Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat - Tijuana Bible
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CD Details
Artist: Jim Suhler and Monkey BeatEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-02-17
Music Label: Underworld Records
Soundtracks:
- Tijuana Bible
- Devil in Me
- Drunken Hearted Boy
- Up to My Neck in You
- Long Hot Summer
- Black Sky
- Deep Water Lullaby
- Years of Tears
- Po' Lightnin'
- Border Rock
- Mexicali Run
- Sunday Drunk
- Chaos in Tejas
- Juice
- I Could've Had Religion
- Cold Light of Day
Music reviews of Tijuana Bible
Music Review: Monster Texas mojo
Rating: 5 Stars
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat
Tijuana Bible
Underworld Records
www.underworldindierecords.com
www.jimsuhler.com
By James "Skyy Dobro" Walker
16 songs; 71:21 minutes; Library Quality
Genres: Electric Texas Blues; Blues-Rock
Note: Tijuana Bible will be released in the U.S. on Underworld Records on February 17, 2009, and distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. Previously, it was available only in Europe.
Tired of this long and cold winter? Then let's head to Texas and heat things up - musically, at least. Texas native Jim Suhler is best known as the lead guitarist for George Thorogood and The Destroyers since 1999. Because of Suhler's masterful endless-fireworks-approach to slide, lead, and rhythm guitar, he has often been included in "Top Ten Guitarists" lists of various publications. When he is not playing with Thorogood, he tours and records with his own band, Monkey Beat. "Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat" have been blasting out Texas blues-rock for over seventeen years, and they have built a fan base worldwide through constant touring in both the USA and Europe.
Tijuana Bible is the fifth and newest CD by the Dallas guitar hero and his fiery veteran band: bassist/vocalist Carlton Powell, keyboardist Shawn Phares, and drummer Jimmy Morgan. Produced by Jim Suhler and Tom Hambridge, the album guests are Jimmy Hall (vocals on "Po' Lightnin'"), Elvin Bishop on his "Drunken Hearted Boy" (with Bishop as a special guest on slide guitar), Joe Bonamassa (lead guitar on "Deep Water Lullaby"), and Buddy Leach (saxophones on "Border Rock" and "Years of Tears"). Tijuana Bible features 16 songs: thirteen Suhler or Suhler/Hambridge originals and covers of "Drunken Hearted Boy," Rory Gallagher's "I Could've Had Religion" (with Cheryl Arena on harmonica), and AC/DC's "Up To My Neck In You."
Title wise (and with an example shown on the front and back CD cover), "The Tijuana Bible" is a name for an old-time pornographic comic book, typically starring famous politicians, film stars, or sports heroes. Where they originated, no one knows, but Tijuana, with its creative approach to all things entertaining, is a logical guess.
"Texas Blues" first occurred in the mid 1920s, featuring acoustic guitar work that mimicked the vocals rather than merely accompanying them. After World War II, a fully electric style featured single-string soloing over predominantly horn-driven backing - "Electric" Texas Blues. T-Bone Walker represented an uptown sound, but juke-joint, roadhouse roots became most prominent by the 1970s and 80s, with even more emphasis on lead guitar work and with artists intensely rocking the joint in duos and power trios. The style stays current with performers primarily working in a small combo context sans a horn section.
The first number is the title track with the opening guitar instantly defining the Electric Texas Blues sound. From a devoted study of Texas mythology, Suhler seems to enjoy this lyrical ode to such an art form. "Written in a narcotic haze / thirteen chapters in seven days / the book is bound in Spanish leather... / Smuggled in across the border / Tijuana Bible made to order." The music and these lyrics define Suhler's typical work: witty, literate, and cerebral lyrics presented in groove-basted Texas rocking blues and often with incendiary slide guitar.
"Devil in Me" gives a perfect example of that "guitar work mimicking the vocals," or vice-versa. Either way, Suhler's vocals and guitar work a perfect harmony on lyrics like, "Stay out late, don't come home / Swear this feeling won't, leave me alone... / Only the Devil, only the Devil in Me."
Track three's shuffle opens with the sweet slide guitar of Elvin Bishop supporting Suhler's "Drunken Hearted Boy" vocals with one of the best blues lines ever written, "...I have an ocean full of trouble, and just a little half a pint of joy."
Complete with an opening primal scream, "Up to My Neck in You" is a fitting tribute to the AC/DC original until two minutes in when Suhler's long, fiery guitar solo takes over all propriety.
"Long Hot Summer" has Suhler multi-tracked on guitar enabling a twin-lead-harmony, Southern Rock sound. When not twin harmonizing, Suhler plays his own foil to create a full guitar-army sound. Co-producer Tom Hambridge's backing vocals add gutty harmony on the chorus.
With barely no blank space at the end of "...Summer," "Black Sky" launches with soaring but ominous guitar tones which match the mood of the lyrics. A nighttime drive in a menacing lighting and rain storm evoke an uneasiness the protagonist can feel "under my skin."
Again leaving no space between songs (a technique Suhler and MB employ live), Joe Bonamassa opens track seven and plays lead on "Deep Water Lullaby." Suhler's esoteric lyrics end three and one half minutes into the six minute song leaving the remainder for Joe and Jim to tease each other ever higher into the stratosphere.
Suhler showcases his own slide work on the slow blues of "Years of Tears." Buddy Leach plays saxophone to uniquely match tones with Suhler's guitar. Leach is also featured in the pure rock and roll-er "Border Rock."
Jimmy Hall adds backing vocals in a tribute to Lightnin' Hopkins, "Po' Lightnin.'" With plenty of various, gritty guitar sounds, the duo sing "...Played the boogie in the key of E / Lord, have mercy, it'd set you free."
A nervous and dangerous drug run south of the border is the theme of "Mexicali Run," and the mood doesn't lighten until he's back with the goods.
What would a "rich man with a mansion on a hill" do? According to track 12, he'd be "Sunday Drunk" again (and playing absolutely killer slide guitar!)
"Chaos in Tejas" is an electric stomp through trouble prior to track 14's acoustic guitar driven love song - of sorts, "Juice." "Got a wicked mind, Lord, I'm full of juice...running through my veins / Gonna jump in your saddle, tighten up on the reins."
Rory Gallagher's "I Could've Had Religion" is a powerful slow shuffle nicely accented by Cheryl Arena on harmonica.
The set closer features Sean Phares' piano over double tracked organ opening a George Harrison
sounding song about love lost. Suhler's emotional vocal truly demonstrates this artist's depth and versatility.
Every track on Tijuana Bible is a snow-melting standout, and there is plenty of value with over 70 minutes of music and only one song longer than six minutes. With this CD, Suhler and Monkey Beat's fan base will expand exponentially as they are clearly shown to be a Texas band with rising world stock
Description of Tijuana Bible
Longtime fans of Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat have come to expect the finest in flamethrower-style Texas rockin' blues and to plug Tijuana Bible into your CD player is sort of like having Billy Gibbons, Freddie King, Johnny Winter and T-Bone Walker show up to paint your house. The house won't get painted in fact, it'll probably be destroyed in the subsequent party but you're gonna have a damned good time while it happens. Tijuana Bible contains 13 new Suhler originals - witty, literate, groove-basted barroom classics along with finely interpreted material by such Jim Suhler heroes as Rory Gallagher, Elvin Bishop and AC/DC. Not only does Bishop guest star on the album, so do guitar master Joe Bonamassa and vocalist Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie fame. Suhler has a fireworks approach to lead, rhythm and slide guitar. It's the sort of attitude and approach that has always sparked his fine live and studio work with Monkey Beat as well as with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, for whom he's played lead guitar since 1999.Blues CDs
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