Backstage at the Resurrection Review 1 April 2011

Hey kids, this just in from the San Diego Troubadour...

OF NOTE #5 James Lee Stanley By Backstage at the Resurrection by Frank Kocher     “Eclectic” is a word that gets used a lot in music reviews these days. For an artist like James Lee Stanley, there just isn’t a way to avoid the label. He is a veteran performer whose songs range from California-sound country rock to soul/funk, with stops on the way for jazzy pop and gospel-shaded blues. A frequent San Diego visitor who has been releasing discs since the early seventies, Stanley hits all of the bases on his latest, Backstage at the Resurrection.     The beautifully recorded disc, features 12 Stanley originals, and there isn’t a filler cut anywhere. The memorable, catchy songs have melody hooks that listeners will be humming afterward, delivered in style changeups that showcase Stanley’s singing and writing talents. A rock-solid singer, his lyrics (on his website, with a nice blurb about each tune) are social observations and calls to make things better, without being preachy or angry.       Tight, three-part harmonies are a key part of the sound on “Backhand Man,” recalling Crosby, Stills, and Nash; the vocals are razor-sharp. It takes an old pro like Stanley to nail them this well, and the whole song is three-part. The beat on “I Can’t Cry Anymore” has more of a funk feel, but the harmonies on the chorus are still there, as he sings that he is “all out of tears.” Stanley weaves a dark spell on “Coming Out of Hiding,” a standout track that draws from the laid-back R&B of such groups as War. In the eighties, this one was a hit for Stanley’s sister Pamela, and it sounds ready for radio again. In the same groove, “Let’s Get Out of Here” is another winner, pop-jazz with Latin shading, and Stanley’s vocal is rich and soulful.     “Going Back to Memphis” is a bluesy, good time shuffle about returning to roots, and “Feather River Nocturne” follows, an interesting guitar instrumental that offers a glimpse of Stanley making his Martin sing.     The quiet mood of “Don’t Wait Too Long” brings back memories of “Helplessly Hoping” and other good, soft folk-rock harmony pieces from CSN’s salad days. True to form, Stanley shifts gears again, and “What Would You Do” is pure pop, another instantly memorable riff with a simple but positive message about working together, “Would there be change or would things be the same/ Have we already done all we can?”      The title tune is a driving rocker, one of those political/surreal passion plays with characters (St George, Ruth, Luke, Judas Priest) representing metaphors for the Bush/Cheney cabal. The inspiration is clearly “Highway 61 Revisited” and this is an update for 2011, with “St George” and his Patriot Act, his buddy Judas, and his kool aid Easter eggs ready to lead the lemmings off the cliff. Yep, it’s another highlight.     James Lee Stanley proves on Backstage at the Resurrection that sometimes there is no substitute for experience when it comes to good music. A proven roots artist for decades, he makes diverse, impressive music that succeeds on its own terms.

www.jamesleestanley.com/backstage.html   

Comments

[Max]

James--Great review, and very well justified!