
this fair warning for anyone who may be lured to this disk seeking
to hear The Band part II. It doesn't happen.
What you get instead is an average collection of roots rock
songs with a few standout tunes. "It's Alright Norma"
is a George Thorogood-like roadhouse rocker. Russ Seger's raspy
voice churns out the lyrics with authority. "King of Memphis"
is a soulful song about the seedier side of life in the infamous
city.
If you stand too close to the river at night
Off in the distance you'll hear a mournful cry
With the light of the city shinin' on your back
You'll leave something there you will never get back
I'm the King of Memphis
I've lived every one of your dreams
Buddy Cage (ex-New Riders of the Purple Sage) throws down
some great pedal steel work on the swaying "Swoon".
The song, about someone desperately trying to persuade a new
love to take a chance, includes some sweet harmonies from Cathy
Creger.
If you wanted me to sing
Girl I'd make your Daddy weep
I'd have your Mama cryin' with him
No one ever heard a song so sweet
While many of the Hombres songs hit their intended mark, the
target they are shooting at has been hit so many times before
that there is a big hole where the bull's-eye used to be. How
many songs do we need about someone wanting their Cadillac back?
Hard core roots-music fans may enjoy this disk, but even a Hall of Fame
drummer can't help this ship make many waves.
Contact Kevin Minihan at minihan-at-rockzilla.net
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