Wolf's Howl Newsletter
June 2006
- Howdy all!
Coming at you from the K Dancing Ranch, the Kirby Jonas rancho!
This is to anyone who is interested in cowboy/western/country, and just plain good music. Some of you may already have heard what I'm about to tell you, and if you have I apologize for the repeat. But even so, this is a new review of a CD that's been out for a while, so if you missed my letter the first time around, and if you like great music, hear me out.
Remember Mike Blakely? He's the hombre I've been telling you all about for the past three or four years, and that many of you have bought CD's of, the man with the fantastic Western music. He brought us the albums Ride the River and West of You, and in my opinion there are no two finer cowboy albums out there. That includes albums from my long-time favorites, The Sons of the Pioneers, Marty Robbins, and Don Edwards. Mike can ride the river with them all, and he beats the daylights out of 99% of other new Western balladeers. If you haven't heard him yet I hope you'll give him a chance. He has the right Texas drawl, rugged voice, and an incredible talent for song-writing that make him, in my book, one of the top ten musicians alive. Of course I'm a little biased, because I am an avowed fan of WESTERN music--in other words, NOT modern country.
The CD I've been listening to most lately is Mike's "FADED BLUE." While I admit that I'm also a bit biased because Mike is a close amigo of mine, and while I do indeed sell these CD's, don't let that influence your decision. I would say these same things even if I weren't making one thin dime and even if I had never met Mike. In fact, to show that this is not just an empty sales pitch, let me say that you can also get the CD's straight from Mike.
There are three songs in particular on Faded Blue that in my opinion make the cost of the CD worth it. In fact, I would pay the price of the CD again for any one of these songs. The first is "Bolt from the Blue," which is number 3 on the album. This song recounts the story of a forest fire that breaks over a ridge and threatens a man and his young family in their cabin. He is scarred by fire trying to save them, but he manages to do so, and it results in the most dramatic account of forest fire you'll ever hear. Mike is a master of drama, both in music and on the written page.
The second of this song trio is song number 4, "Let's Roll." This song should have had national airplay, and it is nothing short of a travesty that it didn't, because everyone should have the chance to hear it. It recounts the tale of the man we know as "Beamer," the young man who took down the plane over Pennsylvania, the third of the planes wrecked on the day of September 11, 2001. This song will bring goosebumps to your arms and tears to your eyes, and it will do it every time if you have vivid memories of that day. But it isn't a sad song so much as it's a song of the undaunted American spirit. All by itself it is still worth the price of the CD.
Last is "The Hatter's Hymn," recounting the story of Manny the hat maker. This is a poignant and beautiful ballad by a man with one of the most unique Western voices in the field today. You will long remember Manny, and you will long remember Mike Blakely after listening to this album.
This trio, which I call the album's anchor, is surrounded by ten other songs in the fantastic Mike Blakely style. Many are comical, and all are fantastically written by a man whose hands and heart were touched by angels when he was set on earth. He was destined to be a musical genius, and with the gravel in his voice and a million miles of experience behind him you'll hear Mike singing his way down the road for many years to come.
I sell this CD, Faded Blue, for 15.00, as well as all others listed below. If you haven't yet tried Mike Blakely, you are truly missing out.
Ride the River, 15.00
West of You, 15.00
In the Dust, 15.00
Faded Blue, 15.00
Fast Train through Texas, 15.00
Any Sky, 15.00
Shipping for the first CD, 2.00. 1.00 for the next one. 50 cents for every one after that.
Also, be looking for Mike's newest CD, available in the next few weeks. Drop us a line!
email: kirby@kirbyjonas.com