bluesboy_g's Full Review: Cruisin' Deuces by Danny Gatton
It is a real shame that the North American continent has under valued musicians who are incredibly proficient on their given instruments. I for one do not give a care in the world about boy bands or divas. I like people and bands that actually can play and write their own music.
Danny Gatton is the best guitar player I have ever heard. The things he did with his Fender Telecaster guitar were incredible to say the least. He was called "The World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist". How true that statement was and still is. Danny was a technically gifted virtuoso. He could play any style of music at the drop of a hat. He specialized in rockabilly and jazz. His albums display musical comprehension and maturity way beyond anyone's years. His albums were and are very different from one another. Plenty of musical variety can be found on any Danny Gatton CD. Unfortunately, his recorded output was overlooked by too many people. Danny ended his own life in October of 1994. Some say it was because he felt a lack of appreciation for his music and that he could just not get a break. Whether he ended his life because of that or not does not matter now. He is gone but his music can life a long life if we all just give a listen to what this man had to say with his battered and trusted guitar.
Here, I am looking at Crusin' Deuces. This was one of his two commercially released albums on a major label. I have already gushed about Danny in the previous paragraphs so let's look at the music on this CD.
1. FUNHOUSE - This is an instrumental track that has a mid tempo Latin groove to it with elements of pop, swing, and rock mixed in. The guitar solos are all over this track and there is a jazzy sax solo in the middle of the song by Bill Holloman.
2. SUN MEDLEY - This is a medley of three classic rockabilly songs;Mystery Train, My Baby Left Me, That's All Right. Danny plays like Scotty Moore, Roy Clark, Carl Perkins, and Cliff Gallup effortlessly in this track. His masterful rockabilly guitar licks should be heard by all guitar players. This is how you play guitar people! Delbert McClinton is the guest vocalist on this cut and his growly voice fits in perfectly with Gatton and his band.
3. HARLEM NOCTURNE - A classic jazz standard that gets rocked up by Danny and crew here. I can't believe how smooth the notes flow from Danny's hands on this cut. I still get chills when I listen to this track.
4. THIRTEEN WOMEN - Pretty similar to Bill Haley and the Comet's version but with virtuoso playing on this cut. Unbelievable! Bill Holloman has a great rockabilly voice that suits this minor tinged rockabilly song perfectly.
5. SKY KING - Another Gatton instrumental original. Danny plays some dreamy sounding Memphis style of guitar on this cut. It is a dragging shuffle. Danny quotes some of Bill Doggett's HONKY TONK lines on his guitar throughout this piece. A relaxing song to listen to.
6. BEAT OF THE NIGHT - This tune is a pop rock song Danny wrote. It sounds like something Bruce Springsteen would do. It is a mid tempo rock number. Lots of fiery guitar runs come from Danny's guitar. Gatton's guitar solo sounds like how Eddie Van Halen might play a blues rock solo with some jazz mixed in.
7. SO GOOD - Another Gatton original. This instrumental is rockabilly swing similar to Brian Setzer. Great guitar pyrotechnics and a cool organ solo display some virtuoso chops from these players.
8. IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE - This cut sounds like "new country". Country star Rodney Crowell is the guest vocalist. This is a mid tempo rocking country song in which Danny displays his cool country guitar runs. There is a reason he was voted top country guitarist for a few years (late 80's or early 90's) in various guitar magazines. He sounds like a pedal steel guitarist at times. That is just some of the magic that comes from Danny's fingers.
9. PUDDIN' AND PIE - Here is a funky instrumental. Plenty of horns in the background give this song power. Nice melodic jazzy guitar and a slow groove make this an enjoyable listen. Great sax solo from Bill Holloman once again.
10. TRAGEDY - Once again a dreamy Memphis jazz instrumental from Danny and the boys. This slow number definitely has a country vibe to it with some 50's rock n roll elements mixed in.
11. CRUISIN' DEUCE - Some more country jazz for you. The beat is similar to Gene Vincent's Be-Bop-A-Lu-La. You could say this track sounds like a 90's version of Gene Vincent's band playing an instrumental jazz tune. Great flowing guitar lines from Danny. He is all over his guitar on this cut. Multi-instrumentalist Bill Holloman once again impresses listeners with a very hip trumpet solo.
Great song!
12. SATISFIED MIND - The final track is a slow power-pop country-rock ballad. Billy Windsor does a good job on the vocals. This song has an anthem quality to it. I feel like I should get up from my seat, stand up strait with my hand over my heart. Danny plays a nice lap steel guitar on this track. Well done.
Danny Gatton's music was a combination of many different styles that it is hard to accurately describe each track perfectly. He would mix in all kinds of guitar styles and techniques all within one song! He was and still is a mind blower!
Any guitarist should add this album to their collection. A vast majority of musical styles are covered on this album and Danny shows how you can mix them all up, with superior technique, and churn out some thrilling music. Any guitarist who listens to Danny will guaranteed be scratching their heads wondering how in the world could he do that with a guitar!
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