Published on Feb 13, 1998
Blind Otis And The Lost Highway are a group which I find hard to
categorize. Sounding like a cross between Lee Michaels, John
Mellencamp and Bob Seger, their style of music is a mixture of
roots rock, moody pop and a touch of the blues.
Sound like an interesting combination? Their second album,
Fools Parade, shows that this type of a mixture can indeed
work – but it is a bit spotty.
Otis is a passable singer and guitarist, though he seems more
comfortable playing rhythm guitar or providing rhythm leads than
whipping out a real solo. His hoarse vocal style fits many of the
numbers well, but when the mood calls for him to do some crooning,
he does this well.
The radio-friendly track on this one, “Dirt,” is the one where
parallels between such artists like Mellencamp and even the Rolling
Stones can be drawn; their influences on the music are clearly
heard. Bassist Jeff Downey provides a subtle but solid backbone to
the music, while keyboardist Nick Jones and drummer Dave Hooper add
a little more texture to the mix. (I do wish that Hooper had been
brought forward a litle more in the final mix.)
The band shows they are comfortable moving between solid rockers
(“Tomato Boogie”) and all-out ballads (“My Sweet Anodyne”), and
quite often the transition is smooth – but this is when the
material is strong enough to withstand the switch. On a few
occasions, like “Synesthesia/28 Candles” coming out of “Dirt,” the
following song is weaker, and the change is quite noticeable.
And there are a few occasions where I wish the songs had been a
little shorter – they would have been just as effective. The duo of
“Lady Strange” and “Dark Eyes” is a prime example – though in the
band’s defense, “Dark Eyes” does move more quickly than the
other.
Still, there is a lot of strong material on
Fools Parade that makes it a very worthwhile listen.
“Guitars And Cadillacs” gives a slight tip of the hat to Dwight
Yoakam, while “Fools Lament” and “Ode To Brisco” are very enjoyable
numbers, the latter saluting those who make the music and labor
away in relative anonymity.
Being on such a small label, there’s a good chance that if
you’re located more than a couple stones’ throws from Indianapolis
(where Surf Records is headquartered), you’ve probably never heard
of this group. While
Fools Parade shows there are still some rough edges that
need to be sanded down in their music, it’s worth taking the 65
minutes this disc runs and getting to know them.