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TonyDoug's CD Review: Earache

by tonydoug wright

Earache, Ain't No Part O' Nothin' (Great Wind Records)

The Band: James Shouse featuring C.C. Camacho, Randy Howard, M. McClanahan, Steve Huber, Andy Todd, Landon Taylor, Butch Baldassari, Smith Curry, and Anthony Valentine

The History: Earache is a bluegrass music ensemble led by journeyman James Shouse who toured extensively from 1974 until 1984. Shouse has performed with artists such as Bill Monroe, Roy Clark, and Wayne Newton and was involved in the development of the Southern Nevada Bluegrass Music Society. Currently, Shouse is a session musician in Tennessee.

The Review: I work at a records management facility and we're located near a gas station, which is convenient because it gives us an opportunity to get out of the office for snacks. We refer to the gas station as "Ray's" in honor the clerk who we see daily. Ray is known for his amazing stories and a few noteworthy accounts include a reported drinking escapade that dwarfed anything Wade Boggs could have accomplished on a cross-country flight, a claim that his cholesterol level was fifty, and an incident involving Ray taking Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame to a karaoke bar following a classic car show and Dean winning the nightly contest.

Lately, Ray's has been selling CDs that are at best considered questionable under current recording laws. The bulk of these CDs are "re-mixes" which are nothing more than someone taking a current hip-hop hit and ruining it with overdubbed screams, shouts, and explosions. A few months ago, I noticed Ain't No Part O' Nothin' was placed among the hip-hop remixes which stuck out like a sore thumb because Lil' Wayne and Kanye West were not on the cover. It was a Caucasian man wearing shades and a black coat standing in front of a leopard skin backdrop. I took a look at the CD, priced at four dollars, and decided not to purchase it at the time. Last week, I noticed the CD was still for sale and priced at ninety-nine cents. I decided to purchase Ain't No Part O' Nothin' due to pity and curiosity.

I opened the case and discovered the CD had the word "Earache" written on it. Confusion quickly set in because the liner notes indicated that it was an album recorded in Tennessee in 1994 by James Shouse with no mention of "Earache". The liner notes to Ain't No Part O' Nothin' included a dedication to Randy Howard who played the fiddle on various tracks. Howard, considered one of the best fiddle players, passed away in 1999 at the young age of 38 and worked with the likes of George Jones and Ricky Skaggs.

I decided to give the CD a spin and was pleasantly surprised that my ninety-nine cent purchase was well spent. Ain't No Part O' Nothin', a term used by Bill Monroe to describe music that's not necessarily bluegrass, is true to the bluegrass genre and features nine tracks, seven of them written by M. McClanahan. For the record, I'm not a bluegrass expert so I can not say for certain if this album is a traditional or a non-traditional bluegrass recording. These amateur ears have enjoyed by the efforts of Shouse and company, especially the following tracks: 'Just Around the Bend', Walk Away', and 'The Road Less Traveled'. I'm of the opinion that it's hard to screw up a bluegrass record because I believe bluegrass musicians have a certain dedication to their music that surpasses many genres.

I have no idea how the album made its way 548 miles north to the lower left portion of the Wolverine State but I'm happy that someone dropped off a copy of Ain't No Part O' Nothin' at Ray's.

The Website: http://www.myspace.com/shouse2007


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