2023 will be the year in which T.J. Cowill bids his Dark Americana alter ego King Dude goodbye. Admittedly I've slept a little on his recent releases after 2016's "Sex" - with the exception of last year's collaborative Psychedelic Western album with Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand. (R.I.P. Albin Julius!)
Taking his project full circle, he also released two digital EP with his most Country recordings ever, featuring his takes on several Great American Songbook classics, which were either written or popularly interpreted during the 1940's. Still counting as an EP this new double seven inch compiles both of them as a beautiful physical release.
KING DUDE - Songs of the 1940s - vol. 1 & 2 (2 x 7" EP) (2023)
The easiest go-to-definition of King Dude has always been an occult twist on Johnny Cash mixed with influences from Neofolk, Darkwave, Gospel and Rockabilly.
These eight songs however are a little bit easier to describe, because they are all pure traditional American Folk and Country and mostly even played in lone cowboy with a guitar by the fire style. But the King wouldn't be the Dude without adding touches beyond his sonorous voice to make these tunes his own.
Be it the pedal steel guitar on "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" or the whole productions of "Oh Death" and "Pistol Packin Mama" being drenched in eerily cavernous echo or the addition of spooky piano or organ here and there; there's no doubt who you're listening to, even though all of these songs have been covered a thousand times before.
Ok, since I seldom ever dip my feet into this world, I've personally neither been overfed with Cole Carter nor Al Dexter or Hank Williams so far. Which was on purpose, no doubt. The only song of which I have a particular knowledge beyong having heard that somewhere sometime is Stan Jones' "Riders In The Sky". I not only love Youn Sun Nah's spectacular Jazz version, but actually performed it myself as part of a family band - either on my grandparents' (R.I.P.) iron wedding anniversary or my grandfather's 90th birthday. (Those two instances were close to each other, so I confuse the performances.)
Especially given my longtime reservations towards the genre, I find myself much more entertained by this than I would have expected. Only the last track "I Saw The Light" even in this form is still a bit too preachy and corny for me.
All in all however this EP is a great song collection, and its presentation by this Raubbau release is very coherent, starting with using the 7" format, given that the material comes from an era, in which not long playing records, but singles were the norm. The choice of historic images printed on the brown cardboard of both the gatefold and the outer slipcase is moody, and the embossed logo - also on both - is the icing on the cake.
There were two flaws with my copy I have to warn you about: 1. The holes were both too small for my player and needed a bit of widening with a ballpoint pen. 2. The needle has to be put on very carefully, otherwise you might risk it drifting off to the side!
"Songs of the 1940s - vol. 1 & 2" will be officially released on February 23rd.
These eight songs however are a little bit easier to describe, because they are all pure traditional American Folk and Country and mostly even played in lone cowboy with a guitar by the fire style. But the King wouldn't be the Dude without adding touches beyond his sonorous voice to make these tunes his own.
Be it the pedal steel guitar on "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" or the whole productions of "Oh Death" and "Pistol Packin Mama" being drenched in eerily cavernous echo or the addition of spooky piano or organ here and there; there's no doubt who you're listening to, even though all of these songs have been covered a thousand times before.
Ok, since I seldom ever dip my feet into this world, I've personally neither been overfed with Cole Carter nor Al Dexter or Hank Williams so far. Which was on purpose, no doubt. The only song of which I have a particular knowledge beyong having heard that somewhere sometime is Stan Jones' "Riders In The Sky". I not only love Youn Sun Nah's spectacular Jazz version, but actually performed it myself as part of a family band - either on my grandparents' (R.I.P.) iron wedding anniversary or my grandfather's 90th birthday. (Those two instances were close to each other, so I confuse the performances.)
Especially given my longtime reservations towards the genre, I find myself much more entertained by this than I would have expected. Only the last track "I Saw The Light" even in this form is still a bit too preachy and corny for me.
All in all however this EP is a great song collection, and its presentation by this Raubbau release is very coherent, starting with using the 7" format, given that the material comes from an era, in which not long playing records, but singles were the norm. The choice of historic images printed on the brown cardboard of both the gatefold and the outer slipcase is moody, and the embossed logo - also on both - is the icing on the cake.
There were two flaws with my copy I have to warn you about: 1. The holes were both too small for my player and needed a bit of widening with a ballpoint pen. 2. The needle has to be put on very carefully, otherwise you might risk it drifting off to the side!
"Songs of the 1940s - vol. 1 & 2" will be officially released on February 23rd.
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