Artist: Boss Tweed
Label: Waterproof Records
Release: 2005
The debut from Brooklyn’s Boss Tweet definitely belongs in the badly short-changed catalog of the more exciting releases of the last few years. The album, predictably self-titled Boss Tweet, is a thoroughly ear-friendly, musically chronological excursion by two seasoned tomcats and one charmingly naive cat who goes by the name Carolyn Sills. But to the disappointment of quite a few music “connoisseurs”, the band’s standout quality isn’t to be found in the physiognomy of the first Boss Tweed throat (whoa, the girl plays bass too!), but purely in the appealing spontaneity of their own expression, which at its core draws straight from the gloomy roots of Black music, mainly blues and soul.
Boss Tweed is the debut of a likable trio whose instrumental liveliness is best understood as the result of an inevitable clash of worldviews between the old-school guitar-and-drums tandem of Egan/Reed and the modern vocal contribution of the incorrigible Carolyn. So there’s definitely no shortage of excitement here! Between the wide ambient sweep of the opener 12th Street and the closing adrenaline boom of Goes Like Nothing, there isn’t a single track that wouldn’t roughly recall that much-heard-yet-somehow-still-unsung crossing of soft jazz, soul and at moments even country with the seemingly incompatible rawness of swamp blues. Whether it’s the refinement of the former or the primal spice of the latter, Carolyn’s crystal-clear, tireless voice always keeps the communication between them balanced, and riding the wings of that genre-hopping excitement, it brings plenty of reasons for extra satisfaction.
As is the custom with this kind of genre stew these days, Boss Tweed also boasts exceptionally polished production work; at times it maybe even seems too spruced up. In that sense, the trio certainly wouldn’t have been hurt by a touch more spontaneous wildness. Take Pretty Violent, a high-calorie, hormonal mashup of rockabilly and blues, which visibly demands a lot more to satisfy its own needs than the angelic quality of the singer’s voice is able to give it right now. The situation unintentionally gives away how much Boss Tweet’s whole functionality rests on the superb Gerard Egan. It often feels like all it would take for the big bang of sensuality in the guitarist’s playing is a firmer grip around the vital equipment of a young lad, a grip Carolyn clearly can’t muster the nerve for. Or maybe Uncle Gerard just doesn’t do it for her! Of course, how a singer would cope in such an environment is another question, since after the above-average Cleanin’ Upsa Ditty and Then It Hits You, the girl barely stays in the saddle through the fantastic Hellbent. In that sense, the so-called middle road that most of the album takes, led by the softness of Done Wonders, seems the most fitting. But we shouldn’t be too harsh on Carolyn. Her modern soul approach keeps coloring the band’s message with sharply contrasting moods, and with its cheerful questioning of Gerard’s ancient innovations, it gives the songs an old-timey mysterious yet somewhat trendy sheen. An exciting meeting of old and new.
Lineup
Carolyn Sills: vocals, bass
Gerard Egan: guitar, vocals
Eric Reed: drums
Production
Boss Tweed
Tracklist
1.GWB
2.12th Street
3.Pretty Violent
4.Done Wonders
5.Real Good Sell
6.Then it Hits You
7.Cleanin’ Upsa Ditty
8.After Awhile
9.Hellbent
10.Self Made Man
11.Pontchartrain
12.Goes Like Nothing
Album length: 40.40
