ChrisTineoHlMan.com
Title
Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez: Roots Rock Band at Trod Nossel
Description
Ohlman, she of the killer pipes and eye-catching platinum blonde beehive hairdo, has outdone herself on her fourth CD, an ultra-soulful package of roots/Americana that’s full of killer grooves courtesy of the flash cats of Rebel Montez (Eric Fletcher-lead guitar; Michael Colbath-bass; Larry Donahue-drums) and special guests Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow/Saturday Night Live Band); Andy York (John Mellencamp/Ian Hunter); Brian Mitchell (Al Green/Irma Thomas), Amanda Just (The Rivergods) and The Sin Sisters. Ohlman’s songwriting has kicked up a notch with tracks like the sexy title cut; swamp-pop classic “The Storm;” “Empty,” a bare-bones tale of despair spun inside a gorgeous, guitar-laden track; and “Another Country,” a saga of terrifying love wrapped around a pile-driving groove. Also included are her usual cast of carefully-chosen covers: “I Am Bound For The Promised Land,” straight from the Bristol sessions of 1927; “Daddy Rollin’(In Your Arms)” by that Prince of the Bronx himself, Dion; “Highway 61,” the blues classic rewritten with lyrics dedicated to Ohlman’s late friend Cub Koda; and a slice of savage Brit Invasion pop, “I Can Only Give You Everything,” a steamy duet she shares with Joe Hurley of NYC’s Irish punksters Rogues’ March. Strip is marked by Ohlman’s attention to arrangement and lyrics underscored by Fletcher, Donahue, and Colbath’s passionate, tight musicianship. The overall feeling of barely-contained, overwhelming emotion pegs this as their best recorded work so far.
There’s always a point when the first song takes shape and you get the feeling. I was reading James Baldwin’s “Another Country” and was taken by a sense of how much courage it takes to fall in love, to give oneself over so completely to another person. It’s a little terrifying, crossing over that border. I took Baldwin’s title and the journey began.
The other songs followed and, in a way, they all share the quality of nakedness. “Strip”, the title cut, is a word with multiple layers of meaning—there’s emotional stripping and then there’s the clothing kind…..I love the way that track turned out, Eric’s snaky guitar line and the dirty drums, bass, and loops. “Empty” is for my late mother, although it’s not necessarily about her. I don’t claim to be able to write about what’s inside another person’s head. “Bound” is a story of long-time love, that delicious feeling of having the strands of your life entwined with someone else’s, twisting and turning and never letting go. My emotions have always been greatly affected by the weather, and I love nothing more than a hot, humid, lightning-on-the-horizon night…that’s how “The Storm” began. I also went for that feeling of the swamp (and the sound, with as much Fender vibrato as we could muster up) on “Love and Tenderness.” “Jungle Twist” is just a rave-up, destined to be an East Coast dance craze. “A Mighty, Mighty Man” was written years ago during the raw emotion of the war in Lebanon, and resurfaced after the events of the past two years. And “Tough and Tender” is maybe the most naked of all—a stripped-down track that frames a lover’s plea.
Contact
- Steven Beer, Esq.
-
