Description
The self-titled solo album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Roe of The Seventy Sevens fame was independently released on Fools of the World in 2010. The album – a special tour release – was produced and recorded by Michael Roe at DevonLou in Citrus Heights and mixed by Mark Harmon at HarmFarm in Loomis, California.
Although Michael Roe is also best known as the singer in a band, he’s no stranger to quiet solo performances either. For nearly 30 years, Roe has led the Seventy Sevens, one of the most raucous and ass-kicking rock bands on the planet, but his one-man acoustic shows are legendary. He plays guitar like he was born with one in his hands, and his voice can bowl you over one minute and break your heart the next.
Roe’s new album is self-titled, and consists of solo versions of 14 songs he’s been playing for years. Recently, Roe has immersed himself in old gospel and blues songs, both for the Seventy Sevens’ Holy Ghost Building album, and his own We All Gonna Face the Rising Sun. It’s natural, then, that this album should open with five of those old tunes, here stripped down to guitar and voice. Roe whips out his electric on «Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down» and «You’re Gonna Be Sorry», but the rest are acoustic, and they carry more weight to me this way, just one man preaching in the wilderness.
Ah, but the rest of Michael Roe is a longtime fan’s delight. Roe runs through songs old and new, including «What Holds On», «MT», «The Boat Ashore» and «Smokescreen», and the effect is like being at one of his solo acoustic concerts. I’ve always wished I could bottle that experience up, and here it is. Roe also covers the late, great Gene Eugene’s «Jimmy», and closes with a beautiful take on Leonard Cohen’s «If It Be Your Will».
Mike Roe fans are already salivating, just from that list of songs. But if you’ve never heard Roe, this is a fine introduction to a performer who should, in a just world, need none. If I could play guitar like this man can, I might never leave the house, and Roe’s voice has only grown stronger and more resonant with age. My only complaint with Michael Roe is that it doesn’t include «Ache Beautiful», but even without it, it’s a great collection. While we patiently wait for new original material from the man, this will be more than enough to tide us over. [Andre Salles, Tuesday Morning 3 a.m., June 2010]
CD tracklist:
01. I’ll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers – 3:53
02. Stranger Won’t You Change Your Sinful Ways – 4:00
03. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down – 2:53
04. Jonah In The Wilderness – 2:30
05. You’re Gonna Be Sorry – 4:50
06. Smokescreen – 2:53
07. What Holds On – 3:09
08. The Treasure In You – 3:57
09. Roesbud – 2:26
10. The Boat Ashore – 5:41
11. MT – 4:58
12. Jimmy – 2:50
13. The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & The Pride Of Life – 4:21
14. If It Be Your Will – 3:55
Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://michaelroe.bandcamp.com/album/michael-roe
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