Artist.......: The Dynamites Feat. Charles Walker
Album........: Burn it Down
Label........: Outta Sight Records
Genre........: Funk
Catnr........: n/a
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Oct-06-2009
str.date.....: Sep-15-2009
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: n/a
track title time
01. Burn it Down 03:50
02. If I Had Known 04:23
03. Somebody's Got it Better 04:18
(Somebody's Got it Worse)
04. Can't Have Enough 04:34
05. Do the Right Thing 04:16
06. I Got Love for You 04:35
07. Treadneck 01:50
08. Somebody Stop Me 04:30
09. (It's A) Sunny Day 04:43
10. The Third Degree 03:43
11. If You Don't Mean it 05:10
12. The Real Deal 04:43
Runtime 50:35 min
Size 66,8 MB
Release Notes:
If the first attention-grabbing horn lines of The
Dynamites album Kaboom! evoke a dramatic curtain
call from a late æ60s funk concert at the Apollo
Theater, itÆs no accident. After all, thatÆs
exactly where Charles Walker, the bandÆs singer and
front man, first cut his teeth as a performer. When
the revolutionary ænew bagÆ now known as funk first
made the scene, Walker was right there in the thick
of it, opening for the likes of James Brown, Etta
James, and Wilson Pickett, and imbibing himself in
a cultural movementÆs genesis.
Walker deserves his due after decades as an unsung
musical hero. He first became a professional
entertainer in his native Nashville in the late
1950s, recording with hit producer Ted Jarrett and
appearing nightly at the New Era Club, one of the
SouthÆs leading black nightclubs. Walker spent most
of the 1960s and æ70s in New York, performing
frequently at the Apollo Theater and SmallÆs
Paradise when the original funk scene coalesced.
Fronting various bands, including the criminally
underrated Little Charles & the Sidewinders, Walker
released singles for Chess, Decca, and a number of
smaller labels. The records failed to hit the big
time but their quality endured and are now prized
among collectors. After the recordings gained
notice in EuropeÆs Northern Soul scene, Walker
found steady solo work overseas, and he lived in
England and Spain before returning to Music City in
the 1990s.
"Listening to Charles Walker & The Dynamites
immediately whisked me back to Small's
Paradise,1964. It's so wonderful to hear Charles'
voice is as strong as ever." - Bettye LaVette
If this all sounds retro, think again. The
Dynamites are far from being alone in their second
millennium pursuit of rekindling funkÆs original
flames. A renaissance of funk and soul is snatching
up listeners from coast to coast and beyond. As the
NY Times article ôWhatÆs Going On? Everything Soul
is New Again,ö from February 2007 says loud and
clear; soul music is making a formidable comeback.
ôMore than at any time in recent memory, soul
musicÆs pressing syncopation and stirring hollers
are churning within the popular mainstream.ö
A furious and unrelenting barrage of stripped-down,
rhythmic R&B and swinging soul, Kaboom! is the
aptly titled full-length debut by Nashville funk
band The Dynamites. Bill Elder (a.k.a. Leo Black)
is the troupeÆs founder, bandleader, guitarist,
primary composer, arranger, and producer. HeÆs the
one keeping everything so damn tight here. But he
insists that it is, not he, but his lead singer who
is given special billing in the groupÆs name: The
Dynamites featuring Charles Walker.
For soul veteran Walker, finding songwriter Bill
Elder has been an epiphany. More importantly, heÆs
found in Elder a songwriter that writes for his
voice. This stands in sharp contrast to the days
when he was asked to record songs whether they
inspired him or not. ôI didnÆt have the songs that
I felt were right for me. Now I can pick and choose
the songs I want to do. When I was with Chess and
Decca I did what they wanted me to do.ö The result
being that Walker is more relaxed and at ease in
the studio. ôI feel so confident now. I can
remember being under so much pressure to try and
get a hit record. Now IÆm just in there doing what
I like to do.ö
The Dynamites reignited WalkerÆs spark and pushed
the versatile vocalist to sing the hardest,
grittiest funk heÆs ever made. The bandÆs dynamic
live show has already gained them opening slots for
Galactic and Widespread Panic as well as
appearances at Bonnaroo and the Austin City Limits
festival. Critical acclaim for Kaboom! continues to
pour in. The fuse is lit and The Dynamites are set
to explode!
Kaboom! is available on Outta Sight Records, which
is distributed by Sony/RED and marketed by Thirty
Tigers. ItÆs available nationally at all finer
independent record stores and some chains; iTunes
and most digital delivery services; and from mail
order specialists such as Amazon and Dusty Groove.
The Dynamites are booked in the U.S. and Canada by
Hunter Williams at the Progressive Global Agency
(PGA). Internationally, the Dynamites are booked by
Laurent Lacrouts at Ter α Terre concerts.