Too Slim And The Taildraggers – The Remedy
11 tracks
Tim “Too Slim” Langford is a no-holds-barred blues rocker who wields a big guitar and sings with gravelly authority. The album follows their BMA nominated High Desert Heat CD from 2019 and they’ve done another fine job with it.
The Taildraggers are (in addition to Langford) Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes on drums, percussion and vocals and Zach Kasik on bass, banjo, guitar and vocals. Kasik and Langford share the songwriting duties on these cut and each gets to perform their stuff. There are also three guest harp players who do a super job on four cuts. Featuring ten originals and one cool cover, we get to see what Too Slim And The Taildraggers are all about!
“Last Last Chance” opens the album up and it’s a country blues rocker where Langford tells his women he’s done with her. The guitar rings brightly and the beat is rocking. Next is “She’s Got The Remedy,” a mid-tempo cut with a driving beat and gritty sound. Kasiki wrote and fronts the band hear with some vocal effects that add to the mix. This rocker gets your head banging and your toe tapping. “Devil’s Hostage” follows, is a song of desperation; a nice, slow blues rocker with Langford up front and offering up a big solo on guitar. Sheldon Ziro appears on harp in “Reckless” with Kasik fronting the band. They get a little Bo Diddley sort of beat going and lay out some nice licks on harp and even more on the guitar. Ziro also helps out on “Keep The Party Rolling.” The song gets a groove going tat reminds the listener or ZZ Top. Langford growls out the lead in this big rocker with lots more great guitar and harp. Elmore James’ “Sunnyland Train” follows and we get some big slide work and more cool grit and grime from Langford’s vocals. Well done!
“Sure Shot” once again features Kasik on vocals and tastefully adds banjo to Langford’s guitar here. A mournful and slow rocker, Kasik sings how the devil’s coming for him and plucks the banjo and Langford layers on some guitar for a dark feeling all around. Up next is “Platinum Junkie and here we get Jason Ricci as a guest harp player. He blazes away from the start with Langford on his ax and Kasik sings with passion and a slick, dark vibe; it’s a cool cut. “Snake Eyes” is next with more guitar and banjo interplayed and Kasik fronting the band. The guitar solo is big and the song builds up sweetly. “Think About That” features the third guest harp player; here Rosy Rosenblatt adds his Mississippi saxophone to the mix as Langford sings. It’s a nice cut with a good beat and another big guitar solo. The finale is “Half A Word Away,” a slow and somber ballad with Langford leading the charge. More tastefully done guitar with restraint offers a bit of variety and makes for a good conclusion to the album. The guitar takes us home as the CD concludes.
Well, if you like blues rock then look no further because that’s what these guys do. Recorded in Nashville at bassist Kasick’s studio and produced by Too Slim and the band, they write lots of great songs and give some equally well-done performances for a fun ride and good listen all around.
