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Artist: The Mavericks
Title: The Mavericks
Label: Y&T Music
Release Date: 1990
Format: flac
Self-titled debut album of the American country music band The Mavericks. It was written entirely by lead singer Raul Malo, it is also their only album to feature guitarist Ben Peeler. "This Broken Heart", the only official single from this album, failed to chart. "I Don't Care If You Love Me Anymore" was later released on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Michael, and was a low-charting country single that year. "Mr. Jones", "The End of the Line (Jim Baker)", "This Broken Heart" and "A Better Way" were later re-recorded on the band's 1992 major-label debut From Hell to Paradise.
Recording Info: Tropical Recording Studio Miami, Florida
Track List:
01. You'll Never Know
02. The End of the Line (Jim Baker)
03. This Broken Heart
04. Mr. Jones
05. Tomorrow Never Comes
06. The Lonely Waltz
07. Watch Over Me
08. A Better Way
09. Another Lonely Life (Paul's Song)
10. I Don't Care If You Love Me Anymore
11. Keep Moving On
12. I'll Give You Back (When You Belong to Me)
13. Strength to Say Goodbye
Personnel:
Raul Malo - vocals, guitar, piano
Ben Peeler - guitar, lap steel, mandolin, dobro, banjo
Robert Reynolds - vocals, bass
Paul Deakin - drums
Additional Personnel:
Debbie Spring - fiddle
froilan sosa - backing vocals
Homer Wills - harmonica
Dennis Hetzendorfer - accordian
Steve Newton - doghouse bass
Artist: The Mavericks
Title: From Hell to Paradise
Label: MCA
Release Date: 1992
Format: flac
Review:
The Mavericks made their major-label debut with their second album, 1992's From Hell to Paradise, and while co-producer Steve Fishell added a lot more gloss than the band could summon up on their first independently released disc (not all of which works in their favor), overall this set sounds noticeably stronger and more sure-footed than the Mavericks did their first time at bat. The slicker sound certainly makes the most of Paul Deakin's sharp drumming and Robert Reynolds' rock-solid bass, and vocalist Raul Malo gained plenty of control and confidence this time out, with his clear, flexible tenor shining bright on every track, especially the plaintive "This Broken Heart" and the dramatic title song. Between the Farfisa-flavored pop of "I Got You," the rockabilly-accented locomotive charge of "End of the Line," and the Latin accents of "From Hell to Paradise," the broad stylistic range of the group's best work was beginning to make itself felt, as well as intelligent and challenging lyrical themes which set them apart from the average bunch of Nashville cats (significantly, From Hell to Paradise was recorded in that noted country music Mecca of Miami, FL). A few tunes are a bit more formulaic than one might hope for, and while the Hank Williams and Buck Owens covers are fun (and show good taste), they aren't especially enlightening. But there's enough good stuff on From Hell to Paradise to confirm the musical promise of the Mavericks' first album, and pave the way for their breakthrough with What a Crying Shame. ~ Mark Deming
Track List:
01. Mr. Jones
02. The End of the Line
03. Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)
04. This Broken Heart
05. I Got You
06. From Hell to Paradise
07. A Better Way
08. Forever Rule
09. Hey Good Lookin'
10. Children
Personnel:
Raul Malo - vocals, guitar
David Lee Holt - guitar
Robert Reynolds - bass
Paul Deakin - drums
Artist: The Mavericks
Title: What A Crying Shame
Label: MCA
Release Date: 1994
Format: flac
WHAT A CRYING SHAME is a classic that's built for the long haul. The Mavericks possess a slamming, authentic Southern rhythm section, featuring Nick Kane's tasty, idiomatic guitar, some of the classiest leads this side of James Burton. And in Raul Malo they highlight one of the most distinctive voices in all of country. Listen to "The Things You Said To Me" with its definitive Elvis/Big Joe Turner rock and roll groove, Kane's twangy chord melody solo, the hokey "Teddy Bear" rhythm hits by the chorus, and Malo's rich moans and hollers.
There's nothing nostalgic or sappy about the Mavericks' arrangement; this is music lived in and alive and timeless. Their Tex-Mex cover of Bruce Springsteen's "All That Heaven Will Allow" and the closing stomper "The Losing Side Of Me" only serve to reinforce The Mavericks' stature as a band you can go honky tonkin' with.
Track List:
01. There Goes My Heart
02. What a Crying Shame
03. Pretend
04. I Should Have Been True
05. The Things You Said to Me
06. Just a Memory
07. All That Heaven Will Allow
08. Neon Blue
09. O What a Thrill
10. Ain't Found Nobody
11. The Losing Side of Me
Personnel:
Raul Malo - vocals, guitar
Nick Kane - guitar
Robert Reynolds - bass
Paul Deakin - drums
Additional personnel:
Mark Casstevens - acoustic guitar
Brent Mason - guitar
Bruce C. Bouton - steel guitar
Rob Hajacos - fiddle
Carl Gorodetzky, Pam Sixfin, Lee Larrison, Ted Madsen, Alan Umstead, Conni Ellisor - violin
Kris Wilkinson, Gary Vanosdale, Jim Grostean - viola
John Barlow Jarvis - piano, Hammond B-3 organ
Glenn Worf - acoustic bass
Robert Reynolds - bass
Stan Lynch - percussion
Trisha Yearwood, Joy White, James House, Dennis Wilson, John Wesley Ryles - background vocals
Artist: The Mavericks
Title: Music For All Occasions
Label: MCA
Release Date: 1995
Format: flac
Although they are most assuredly a contemporary band, the Mavericks take a decidedly retro approach to country music. MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASION evokes an earlier, more guileless epoch in the evolution of the music, an era of honky tonks and one night stands, church picnics and county fairs--a time when country music was far from the cultural mainstream.
Singer Raul Malo is capable of any number of archetypal vocal stylings, such as his Frankie Laine gestures on "Here Comes The Rain." "Missing You" evokes the ethereal longing of early Roy Orbison over a dreamy Latin backdrop, while "Loving You" and "If Only You Knew" offer tender nods to vintage Elvis. But from the Tex-Mex revelry of "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," to Malo's bluesy crooning over Floyd Cramer-styled lounge jazz piano on "My Secret Flame," the Mavericks also prove to be a great party band, with dozens of sweet instrumental touches.
Track List:
01. Foolish Heart
02. One Step Away
03. Here Comes the Rain
04. Missing You
05. All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down
06. My Secret Flame
07. The Writing on the Wall
08. Loving You
09. If You Only Knew
10. I'm Not Gonna Cry for You
11. Something Stupid
personnel:
Raul Malo - vocals, guitar
Robert Reynolds - bass
Paul Deakin - drums, percussion
Nick Kane - guitar
Additional personnel:
Trisha Yearwood - vocals
Flaco Jimenez - accordion
Lari White, Shelby Lynne, Jerry Dale McFadden |
