The Honky Tonk Heroes are
Mike Dinallo (rhythm guitar)
Marc Hickox(bass)
Ducky Carlisle(drums and vocals)
Amber Casares(background vocals)
Influences
Blurt Online
07/10/2009
http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/1284/
Stan Martin
Love Ain’t That Tough
(Gibraltar)
Any city worth its musical salt has artistic inhabitants like Stan Martin, who with each successive release--this is his third--has increasingly qualified as one of those best kept local secrets (the locale in this case being Boston). Martin plays modern honky-tonk music with an edge--Dwight Yoakam is an obvious reference point, with a bit of the moody intensity of a Chris Isaak mixed in to delicious effect. He wrote all of the 11 tracks on Love Ain't That Tough, and he shows himself adept at whatever style he tackles: swinging the blues on "Missing You Blues," pumped up Haggard-esque sound, sensibilities, and slick-picking on "A Workin' Man Ain't Working Out For Me," electric hillbilly on the title track, hard country balladry led by Scott Joss's weeping fiddle on "Set Me Free," unabashed Chuck Berry rock and roll on "No Money," and to close, "How to Let Go," a maternal tribute to that features just Martin's late mother on accordion paired with his acoustic.
Martin's singing has gone from capably unremarkable on his first release to strong and distinctive here, his guitar playing--whether twangy lead, baritone, or 12-string--is fluid, deft, and unerringly tasty, and his efforts are complemented by a crack supporting cast. Will this record bring Martin the wider recognition he deserves? Who knows, but it ought to.
Standout Tracks: "Love Ain't That Tough," "Blue, Blue Tears" STUART MUNRO
Stan Martin
Love Ain't That Tough
Gibraltar Records
Like Rodney Crowell,Martin is a country artist who owes a clear but honorable debt
to the Beatles and the British Invasion. You hear it in "Blue,Blue Tears,"
and like those artists, Martin is a fan of Roy Orbison. He doesn't have Orbison's voice
(who does?),but in his pacing,dramatic arrangements, and heartfelt singing, you
hear the echoes. He also knows his way around a guitar neck and has affection for
deliberate , fat-toned, low register Telecaster solos that add texture and depth.
That mature, disciplined-but-not-constrained approach works especially well on the mid-tempo swing
of "Missing You Blue," and in tandem with co-producer Michael Dinallo's empathetic rhythm guitar.
All 11 tracks on the disc are Martin originals, and though he sometimes settles for the easy lyric,he is so fresh
and adept at moving from style to musical style that he reduces that fact to a quibble.
Martin and Dinallo come from a young-ish Boston/New England music scene that simultaneously
embraced both country and blues, and produced authentic,satisfying examples of both.
That authenticity may mean Martin will find himself exiled from mainstream country radio,
where he'll be in good company with people like Crowell,Kate Campbell, and Jim Lauderdale.
RA- Vintage Guitar April 2009
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Hello Stan Your new cd is ABSOLUTELY awesome. It’s been such a long time since I last heard such good music. Dwight’s and Roy Orbison’s fans have to be Stan Martin’s fans. I have immediately added it to our playlist on our radio show and emailed the radio stations in France and Europe to add it too. I do hope 2009 is going to be a great year for you. With this album I have no doubt it will. All my bery best Georges
Thanks for joining our circle of friends, and thanks for helping to keep Redd's legacy alive! Billy & Sharon www. reddstewart. com (Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys) *Please spread the word!
he stan....thanks sooo much for your message with your request...wicked game was one of those songs that we were just sorta playing with in the studio before we started the album...we liked it so much it stayed....:) anyways, hope to be up in your area real soon....
Hey Stan - hope you'll be swinging through Nashville soon to promote your new CD! I'm calling you this weekend, really, you've been warned!! Later, Nola
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