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Twisty Town (2001) Buy Now |
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Story Behind the Album |
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Album Reviews -- Mike Prevatt (Las Vegas City Life,2001) - Is it alternative country? Is it mainstream rock? Is it roots rock? How can we possibly review an album without knowing its format, target demographic and bin placement at Virgin Megastore? Sheesh. To Brian Jay Cline's credit, we can't tag him one way or another. The local musician, who played in Mark Huff's Skeleton Faith band, is an anomaly in that he doesn't make music to be in some other artist's company, or, conversely, go out of his way to build cred with some new rock hybrid. Judging by the straightforward guitar-pop nature of Twisty Town, Cline has freed himself from pretense to convey genuine thoughts and feelings. And without worrying about external influence or conceptual storyboards, he easily transfers his identity to his music. To draw a real loose metaphor, Cline's Twisty Town is reminiscent to Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha's solo album, Let It Come Down. But before you say, "Dude, that album sucked!" it should be clarified that he and Iha really only have lyrical subject matter (namely, love and relationships) and influences (namely, Whiskeytown--hey, it even rhymes with Cline's album title) in common. Plus, this is no vanity project, as Cline proves his talents without crutch or precedence; his impressionable melodies save him from making just another bar rock album. Twisty Town contains subtle nuances here and there that set each song apart from each other. The musicianship on the album in nearly flawless, thanks in part to a strong supporting cast (Huff, former bandmates Dennis Osinski and Chris Nichols, Rob Catalano, and Mama Zeus members Nicole Sottile and Vinnie Castaldo, among others). Twisty Town could be a great companion piece to Skeleton Faith. But to say that is to rob Cline of the respect he deserves as a solo artist capable of standing on his own. -- Jeff Inman (Las Vegas Weekly, 2001) - Sure, Brian Jay Cline is about as country as cab fare--just check out that accent. But the Brooklyn transplant has obviously spent plenty of time studying the sounds of the heartland. Hell, he spent a few years holding down the low end for Vegas troubadour Mark Huff. Cline's solo debut, Twisty Town is a dusty cross-country ride, complete with corn fields, crappy diners and sad stories. And like Huff, Cline wraps it all up in a soulful blend of roots rock and steel guitars. Just don't expect him to come out sporting a Stetson anytime soon. -- Roots Highway, 2001 - If you look at the Cd’s cover (you know sometimes we’ve been attracted only by an image and the content doesn’t matter), you could think Brian Jay Cline is a real hard rocker, not so susceptible to roots-rock charm. Obviously this is a terrible mistake, because Twisty Town introduces with a fine solo outset this young songwriter and guitar player from Las Vegas, active on the local scene for several years as a sideman in other rock bands. The record has a convincing sound (even if the production is a little bit “unripe”), maybe derivative, but with an undeniable personality. Pure heartland-rock, where guitars (Brian in person and J.J.Johnson, also the producer) run like a train, an unmistakable rock’n’roll trip on the road that could place Brian into the great family tree of American mainstream-rock, among Tom Petty melodies, Mellencamp “cruel” sound and the country touch of Steve Earle. Really, in these eleven songs you could find some similar purposes with several Texan country-rock bands like Loose Diamonds (do you remember?) or Reckless Kelly: a mix of pop melodies, roots sound and a lot of “straight” rock’n’roll. For example, listen to the opening track, the brilliant Road Map, or to the roots-pop sound of Happiest and Fading, even if above all it’s simple to recognize Twisty Town “pop drive” in some ballads: 5Th & Nowhere, for example, rely on some keyboards arrangements and soften with the female chorus by Nicole Sottile, while the brighter Time Slips Through My Hands is a sort of pop rock with some British influences. It’s Hard To Breathe stands in the middle, because it combines rough guitars with a catchy refrain; Brand New Star is just rock’n’roll, maybe too ingenuous, but it sounds good and No Sympathy Tonight drops the curtain leaving good chances for this young rocker lost in Nevada desert: the harmonica gives a Springsteen feeling, while on his back electric guitars and keyboards cross themselves, giving to the track an epic touch. -- Bruce Brodeen Not lame Records 2002 - This is Cline's debut album and, after the positive response we received from his most recent disc, Fast Train To Brooklyn, we wanted to get this one here, as well. It's classic styled chimey roots pop in the strong, fat, purple vein of Walter Clevenger, Bill Lloyd and Marshall Crenshaw. From a review in an un-named zine on his site -- "Is it alternative country? Is it mainstream rock? Is it roots rock? How can we possibly review an album without knowing its format, target demographic and bin placement at Virgin Megastore? Sheesh.To Brian Jay Cline's credit, we can't tag him one way or another." Well, we can.....it's roots-pop with a city/country flavor and an affection for harmony-ridden, 12 string guitar-pop. And we dig it! |
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