Dennis Roger Reed

Dennis Roger Reed doesn’t look like a rock star. He looks more like the guy who brings his guitar to the church picnic to entertain the kids. His album, Cowboy Blues, features a picture of himself on the back, and he cuts a humble figure. It’s a promising sign: this disc is about music, not flash, the photo says; here you’ll find steak, not sizzle. And the picture isn’t lying. 

Reed showcases a sense of pure musicianship over the album’s
16 tracks, most of which he wrote, and which feature everything from mandolins
to 12-string guitars and plenty of tight harmonies. The whole affair, from
country swing to gentle bluegrass to acoustic ballad, is refreshingly classic
in its approach.

“Murky Water,” the first track on the album, is a breezy 2
minutes that manages to combine a toe-tapping style with a tale of secrets and
a “watery grave.” Later on, “Steal That Guitar Rag” shines with the homespun
mountain sound that’s become so vogue since the soundtrack to O Brother,
Where Art Thou? reintroduced mainstream America
to mainstream Americana.
Reed shows off his solid, crisp baritone on the pleasant “Goin’ To
Brownsville,” a song so enjoyable you’ll forgive him for actually wanting to go
to Brownsville.

The album’s highlight has to be “Frankie and Johnny,” Reed’s
arrangement of a traditional tune. It’s a simple tale of love and love gone
wrong, and Reed’s pure voice adds to the grace of the music without every
outshining it.

The lyrics conjure up images of a better time, in a past
that may never have existed: these songs are all about choosing love above all
things, something not often sung about so plainly. Overall, Reed has created an
album very much in touch with an old school, cowboy sensibility, a disc of
honest tunes, honestly played.

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Click Here To Purchase Cowboy Blues

Visit Dennis’ website @ http://www.dennisrogerreed.com