The Nashville Musician January — March 2020

REVIEWS

Steve Purcell

Ample’tudes Grandaddie Records

Steve Purcell named this record appropriately. Listening to the 10 cuts he includes in this collection reflects a dizzying mastery of distinctly different musical attitudes, or styles. He connects them all with fun audio droplets of revving engines, church bells tolling and footsteps between songs that somehow work to set the listener up for what they’re about to experience.

The opener ”Hammer Down” took me straight to a Hendrix vibe replete with wah-wah and whammy bar-driven solos that smoothly morphed into speed-metal, Steve Vai-ish dexterity. Then Purcell relaxes in a Spaghetti Western cut, “Rattlesnake Road,” where guitar chords fall safely off the table among “Hoo, Hah” backing vocals. I envisioned Clint Eastwood looking smokily across the spare landscape while gnawing on a stogie.

Purcell brings on board several Local 257 members such as Randy Kohrs on dobro and traveling member Tim Crouch, who adds fiddle and mandolin on “Angel in Hell” — a Waylon type groove that is a dark portrait of the writer’s encroaching death and the company he’ll keep in his destination. Track four, “Retro Radio,” is actually a static laden radio being shuttled through stations as if on a road trip trying to find just the right mood. No problem! Track five, “Mouse in the House,” turns out to be that perfect cut. An instrumental with the exact emotional balance for putting mindless miles behind you. More Local 257 members, Eugene Moles and Dave Gant, appear here as Moles lends some guitar strutting and Gant adds B3 and Wurli. Gant also cranks up the B on “Messin’ With the Kid,” a screamer with an edgy live aroma. Yeah, you can smell the intensity!

Purcell himself is at the center of all this slinging and the colors he employs includes track seven’s picking style reminiscent of Tommy Emmanuel on “Bits and Pieces.” Feels like a jazz club date with lots of air in the room. Made me want to order a drink. Purcell is then asked to play “the riff” and he sure does, showing that he don’t need no combo to hide behind. The pocket is all about them fingers of his.

At the end of this extravaganza Steve signs off with “Don’t Say Goodbye,” which is sparse, intimate and acoustic driven and puts a warm, simple cap on the bottle we opened about 40 minutes ago. A sweet, human touch. I had a ball sitting with Ample’tudes and am sure you will, too. TNM — Hank Moka

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