Nominated by: GK
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Summertime Thing
Chuck Prophet has been around for a while, starting out in a cow-punk band in the mid-eighties. I liked his stuff with Green on Red, much like I enjoyed other cow punks like Jason and The Scorchers (who tellingly cover a couple of Dylan songs superbly). I lost track of him in his solo years pretty much and then, bam, GK opts for Chuck's 2002 album - No Other Love.
Okay - a digression - regarding British folk and American folk.
GK mentioned that he chose this following my Roy Harper selection and mentioned his proclivity for American folk acts. In a shock horror divergence of taste - I have a definite leaning towards the British variety and the Canadian variety (Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, Joni, Gordy). Of course, I also love American folk artists like Joan Baez, Woody, and Dylan, but there is something earthy, tradition based (the medieval base), and authentic about British folk artists that I find particularly appealing. Some of my favourites - Steeleye Span, June Tabor, Martin Carthy, Shirley Collins, Nick Drake, Donovan, Billy Bragg, Ian Matthews, Strawbs, Al Stewart, Lindisfarne, The Waterboys and, yes - Roy Harper.
Chuck Prophet? Is he a folk artist? Americana - yes (he seems to combine country, pop, electronica), Alt-country? Sure. But I wouldn't have put him in the folk, or even folk-rock genres.
I also find him very derivative. It's like he's put Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Nilsson, Tom Waits, Glen Campbell, and Kris Kristofferson (double helping of KK) into a blender. I hear the starts of loads of songs in his intros and in his vocal inflections.
Frinstance - I Bow Down to Every Woman I See - take some coconuts from Harry, mix in some ode to Bobby Joe and stir. Then add in some J. J. Cale style lopping beat - pop in the blender and bingo. It's no wonder GK loves this album.
Now I also love all of those influences, but the echoes tend to divide my attention. My ears prick up, pick away at the various strands, and bug me - where have I heard that before? That's How Much I Need Your Love's component parts are nagging away at me as I write.
Even the album title is slightly derivative of Gene Clark's seminal No Other. I guess it's a complment?
At times it sounds like the Everly brothers mixed in with some Highway 61 era Dylan. At times it's Chuck singing over the top of a Ennio Morricone soundtrack. At others it's like The Travelling Wilburys with Prophet doing the vocals. If Bob and Jeff need a new member Chuck Wilbury is their man.
The highlight for me is Summertime Thing. It evokes the summertime mood up brilliantly, tells a vague story in a laid back summer way, doesn't have anything that nags at me, is catchy, has some tasty pedal steel, and references The Beach Boys in a transparent fashion.
I think I'll end there on a positive note. Chuck is good, but Chuck could be more original for my taste. Now, where's that Al Stewart album?
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