#341 : Michael Buffalo Smith - Makin’ it Back to Macon

2018 – Dreaming Buffalo Music

By Phillip Smith; July 13, 2018

Makin’ it Back to Macon follows closely on the heels of his recent EP The Austin Sessions, released earlier this Spring.  The “Ambassador of Southern Rock” and founder of Kudzoo Magazine Michael Buffalo Smith reveals he has even more up his sleeve with this first full length album since 2005.  Buffalo holds down the vocals and acoustic guitar with the rest of the band being composed of Greg Yeary (rhythm/lead guitar) Billy Eli (acoustic guitar), Joey Parrish (bass), and Towson Engsburg (drums/percussion).  Paul Hornsby (Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker Band) produced the album, which also features Tommy Talton (Cowboy) on guitar, E.G. Kight on backing vocals, and the one and only Billy Bob Thornton narrating the prologue and epilogue.

For the introduction, Buffalo wrote a soulful dedication to the town of Macon, Georgia, making note to mention the music, the food, and the people.  Read by Thornton, this spoken piece is a wonderful tribute to set the table for the music which follows. 

Buffalo brings a sense of optimism to his song of mortality in “Both Feet on the Ground” which features guitarist Daniel Jackson and bassist Joey Parrish, both from the Silver Travis Band.  Topped off with some very cool slide-work from Tommy Talton and featuring Paul Hornsby on the Wurlitzer piano, “My Baby Drives a Mercedes Benz” was  co-written with Smith’s longtime collaborator Greg Yeary.  Smith explains it was part of the set list when he and Yeary performed as Buffalo Hut Coalition in the Eighties.  Talton also appears on the fantastic and melancholy “Tired of Living Blues”.  Adding pops and scratches to be infused into the recording, Smith bestows a vintage sound to this bona fide blues tune.  Smith invokes a style reminiscent of the great John Prine into his music. A perfect example is “On a Still Cold Saturday” inspired by a trippy recurring dream.  Ripples of melancholy washes over when I hear Smith bare his soul on “Woman in the Moon (It Comes in Waves)”, a very personal song he wrote after the passing of the love of his life.    

The record concludes with a beautifully written self-reflective spoken word piece, “Epilogue: Reflections at 60”.  With a gripping delivery, this mini-bio written by Smith is read aloud by Billy Bob Thornton.  It honestly ties everything together.       

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Click the following link to read the PhillyCheeze Review of Michael Buffalo Smith's EP, The Austin Sessions : 
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2018/05/332-michael-buffalo-smith-austin.html

Tommy Talton - Somewhere South of Eden

2017 – Tommy Talton 

By Phillip Smith; April 1, 2017

It’s been almost three years since Tommy Talton’s previous release Until After Then hit the airwaves.  That one was quick to grab my attention with its lyrical and stylistic twists.   His latest, Somewhere South of Eden, continues to feed my fascination with prolific lyrics and lush melodies.  Backed by bassist Chris Donohue (Emmy Lou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Alison Krauss) and drummer Bryan Owings (Tony Joe White, Buddy Miller, Emmy Lou Harris), Talton is also joined by several spectacular guest musicians such as  Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers), Spooner Oldham, Ike Stubblefield, John Ginty, Steve Conn (Sonny Landreth, Bonnie Raitt), Kenny Head (John Barry, Georgia Satellites),  Jeff Mosier (Col. Bruce Hampton) on banjo, and saxophonists Randall Bramblett and Tom Ryan.

“Somewhere South of Eden”, a beautiful melancholy number flowing with soothing twangy slide, takes a hard look at mortality.  This song shows without a doubt Talton belongs at the top of the list when it comes to the songwriting greats.  I absolutely adore the buttery hypnotic hook in “Poblano”, a wonderful Latin-inspired instrumental with worldly beats from David Keith on congas and piano accompaniment from Chuck Leavell.  It’s always a pleasure to hear the funky keyboard wizardry of John Ginty.  His contribution to southern jam-friendly rocker “Waiting on the Saints” sounds fantastic amid Talton’s bodacious guitar licks.  “Don’t Go Away Sore”, featuring a terrific banjo performance from Jeff Mosier is a big bowlful of bluegrass fun.  It puts a grin on my face which stretches from ear to ear.

The esteemed Tommy Talton has definitely crafted one hell of an album with Somewhere South of Eden.  I highly recommend it.

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Tommy Talton - Until After Then

2014 – Hittin’ the Note

By Phillip Smith; Nov 22, 2014

I just can’t seem to get enough of singer/songwriter Tommy Talton’s (Cowboy, ex-We the People) latest album, Until After Then.  Not straying too far from his wheelhouse, based on country/southern rock, Talton masterfully walks the listener through this elegantly constructed album using a medley of different themes and musical styles.   

Talton is all revved up and ready to change the world for the better, in title track, “Until After Then”.  Snazzy guitar licks, and catchy hooks reminiscent of Todd Rundgren’s “We Gotta Get You a Woman” bring this track to the forefront. “Real Sugar” is a fun one too. It cleverly lambasts the food industry with its quirky lyrics, knocking the habitual inclusion of synthetic ingredients and additives like high fructose corn syrup and polysorbate 60 into our food.  This track is served with a nice big slice of funk with accompaniment from Kelvin Holly on wah-wah guitar, Brad Guin on sax, and Ken Watters on trumpet.  Still on track with changing the world, “Mr. Love” slows it down a notch to provide a poppy commentary about gun control in a Paul McCartney-esque style.    

I have a soft spot for “My O My”, a cool and fragile little love song about living life “two as one”. Talton beautifully plays this one on acoustic guitar. The track that really puts the smile on my face though, is the bonus track, “Surfin’ the Levee”.  This is a homage to seventies rock, like that heard from bands such as the Allman Brothers and Deep Purple.  Kenny Head attacks the organ much the same way as Edgar Winter, giving an outstanding performance, as Talton throws out tasty groovy licks from his guitar.   

I immensely enjoy the lyrical and stylistic twists and turns that present themselves while listening to this album.  Until After Then is a delight to hear.

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