Sunday, August 12, 2007

New CD from the Cornell Hurd Band

My son does sound for the Cornell Hurd Band, and he engineered this CD. Just so you won't think I'm prejudiced, I'll reprint the review from the Austin Chronicle, rather than telling you myself how good it is.

If you're looking for oily, chart-busting country, set
Beyond the Purple Hills down right now and head to the "R" section for Rascal Flatts. If you're hoping for a band that values its dancers as much as it values a solid country tune, Cornell's your man. Two-steps, ballads, shuffles, and a dandy make-out song: Hurd and his band of merry men and women offer not only pure, unadulterated fun in three-minute increments but surprises when you least expect them. There's plenty of Hurd's trademark wink-and-a-smile songs, but the humor doesn't compromise the extraordinary professionalism of players like guitarist Paul Skelton ("Texas Eyes") and pedal-steel master Scott Walls ("The Big Lie") or the presence of guests like Johnny Bush ("Mom's Tattoo") and Amber Digby ("Holding Hands"). He likes to call himself "country music's worst nightmare," but a new recording from Cornell Hurd is an invitation to dance. Don't get caught sitting it out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My daughter Carol went to grad school with Stacey Power. When Stacey and Richard came in for Carol's wedding in Austin in June, our family went out to Jovita's to catch a Hurd Band performance. I don't much care for what passes as country music these days, but I like the western swing-honky tonk music that the Hurd Band plays. A couple of years ago, I dragged my wife up to Corsicana to visit the Lefty Frizzell museum. (That same week, we visited Goliad and my wife was royally creeped out by the old Presidio La Bahia where Fannin's Texians were massacred.)

Unknown said...

My son does the sound work for the band at Jovita's. Maybe you got to hear his guitar solo at the end if you stayed for the whole performance. He does it in the sound booth.

There might be a post in here somewhere about the Lefty Frizzell museum. I taught in Corsicana long, long ago.