Johnny Wolfe Bad Tonight Eighth Note Records by David Pilot
	Bad Tonight is Johnny Wolfe's debut CD, released on Houston's Eighth Note Productions label. Produced by Davin James and engineered by Ernie Wells and musical backing from Hank Jr.'s Bama Band, the disc comes hard at you with a passel of outstanding musicians adding slices of honky tonk flavor at every turn. From Wayne Turner's guitar work to Ricky Davis' pedal steel, on through contributions from several more of Wolfe's pals, the music here is crisp and tight. The 10 songs by Johnny Wolfe (two co-written with Red McKinney) are a diverse assortment of sonic journeys, from lonesome honky-tonk to a taste of Roy Orbison's brand of rock 'n roll. Bad Tonight hits the ground with an up-tempo and solid guitar lick kicking off "Say Ya Do," a standard Saturday night shuffle number loaded with riffs and hooks that won't let things slow down. It's a good start to a good album. Much as a Saturday night should be, this tune is simple and lyrically plain-but axe work from Wolfe, Turner and Davin James makes sure it smokes. The next cut takes a decidedly different tack and showcases what just may be the beginnings of a widely varied talent making his way into the Texas music community. "No Angels Down Below" is straight-ahead, stone-cold traditional country, drawn musically from Hank Sr.'s catalog and lyrically painted from the Possum's palette: My lips will never taste the cup of plenty My feet will never walk the streets of gold There wil be no angels waitin' for me There will be no angels down below "Check Engine Light," a short short song (two stanzas, repeated as what passes for a chorus), manages to pack a lifetime of emotion and experience into 2 1/2 minutes. Some of American music's best storytellers have mined this vein with other tunes, but check out the Springsteen/Mellencamp touches in these lines: In the amber glow of the check engine light I'm drivin' to you, I'm drivin' tonight Oh, no, what's that smell in the air I'm burnin' some oil But I'm goin' somewhere I can't stay away another night Sweet temptation much too strong I roll the dice with every mile I take I watch the amber glow of the check engine light I'm drivin' to you, I'm drivin' tonight. It's not "Nebraska," and it's not "Thunder Road." Hell, it's not even "Monopoly On the Blues." But it's a pretty damned good start. There's a whole lot of hardscrabble life tucked into those ten lines, and a picture that every listener's mind will see through the haze of memory's lens. Johnny takes over the electric guitar on this cut, dueling with Turner's alternate lead, and the two provide a perfectly muted, snarling background to the story's short, swift punch. If this is an indication of what Johnny Wolfe is capable of over the course of a career, we're all in for a treat. "Ball and Chain" breaks into a new Wolfe sound, not quite country but not quite rock. It's a basic workingman's gripe about the struggles of a blue-collar life, and Wayne and Johnny team up well again to drive home the point. Bill Marshall's drums and Ray Barrickman's bass lay down a throbbing foundation that sounds a lot like a man's heart beating on the Tuesday before payday while Billy Earhart's keyboards tack on just enough anxiety to keep it tight all the way to the wire. Musically, this is one of the most solid songs on the disc. By the fifth cut, "Tell Me True," Wolfe is back in the traditional country frame of mind. Ricky Davis steps in on the pedal steel here, and makes the song's almost-there tears and lonesome desperation come to life. Lyrically this cut is as short as "Check Engine Light," but packs its wallop in a whole different vein and an entirely different sonic range. The next words you say Could save my life Maybe today Maybe tonight Tell me true Tell me that I'm the only one for you "Between Us" is a straight ahead country rocker, swirling around a rhythm track and electric guitar whirlwind that snarls its way towards anthem status but doesn't quite get there. It's a good solid song, but falls a tad short of where it seems to want to wind up. Still, the playing is once again tight, and while the lyrics here are throwaways, the song does keep the heart rate up. Might have been better as a pure instrumental, showcasing the talents of the band members rather than as a vehicle for saccharine, almost Nashville wordplay. "Foolish Me" treads softly on the edge of Roy Orbison's territory. Davin James' acoustic guitar work is muted and quietly powerful, moving the song along on the currents of understated heartache. Wolfe's vocals are exceptional here. It's difficult for anyone since Orbison himself, other than possibly Raul Malo, to plumb the depths of this musical style, and surprising that an apparent barnburner such as Wolfe can pull it off. But he does, and does it well. Listen particularly closely the second time through and you'll find nuances in the difference of vocal style that will haunt you long after the track has ended. This song may not particularly fit with some of the others on Bad Tonight, but including it anyway was a wise decision. It's a keeper. "Forget About You" falls into a more historical category, musically speaking. Acoustic guitar, doghouse bass, dobro, fiddle and drums frame Wolfe's vocals, which are ably backed by Davin James. It's a simple tune that works on a bunkhouse porch or in a crowded beer hall, and it's a nice tip of the hat to the roots of this stuff we call Texas music. The next cut, "Send Me Away," adds the electric guitar and a keyboard back into the mix, but follows the same formula as "Forget About You" by featuring Jason Crisp's fiddle work prominently and sticking with a simple boy-chases-fame-while-losing-girl formula. The storyline is vaguely framed, and the fact is this could be a rodeo song or the ballad of a struggling musician with equal ease, depending on the listener's point of view. Closing out the dance is the title cut, "Bad Tonight," and it's exactly like nothing else on this record. Wolfe shows off his pipes here, with a range that's tightly controlled and vocals that somehow manage to be breathy and strong all at once. Ray Barrickman keeps things straight on the bass, and Wayne Turner, for the 9th time on the album, provides outstanding guitar work. It's a quiet song, more haunting than the others, and definitely better for the texture and depth added by Jesse Dayton's smooth guitar licks dancing warily against Turner's picking. This is pretty much a straight-ahead blues song, and adds the final touch to an album that is excellent overall. Johnny Wolfe, brother-in-law of Davin James, has put together a CD here that he's rightfully proud of. Though he's a relative unknown in much of Texas, his reputation in the Houston music community runs deep. The guests on this album show that clearly, and the fact is Wolfe has the pipes and the musicianship to run with that crowd. He'll be a standout if he wants to. For more on Johnny, hit www.johnnywolfe.com You can contact David Pilot at: tailgunner-at-rockzilla.net

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