Quick Hit Album : Tom Russell – Hotwalker

Outsider America as told by Tom Russell. The best way for me to give you an idea of what ‘Hotwalker’ is about is to get you to listen to the second cut (Old America) off the record. Tom sets it up. He narrates his American (L.A.) memories and then turns the narration over to Little Jack Horton, “circus midget, human cannonball, king of the carnival, voice of the midway, a true American voice from the sawdust back lots. Real low fidelity Americana the way it used to be”.

This cut will set the tone. Russell puts the proper music in the background. Basically Tom and Jack tell stories of Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce (funny bit), Dave Van Ronk, Jazz, Country, rock n roll. Woody Guthrie, Spade Cooley,  Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Bill Haley, Gram Parsons and too many others to mention. Voices and people from a lost time. I wanted to be sitting in the bar with Tom and Jack, drinking, smoking and listening to these stories brought back to life while Russell played a few songs on his guitar. Under belly history, smokey bars, carnivals, strip joints, racetracks, honky tonks,. “Uncorrupted by the mainstream”. Underground life. Secret shit. Outsider America. Outsider people.

Russell takes us back to a different time and sprinkles in the music he was hearing, a real mixed bag and it is no wonder people got jacked on this stuff. The whole vibe would grab people especially those who wanted the real stuff, the under the roots stuff, the other side of the tracks stuff.

History, CB’s kind of history.  This is where I get my info, from the source. Wikipedia can’t supply this personal touch. Being there. Take a trip into this world. Tom conjures up images that come alive. He supplies the soundtrack to the film that will play in your head. This album moves CB to the core. Listen to Tom’s song to Woodrow Guthrie. Magic.

I wanted to get this take right, to pique your curiosity but in the end you have to trust me on this one. It will probably be nothing like you’ve ever listened to.  Albums like this are why I started these takes. They are special pieces of work. Tom Russell is a special talent and in CB’s opinion a guy who doesn’t take any wrong turns in his creativeness. Keep doing the thing you do Tom.