By Tim Wood
Reviewing music brings with it certain pleasures - one of them being the opportunity to find gems that have not had massive commercial success, but which nonetheless are well worth a listen. "Legends Diner" by Rick Monroe (Divorce Records) did have some commercial success, but probably not as much as it deserved.
Two cuts off off of the album, "Life Goes On in L.A."
and "Day by Day" did well on the adult contemporary charts, earning Monroe
the designation "#1 Up and Coming Artist" from the Gavin Adult Contemporary
Charts.
Monroe, who once fronted a heavy metal band, does well on this album as a storyteller in the style of Bruce Springsteen. But don't look for too many soft acoustic numbers - this is first and foremost a rock and roll album.
Chicago guitarist Keith Howland is featured prominently on this CD. He plays guitar on all but two tracks and covers a range of styles in the process. His eerie, phase-shifted guitar playing on "Barbie's Got a Jones" fits the sad lyrics about the demise of a Hollywood Starlet. His playing fits the songs and arrangements well, no mean feat considering the limited number of takes the band did on each track.
The album was recorded in a three-day jam session with Monroe, Howland, bass player Lance Morrison and drummer Matt Lang. Monroe described the sessions:"I literally would start playing a song, the guys would pick it up, we'd run through it twice and lay it down, then move on to the next one." The backing musicians are tight and complement Monroe's vocals well.
Besides the two singles, other noteworthy tracks include "Barbie's Got a Jones." "Can't Get Blood from a Stone" is a straight-ahead rocker that could have come straight out of 1970s classic rock - and to this reviewer, that's no knock.
There's another ode to the 70s with a nice cover of "Dancing in the Moonlight." "Runaway" has a Celtic feel to it, with beautiful pedal steel guitar by Bruce Howell. "That Thing You Do" could have come straight from 1950s pop-rock, and Howland nails the 50s guitar style.
The songs flow well and there's no weak link on this 12-song project.
Divorce Records is Monroe's own independent label. He recently finished recording a follow-up album "Shame," recorded in Texas with Augie and Clay Meyers and Shawn Sahm.
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