Track Listing

1. Virgin Of The Cobra
2. Twilight Of Song
3. (Somebody Bring Me A Flower) I'm A Robot
4. Way Fallen Stranger
5. Shoetie Rag
6. Sam Morgan
7. Milk & Tears
8. Ashes In M'Beard
9. No More The Moon Shines On Lorena
10. Imbibing My Prescriptions
11. Church On Fire
12. Blackfoot

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #225326 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
This side project from one of the Gourds' singer-songwriters extends the communal interplay of that organically eclectic Austin band. In addition to his fellow Gourd-mates, Russell enlists kindred spirits including Jon Dee Graham (on lap steel guitar), the female-harmonizing Damnations, Bad Livers bassist Mark Rubin, and bottleneck blues guitarist Steve James to put some loops into traditional American roots. Highlights extend from the snaky New Orleans groove of "Virgin of the Cobra" to the melodic balladry of "Imbibing My Prescriptions," graced by Debra Kelly's harmony and Max Johnston's fiddle. While Russell's vocals occasionally recall Levon Helm's from the Band--to whom the Gourds are often compared--"(Somebody Bring Me a Flower) I'm a Robot" sounds more like psychedelic Hee Haw. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Nice to Hear GOOD Songs
Kev Russell is a quality musician: something that is not easy to find in the era of boy bands and pop idles. He is a genuine songwriter and performer and it comes through in his music. The tracks, though eclectic, all display the same raw sense of a live performance...it kept me interested and yearning for more. I loved it!!

Virgin of the Cobra
Kev Russell throws out images at a 100 miles per hour while the band supplies everything from greasy rock to traditional folk & country on which to drape these unusual images. One may not easily detect what the opener "Virgin of the Cobra" is about, but it's a lot of fun, "I'm high as a cow in a heat seekin' jacket, cumulous rising like a louisiana casket." Max Johnston's fiddle is beautiful on "Twilight of Song" as the track concludes with screams. "(Somebody Bring Me A Flower) I'm A Robot" was written with Kev's three-year old son, "I'm a robot, I'm not a power ranger." Kev does the traditional tune "Way Fallen Stranger" with a howling folk/rock adaptation, "I'm going there to that juicy city to meet my sisters on their bikes, all wicked thought & danger cast out, the pearl of wine & sod." "Shoetie Rag" is a great bluegrass instrumental. With Mark Rubin's tuba, "Sam Morgan" is as loony as it is fun, "He once killed a man in a Chevy Stegosaurus down in Loozyann." "Milk & Tears" clocks in as a slow country weeper with Jon Dee Graham's lap steel crying mournfully. A.P. Carter's "No More the Moon Shines On Lorena" is a traditional folk track that'll make you feel like the Junkers are settin' on the back porch playin' & swattin' flies. Debra Kelly does some powerful harmonizing with Max Johnston's gorgeous fiddle on "Imbibing My Prescriptions." "Church on Fire" is a sweet little shuffle with Kev's lyrical stamp, "Standing on the promise, I can't tie my shoe, Eating my crow with a silver spoon." Who knows why Ivan Pavlov's portrait with the dates of his life is included next to "Blackfoot"; but the closing track is a swampy number that is cousin to Tony Joe White. The CD concludes with the sweet hidden track of Kev dueting with his three-year old son Guthrie on uke on a short reprise of "I'm A Robot." "Buttermilk & Rifles" is so unusual that it sometimes leaves you looking at the tunes rather than getting inside of them, but it is musically excellent and certainly original. It's great for a "And now for something completely different" CD! Enjoy!

Alt Country Genius
When I played this for a friend from Washington, La., it made him homesick. But it's not your typical cajun-style record. It's not typical anything really. It's fiercely brilliant songwriting, bizarre lyrics that stick with you, and more fun than I've had with most bands. If you're a fan of the Gourds (and why shouldn't you be?) you'll already recognize his distinctive nasal twang. So if you like your music safe and corporate, stay away. But if you like it edgy and iconoclastic and so beautiful it can make you cry sometimes, buy this disc.