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| CD Reviews for Brother 2 Brother | ||||
| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Young (mry@blomand.net) | Date: 5/02/08 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Sparta, TN | Rating: ««««« | |||
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I love my guys! Go;;; |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Jim Shortt | Date: 12/10/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: La Marque, Texas | Rating: ««««« | |||
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This independent, self-produced blues/blues rock
album contains eight original tracks. Time is 28 minutes, 43 seconds.
Production and sound quality are very good. The opening cut, "Don't
Be Shy," is a forceful, medium-tempo blues tune. Lead singer Mike
Vohsen presents the mood of the lyrics well. Guitarist Robert Baker's
strong solo is an excellent match for the mood. The title cut is a neat
novelty tune that bemoans the fact that Houston is just another big city
and has lost its Texas identity. Bassist Mike Leubner does lead vocals.
Margo Lively guests on fiddle. "Toobin'" is a lighthearted ditty
sure to get a broad grin from anyone that's enjoyed tubing the Guadalupe
River, a favorite Texas pastime. "The Power To Drive The Blues
Away" is a traditional, get-down blues tune that features Norm Uhl's
first-rate vocals and keyboards. Bob Martin guests on trumpet and
trombone, Patrick Brennan on saxophone. The whole band rocks hard on the
driving, high-energy tune, "Fool Boy's Road," the best up-tempo
song on the CD. Best slow-tempo tune is the Tin Pan Alley styled
gut-ripper, "Sometimes Gone Is Gone." Vohsen's vocals are
intense and passionate. Joe Miller guests on trombone. Best song on the CD
is "It Wasn't Me," an R&B belt buckle polisher soaked in
Swamp Pop Syrup. Vohsen's vocals capture the song's bayou feel perfectly.
Highly recommended. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Rocky Stone | Date: 12/10/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Houston, Texas | Rating: ««««« | |||
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The sound of the new Brother 2 Brother disc, "Lookin'
For Texas", is the sound of a live band at work, striving to
entertain the crowd at all costs. Although clearly a studio effort, there
is an unmistakable live feel to the tracks. The desire to entertain is
evident from the insistent urging of "Don't Be Shy" with its
pounding , gritty, hard rock feel to the bluesy lope of "It Wasn't
Me" or the Tejano-flavored squeeze box work on "Toobin."
The musicianship is first rate, especially on "Sometimes Gone is
Gone" which features Norm Uhl's honky tonk style piano. Brother 2
Brother should be congratulated for so successfully translating their live
stage show into the fixed form of a studio recording. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Sarah Cress | Date: 12/10/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Houston, Texas | Rating: ««««« | |||
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If you like blues-rock, Lookin' for Texas is a solid
purchase. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Jon Sobel | Date: 12/10/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Unknown | Rating: ««««« | |||
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Butt-kickin' blues-rock is alive and well in
Texas. Lookin' for Texas, Brother 2 Brother's stew of blues, rock and soul
goes down warm and sweet. It's a studio recording with a live feel: this
Houston outfit is not slick - in fact, they're not always even very tight
- but they're good musicians who sound like they love playing together,
which is more important. Clever, well-crafted songs complete the picture.
"I Don't Care" recalls Georgia Satellites via Jerry Lee Lewis,
while "Fool Boy's Road" suggests Jim Morrison and the Doors.
You'll hear some Fabulous Thunderbirds, a little Lynyrd Skynyrd, more than
a pinch of soul from the excellent horn section, and plenty of Chicago
blues in these eight songs; there's even a shiver of the bayou in the
accordian-led "Toobin'." Altogether a wide variety of styles,
served up with heart and a generous helping of fun. Brother 2 Brother is
not literally a band of brothers, but their camaraderie shows in the
music. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Paul Bondarovski | Date: 12/6/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Paris, France | Rating: ««««« | |||
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Brother 2 Brother: ALONE IN THE TOP 5!!! |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Dave Miller | Date: 8/30/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: unknown | Rating: ««««« | |||
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With singer Mike Vohsen, guitar and vocals by
Robert Baker, Keys and vocals by Norm Uhl, bass by Mike “Lowboy”
Leubner and drummer Kevin Reed (recently replaced by Ned Maric), they turn
out a consistently solid effort here. Robert’s “Don’t be Shy”
relates to his playing in bands and looking out at all the cool chicks in
the audience, while “Sometimes Gone Is Gone” with the driving horns of
Patrick Brennan and written by Norm and Kevin (with the third verse by
Vohsen) advises that you should know when it’s time to quit a
relationship, and the soulful “It Wasn’t Me” (my personal favorite)
is a dreamy ballad that should stand out. Everyone should recognize the
sentiment in the novelty tune “I Don’t Care” by Lowboy, collected
from the comments of a forklift driver he worked with. The big band sound
of “The Power To Drive The Blues Away” with Robert’s stinging guitar
and more horns is the answer to a relationship breakup cured by the power
of music. Mike Vohsen’s powerful “Fools’s Boy Road” is an ode to
moonshiners prompted by a documentary seen on TV. The two songs with much
potential to become regional hits are “Toobin” with keyboard induced
accordion inspired by Guadalupe river rats on a weekend on the river and
the title cut making fun of the way people think about Texans with some
mean fiddle by Margo Lively and references to the real places
you’ll find true Texas folks like New Braunfels and even Magnolia. The
eclectic mix of blues, soul, country, rock and humor make this a treat
from the first beat to the last. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Don Leatherwood/The Texas Roadcat Band | Date: 8/22/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: unknown | Rating: ««««« | |||
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The music on this CD is an ingenius cross of Texas styles. These "blues rockers" can "kick" western swing, or anything they choose to play. P.S. These folks are even better in a live performance. |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Melody (melodytimm@yahoo.com) | Date: 8/22/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: Hot Springs, Arkansas | Rating: ««««« | |||
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This CD is awesome!! I love to listen to the Man who sings Lookin' For Texas"!! and Toobin' is cool also!! Can't wait to see em LIVE! |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: Janey & Mark | Date: 8/21/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: New Haven, Connecticut | Rating: ««««« | |||
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These guys are so great. Blowed away by "Lookin For Texas".."Toobin" is a delight. Power to drive the blues away, wow...awesome guitars in this one. We are a Texas couple living far from home, love Texas Music and this CD made us smile!!! This band is HOT!!! |
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| CD Title: Lookin' For Texas | Reviewed by: David and Holly | Date: 8/21/05 | ||
| Reviewer is from: East Brunswick, New Jersey | Rating: ««««« | |||
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Great combo of rock, blues and true Southern flavor make up this intriguing first release of the band Brother 2 Brother. With the various musical styles intertwined with an eclectic mix of voices, how can one not be entertained, especially with such lyrics as in "Don't go to Houston, if you're looking for Texas". As someone having been to Houston and experienced much of the same feeling "where are the cows???", much of this song rings true...Anyway - great intro to Texan Music and a great local band...can't wait to see them live!! |
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