The Mavericks Album: “What a Crying Shame”
 Description :
The Mavericks: Raul Malo (vocals, guitar); Nick Kane (guitar); Robert Reynolds (bass); Paul Deakin (drums).
<p>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).
<p>"What A Crying Shame" was nominated for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal in the 37th Annual Grammy Awards.
<p>You can wear the hat and cop the pose, but can you walk the walk and talk that talk? The Mavericks can. In a climate of empty Stetsons and canned corn, The Mavericks hearken back to a time when rock and roll and country first began to dance (were they ever really that far apart?). A time when the songs musicians sang and the lives they led were one and the same.
<p>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.
<p>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--these good old boys be dancing.
<p>But the greatness of a country singer is most often measured on ballads, and it's here that Malo's rich, stylized vocals really shine through. "Neon Blue" is a righteous honky tonk ballad augmented by tragic steel flourishes, and check out that tremulous little throb in Malo's voice on "Pretend" ("I don't want to be a memory or a friend/Darlin' you don't have to love me/Just pretend"), as fiddle fills recall their last dance. But then every song on WHAT A CRYING SHAME has an authoritative resonance all its own, and if you find yourself thinking about the great Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley on the title tune, well, go on now.
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Track Listing :
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Album Information :
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What a Crying Shame |
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UPC:008811096120
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Format:CD
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Type:Performer
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Genre:Country - Contemporary Country
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Artist:The Mavericks
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Guest Artists:Trisha Yearwood; Joy White; James House; Brent Mason
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Producer:Don Cook
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Label:MCA Records (USA)
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Distributed:Universal Distribution
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Release Date:1994/02/01
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Original Release Year:1994
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Discs:1
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Length:40:11
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Mono / Stereo:Stereo
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Studio / Live:Studio
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
- Outstanding
The Mavericks are a really terrific band with a wonderful and very specific sound. No matter what song they are singing - you can tell it is them.
I am thrilled with this cd. It is absolutely fantastic. I find it rather hard to describe the sound the Mavericks have. They are kind of country, kind of bluegrass, kind of folksy and kind of 50's!
However they are described... they are absolutely worth listening to. I strongly suggest that you give them a try!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
- As It Should Be
Raul Malo has the best voice in Country, bar none. Bar none.
Here's how good this album is: I listened to it for two years, under the impression that it was a "Best Of" CD. It's not. It's just over-loaded with great, great Country singles, including a beautiful cover of Springsteen's "All That Heaven Will Allow," a heartbreacking "O What A Thrill," and the traditionalism of "What A Crying Shame."
For people like me, who find so much modern Country music a bad joke and a slick marketing tool, The Mavericks are a revalation. They aren't stupid, they aren't slick, they aren't a hair band or a hat band.
They are, simply, a great band.
aaron (ontario) - March 04, 2003
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
- Born a classic.......and yet new innovations too.....
Always....has/been my fav banmd......
This release is a derparture from their 1992 album, "From Hell To Paradise", as they challenge themselves more here. A fun romp into a hop is "There Goes My Heart", with it's snappy beat and sounds of honky tonk. "O What A THrill" is one of the songs on this recording that captures the sounds of 50's romance found in the sounds of orchestration with a warm pop sound. "What A Crying Shame" is the real hybrid here. 12 string rock guitar jangle and a smackin' beat with Raul's soaring voice hits home. It does still does carry a rural feel too. Great crossover tune.
Best band alive.....
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
- ESSENTIAL MAVERICKS!
This is a superb album - The Mavericks at their best. If you're going to buy 1 Mavericks album - this has to be it! Customer review - October 24, 1999
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
- The best new country sound
I had the opportunity to see the Marverick's live at a small venue. I've got the play list from that concert. Interestingly, the lead singer has the ability to wail in both english and spanish. The unique sounds combine rockabilly, country and a little cuban or latin sound. It's the best album I've bought in a long time. The Marvericks rock - no doubt an easy choice to buy. |
