ANITA O'NIGHT & THE MERCURY TRIO - MERCURY RISIN'

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1. Hold Me, Squeeze Me   2. Mice Trap   3. Moody Side   4. Pretty Boy   5. I'll Know When I Try   6. One Little Taste   7. Rock-A-Bop   8. Hurry Up!   9. Love Ain't All   10. I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind   11. Mean Train Boogie   12. My Way Back Home   13. Honeysuckle Rose

Sleazy Records / SRCD35-49

It seems to me abslutely clear and obvious that the average level of Rockabilly bands in Spain is at the heigth of the best. This just released record by Anita O'Night & The Mercury Trio is proof.

This cd brings us a good collection of real Rockabilly tunes, sung and played as it has to be done when doing Rockabilly: with attitude and rhythm. If to that combination, you add up the good, beautiful voice of Anita O'Night, plus the high musical skills of The Mercury Trio members, then it goes for the best.

Further than that, they have included just 2 covers ("Rock-A-Bop" and "Honeysuckle Rose") among the 13 songs that complete the cd, which seems a good decision to me because their own songs shine above the covers, at least in this record. Talking about their own compositions, I believe that "Hold Me, Squeeze Me", "Pretty Boy" and "Mean Train Boogie" have to be highlighted, but I insist that it is a good collection of songs what we get in this record.

Warmly recommended, of course.

TRULY LOVER TRIO - CANDY KISSES

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1. Lovestruck   2. She's Lookin' At Me   3. Candy Kisses   4. Speed Limit   5. That'll Do   6. Is That The Price That I Gotta Pay   7. I'm No Good With You   8. The Joint's Really Jumpin'   9. Hopin' And Prayin'   10. Little Angel   11. So Soon   12. Thinkin' Of You   13. Waiting Alone   14. El Camino Real

Twinkletone Records / TR110

Here we have the brand new CD from a band, Truly Lover Trio, with quite a long time on the road and that I like more and more as time goes by. This "Candy Kisses", released by Twinkletone Records, seems a very good record to me.

To talk about Truly Lover Trio is to talk about its frontman, Marcel Riesco. To talk about Marcel Riesco is to do so about his amazing voice. Amazing, above all, because it sounds incredibly close to that of Roy Orbison... and it isn't because Marcel wants to copy "The Big O", but because it's his very own voice. Anyway, to be fair, further than Riesco's voice, Truly Lover Trio is a band with a lineup of very good musicians (by the way, they do not appear on the credits on the record sleeve).

Up to 14 songs have been included in this "Candy Kisses", being 8 of them composed by Marcel Riesco, while the other 6 come from other artists. Among the ones in the first group, I would like to highlight "Candy Kisses", "Waitin' Alone" and the slow "Hopin' And Prayin'". Regarding the covers, my favourites are Jimmy Evans' "The Joint's Really Jumpin'", Lee Dresser's "El Camino Real" and, of course, "Lovestruck", penned by Roy Orbison and Johnny Wilson.

Truly Lover Trio offers us a really good indeed Rockabilly CD. One of those records that you will love to have and listen to. Well spent money, I mean.

UNCLE CHARLIE & LOS BRIOLES - PLAY THE FOOL

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Cara A = 1. Play The Fool   2. Evil Red Lips   3. You'll Never Know

Cara B = 4. I Make Believe   5. If You Say Yes   6. Little Girl

Kathrina Records / KREP004

Let's begin with a warning: check when playing this record that the speed of your turntable is at 33 1/3 rpm, as advised on the sleeve and label, and not to the usual for EPs 45 rpm.

Once said that, let's go reviewing the record: this is a terrific piece of a record, with six astonishing good shots of good old Rockabilly... But, well, what can we expect when one of the more respected bands in Spanish Rockabilly history, Los Brioles, joins forces with one of the best Spanish Rockabilly guitar players, Uncle Charlie? Well, just perfection, or close to it. About musical virtuosity of the people involved, I believe that it is needless to say anything: if you already know them, you will understand, for sure, what I'm talking about. If you don't know them yet, please do yourself a favour and buy the record, because I'm pretty sure you won't be dissapointed. It's a great record by Uncle Charlie (vocals and guitar), Jorge Nunes (vocals and guitar), Daniel Nunes (double bass) and Josep Maria Ruera (drums).

Six songs have been packed into this 7", four of them penned by Jorge Nunes (Los Brioles) and two by Carlos A. del Bosque (aka Uncle Charlie). I can't highlight any of them because all of them are equal top quality and I've liked them the same. Good old Rockabilly through and through (with "I Make Believe" going a little bit to the Hillbilly side).

A record that I'm absolutely sure will please to the fans of Uncle Charlie and of Los Brioles alike... And, if like me, you are a fan of both of them, well, then it's a record you need. So easy.

Much more than highly and warmly recommended.

THE ROCKIN' RACE JAMBOREE (23rd Edition) - THE ROCKIN' RACE'S BIG BALL

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1. Fats Domino (Shu Rah)   2. Freddie Canon (Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It)   3. Jack Huddle (Starlight)   4. Al Terry (Passin' The Blues Around)   5. Vancie Flowers (Six Days A Waitin')   6. Bill Carlise (Dumb Bunny)   7. Pete & Ernie (The Hunch)   8. Jackie Dee (Buddy)   9. Nolan Strong (Mind Over Matter)   10. Lee Diamond (Hattie Malatti)   11. Johnny Otis (Willie Did The Cha Cha)   12. Gabriel And The Angels (Chumba!)   13. Sam "The Sham" & The Pharaons (Ain't gonna move)   14. Joey Weltz (Hey Rattlesnake)   15. David Box (Little Lonely Summer Girl)   16. The Keytones (La-Do-Da-Da)   17. Sandy Nelson (Chop Chop)   18. Buddy Ace (Baby Please Don't Go)   19. Clifton Chenier (My Soul)   20. Little Richard (Poor Boy Paul)   21. Carl Perkins (Pink Pedal Pushers)   22. Rusty & Dough (So Lovely)   23. Jay B. Loyd (I'm So Lonely)   24. Wanda Jackson (Better Leave My Baby Alone)   25. Chet Atkins (Hot Mocking Bird)

Sleazy Records / SRCD34-48

With the poster of the February 2018 edition of the Rockin' Race Jamboree festival just made public, it seems to me the right time to write down a review about this cd that Sleazy Records has released celebrating Rockin' Race's 23rd edition, held in February 2017. The cd is a compilation made by Deejay Francho and it has been made as a kind of session as they use to be in most Rockin' weekenders and, by the way, all 25 cuts included come from original 7" (with really good sound quality) from the 50's and early 60's.

Among the songs included we have some of everything as a good Rockin' dance party should be: boppers, jivers and strollers... And of course all of them coming from many different Rock'n'Roll friendly styles: straight Rock'n'Roll, Rockabilly, Rhythm'n'Blues, instro Rock'n'Roll and so on.

It has to be highlighted that Deejay Francho has picked up songs from some of the big names, such as Fats Domino, Wanda Jackson, Little Richard, Carl Perkins or Sam "The Sham" And The Pharaons among others; but he has also included other artists not so obvious, such as Jack Huddle, Nolan Strong or Jay B. Loyd, to name just a few.

A good compilation, made with gusto and that will be a nice souvenir for those, lucky them, that attended Rockin' Race's 23rd edition in February 2017. On the other hand, for those of us who couldn't be there, it will help to listen to some of the fun we missed... and to start planning how to manage to be there for 2018 edition.

Just a few more lines to ask you to keep the cd playing when the last listed song ends... as there is a little more fun still. 

JOHNNY CASH - FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (single)

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Cara A = Five Minutes To Live

Cara B = Five Minutes To Live

Sleazy Records / SR121

Released by Sleazy Records for the Record Store Day 2017 in a limited edition, here we have Johnny Cash's "Five Minutes To Live" in two different versions.

Side A has the song with Cash backed by his usual band at the time, so Marshall Grant on bass, WS Holland on drums and Carl Perkins himself on guitar. A song very Johnny Cash style, with the "boom-chick-a-boom" rhythm, so it will please all Johnny Cash fans. It has to.

The version on side B is the one that can be heard during the beginning credits of the 1961 film of the same title, the first movie in which Cash worked  as an actor. In this version, the guitar work comes from Merle Travis. The sound on side B is not as good as on side A, but it is good enough anyway to enjoy a quite different version. By the way, as Dejay Francho writes on the short but informative sleeve notes, the film was re-released in 1966 under a different title: "Door To Door Maniac".

Just a few more lines to say that it will be difficult to make a more spectacular record than this one, with pictures of Johnny Cash printed on both sides of the vinyl. A picture disc that I believe most Johnny Cash fans will "need".