Published on Sep 13, 2000
David Chastain has been waiting a long time to be the next big
thing in the world of guitar gods. He’s tried more musical paths
than you’d expect, all trying to break through as a guitarist whose
name would be a household word.
Now, he tries again with a three-piece rock outfit, Southern
Gentleman. Their debut disc
Exotic Dancer Blues shows that this group could be something
special… but they ain’t there yet.
Let’s start with the positive aspects of this disc. For one
thing, there is no mistaking the fact that these three musicians –
Chastain, bassist Kevin Kekes and drummer Dennis Lesh – are
astounding at their instruments. The trio does work hard at laying
down a solid musical foundation, and they often do succeed at
this.
But one major mistake is made, and it is made often – namely,
letting Chastain sing. Simply put, he doesn’t have the pipes for
this material. I’ve always been skeptical when guitar gurus I’ve
grown up with have decided to step up in front of the microphone
and let it rip vocally. Joe Satriani didn’t initially succeed; Dave
Uhrich did a surprisingly good job. Chastain just isn’t a singer,
and Southern Gentlemen would be well advised to search out a
full-time lead vocalist for their next effort.
Besides, without that distraction, Chastain could easily
concentrate on what he does best, and that’s play guitar. On tracks
like “I Feel So Blue,” “Back Door Woman” and “Ease The Pain,”
Chastain whips out impressive guitar licks but shows a great deal
of restraint. We know that he could have easily sent out a guitar
line which would have blistered the paint in your living room.
Instead, Chastain went for the vibe of the song, not how many knots
he could tie in the fretboard… and that’s something to
admire.
Exotic Dancer Blues also shows further holes in Southern
Gentlemen’s sound. Again, no knock on the musicians’
performances… but the overall sound is a bit sparse. Even with
the addition of a simple keyboard, it could have fleshed things out
more in the short moments when Chastain didn’t play, leaving only
bass and drums to fill the void. Keyboards – or even, dare I say, a
rhythm guitarist – on cuts like “Down To New Orleans” and “Give Me
Your Lust” would have turned these into barnburners.
Finally… as much as I appreciate the nymphette on the cover,
it may be wise to drop the “hornier-than-thou” approach in the
music. Putting out a call for exotic dancers to send in their
photos for future album covers sounds a bit… well, desperate. (If
they so wish, these same dancers can send
me their photos… I’m just too cheap to renew my
subscription to
Hustler.)
With a few more coats of paint here and there, Southern
Gentlemen could well be a band to reckon with down the road, and it
could finally bring Chastain to the point where he would be as
recognizable as, say, Steve Vai. I’d rather look at
Exotic Dancer Blues as a launching pad for the band to get
where they should be. Let’s hope these guys don’t stay static;
otherwise, they’ll soon sound as watered down as the liquor at your
favorite nudie bar.