Slow Burnin' Fire.(Review) / (sound recording review)

Author/s: B. Lee Cooper
Issue: Summer, 1999

Roadhouse rockin', juke joint jumpin', and the most bodacious bouncin' bop are the audio fundamentals delivered on Slow Burnin'Fire. "Talk to Me, Baby" and "Swingin' Her Stuff" are typical tributes to macho bravado and feminine temptation. Rick Moore combines James Harman's lyrical lust with the Fabulous Thunderbirds' female envy, then adds huge doses of ZZ Top's open-jawed ogling and Lonnie Brooks's braggadocio to create a 13-song set of boogie-influenced rock `n' blues tunes. Wow! Nashville's Mr. Lucky Band isn't just rooted in country music, either. They sound more like Austin and New Orleans, via the south side of Chicago. While the liner notes express formal appreciation to Memphis musicians in general and to Carl Perks in particular, there's more hard-edged Lynyrd Skynyrd twangs and Snarlin' Omar and the Howlers-influenced vocalization than ever rolled out of Tennessee's rockabilly region or Beale Street's blues clubs. "Tangled Up in Your Love," "Make Loving You My Business," and the title track are... barn-burners. Rick Moore, Jimmy Nails, Jeff Davis, Carson Whitsett, and their talented cronies really rock!

B. Lee Cooper University of Great Falls

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