Billy Dee
When the Vow Breaks
Country Mile Records
By Danté Dominick
 Every now and again
you can judge a book by its cover -- or a musician by the hat
he wears. Billy Dee is a barrel-chested, barrel-bellied, bearded
man in black with scuffed shit-kickers and a pristine hat. Even
if you're visual-clue impaired, the cover of When the Vow
Breaks won't be lost on you...expect nothing but '60s
'70s era AM country at its absolute truest and best. The cover's
layout and design perfectly mimics a full LP cover of that era:
colored border around the picture, the songs listed in a banner
on the cover, "mono/stereo" at the top and the bonus
dot advertising the hit single and guest artists. The back cover
is the paired LP back, complete with track listing for Side One
and Side Two. This ain't for show. The is the music and spirit
Billy Dee and his cohorts live, breathe and drink day in/day
out.
Where to start with Dee's music? Easy: that voice. His sturdy
stature might give it away, but even if you're prepared, his
power still demands your undivided attention...and thankfully
so; such a rich, deep, booming baritone is hard to come by.
Think of Johnny Cash's register with George Jones' suave singing
voice. His soul oozes it and his voice does not betray: this
is classic country. If only he would unleash his grizzly bear
power on today's pretty hat-acts, the world would be a far better
place.
True to your classic country LP, there are a couple songs
that are off the meter in their sappiness. On the whole though,
When the Vow Breaks is well balanced between two-stepping
shuffle and western-swing swing. You guessed it: tear jerking
heartbreaks reign supreme, complete with incredibly clever twists
and word play. But back to the western swing side of things,
Dee is very likely the greatest electric bass player in country
history...the Jaco Pastorius of country if you will. Although
this aspect of his music definitely comes out more during the
live set.
Friend and fellow Austinite Redd Volkaert produced the album
and also plays all the guitars. Volkaert, who can get Mary Lou
Retton on the six-string and could steal the show from a recently-returned-from-the-dead
Jimi Hendrix, comfortably slides to the supporting role, smartly
keeping his near-sickening virtuosity in check to better let
his part complete the better whole. Ditto for Ricky Davis, arguably
this town's most exciting pedal steel player. Floyd Domino is
on board with the keys on nearly half the tracks and Jason Roberts
lends his fiddle to three of them.
Of the thirteen cuts, all are originals but one. Johnny Paycheck's
hit, "Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)," is the exception
and the cover is handled so perfectly, it makes one wonder how
so many covers can go so wrong. There is no attempt to create
a whole new life for something already so loved; instead it takes
the life and gives it fresh breath. Dale Watson and Ray Benson
join Dee on the vocals, each taking turns on the verses and hitting
it all together at the perfect spots of the chorus. It's a hell
of a lot of fun, that's for certain.
Finishing out the album is an oddball cut, "That Memory
of Mine." Domino switches to B-3 organ. The trippy intro
makes you think the CD changer has moved on to the next disc,
but alas, here we have a grand acid-country song -- if that's
a genre that even exists. There's even echo on Dee's vocals.
I'm surprised I like it, but I really do.
What I'm not surprised about is how much I like the whole
album. And I wouldn't be surprised if some big name country
artist with a hat he doesn't adequately represent picks up one
of Dee's songs and makes a gold record out of it.
www.billyfdee.com
Contact Dante Dominick at dominick-at-rockzilla.net
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