Album Review by Tim Van Schmidt
Man, I have not felt this excited about a new album for some time.
And I'm talking about an ALBUM- as in an LP vinyl album. When I received my advance copy of Russ Hopkins' newest collection, "Down and Out", the package was a lot bigger than I expected. Yeah, there was a CD in there, but also a brand new, fresh, absolutely contemporary LP. It has been decades since one of those has been added to my collection.
Okay, so the retro format was exciting to receive. And that is in keeping with what I have been hearing- vinyl has been making a comeback, even surpassing CDs in sales.
But beyond the coolness of actually having a new record to play on my turntable, Hopkins' album is a satisfying and engrossing production. Each song goes a little somewhere different, though it is all rooted in blues. Here, we're talking delta blues, country blues and a unique blues twist on vintage traditional British ballads. "Down and Out" doesn't stay in any one slot for long.
Hopkins will be familiar to longtime NOCO music fans as a performer, songwriter, recording artist, studio engineer and record producer. For years, his studio, Kiva, was responsible for the lion's share of regional releases ranging from singer-songwriters to full-on rock bands.
In his career as a musician, "Down and Out" is Hopkins' twelfth full length studio release. I remember when I first heard Hopkins' music back in 1989- on cassette.
The new record was co-produced by Hopkins and Colorado Sound Studios' Kevin Clock. The sound is crisp and clear- revealing both the brightness of his unique finger style guitar work and Hopkins' emotionally nuanced vocal style.
The songs on "Down and Out" were cherry-picked from Hopkins' extensive performing repertoire and include blues classics such as "Goin' Down to Richmond" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out". There are a couple of originals here, like "Old Man Shuffle" and the touching "My Moonbeam" but also tunes by Tim Buckley ("Buzzin' Fly") and the Beatles ("Blackbird")- all stamped with Hopkins' distinctive acoustic blues style.
Perhaps the most striking song on the album is "Pain of Your Love," by another longtime NOCO musician, Arnie G'Schwind, which benefits from a relatively big production, plenty of supporting vocals and a reach-for-the-sky vocal performance by Hopkins. When he's saying he's feeling blue, you believe him.
Add in some traditional songs such as "Deep River Blues," "Rosemary Lane" and "Hesitation Blues," all arranged and enhanced by Hopkins, and you have an album that is worth listening to again and again. That's what an album should be, right?
The players on "Down and Out" include John Magnie, Eric Thorin, Jerry Palmer, Tom Capek, Ernie Martinez and Steve Amedee- an A-list of NOCO musicians who add plenty of flavor to each track. But don't be distracted by that- the central musical vision here is Hopkins' deep understanding of the material and his ability to evoke simmering emotion again and again, verse after verse, song after song.
To celebrate the release of "Down and Out," Hopkins is set for a show at Avogadro's Number on November 29, featuring the Russ Hopkins Band with Andy Blanton on bass and Jess Amedee on drums, along with special guest Blake Miller on guitar.
Go to the show. Buy the CD- or better yet the LP- from Hopkins or stream it on YouTube, Spotify and "everywhere else." He’s not down or out on "Down and Out"- it's Hopkins at his best.