REVIEWS
-Review by Loudon Temple Date: May 2006 Maverick magazine (June Edition) This jungle drums have been beating for months. $outhpaw were in the studios and having a tough time choosing which tracks to put out, such was the sheer strength of the material flowing from Gavin Munro’s pen. ‘Live’ they’ve been blowing up such a storm that in the aftermath, the unsuspecting were left feeling that a tornado had just whipped through their town. Much of the praise that’s been floating around is focussed on the playing, strong vocal harmonies and strength of the original compositions. It’s been primarily on the Country circuit that they’ve been winning the plaudits and that’s entirely understandable as there are lashings of Fender twang and soaring pedal steel interweaving to bind the songs together. But, it would be a shame to shunt this album to sit exclusively in the Americana sidings. For, there is much more going on here and these guys deserve to be heard by the widest possible audience. They have delivered an hour of very strong, melodic, Country-tinged music that is strong enough from start to finish to find its way onto mainstream daytime radio. There are five of them and each contributes just the right amount of panache to keep the sheen blemish-free. You have to go back to the days of Gallagher & Lyle when they were at their peak to find anything with a Made in Scotland stamp that matches this for style. OK, it’s clear they have blood brothers on the other side of the Atlantic, maybe among the ranks of The Jayhawks and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers (Reaction) or Railroad Earth (River). Munro’s the man who writes the songs and there are signs that down the years he’s absorbed a bit of Mike Nesmith, The Beatles (circa RUBBER SOUL), Lou Reed, Travelling Wilburys and Dire Straits. After the first listening, next day, there was a catchy riff repeat-playing like a hypnotic loop that threaded through my head from ear to ear. Could I work out what it was? Second time I played the CD, I realised it was the highly infectious For The Angels. There are some influences that are closer to home too. Shut Your Mouth might start out pretending to be from the Sweet Home Alabama school of rock writing, but once the vocals take over from the crunchy guitar intro, it turns out to be a distant cousin of Andy Fairweather Low. Then, there’s Underwater Jesus sounding for all the world as if it might have been the best thing that The Saw Doctors ever recorded. The gloves are off and $outhpaw’s a band than will last a full twelve rounds with the best of the rest. LT-Review by Loudon Temple Date: May 2006 Maverick magazine It was kinda like it must feel to be sitting onboard a runaway train with no control over the final outcome. When a band so pumped up and filled with the joy of playing builds up such a head of steam as this, it is absolutely thrilling. All you can do is sit tight and hope they don’t slide off the rails or hit the buffers. Imagine cruising along with Jawhawks-good sharp harmonies and pulse that pumps as steadily as Gram Parsons. Then stick the whole thing into overdrive… There was one couple in the audience - just the two of them - who stuck out like very sore and miserable thumbs. They were utterly devoid of any outward emotion, like rabbits stunned in a car’s headlights. At first I thought they were maybe just dead from the neck up. Then, I wondered if they could be Third Rock From The Sun alien types sent here to observe us, dressed up in human disguise. But, I guess they had just never been exposed to anything so much like the musical equivalent of a rollercoaster ride before. Almost everyone else stayed on exhilarated to the very end; the weird pair left earlier, still sullen and ashen-faced. The five guys who make this amazing thing come thundering so wildly to life all share a love of mainline country music and its many sidlines and while anyone who needs a strong shot of Ray Benson and his Asleep At The Wheel sidekicks, or a fix of BR-549 honky tonk boogie will get enough of that stuff to keep them delirious for weeks on end, there’s much more going on here. Yes siree. This ain’t no thinly-flavoured grits ‘n’ gravy starter but more a rich beef stew. Firstly, the band’s main strength lies in the quality of the originals. Then there are the well-chosen covers - all material they are clearly overjoyed to be playing - that spreads across a wide sweep of influences, from Tom Waits and Springsteen to Creedence, Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Band and Parsons, Elvis and Lucinda Williams. Miraculously they add such a distinctive $outhpaw twist to everything that even the best-known of them all sound refreshingly their’s. At its chunkiest, there are two Fender Telecasters as outriders while the tight-as-a-Mallard’s-back-end rhythm section provides a steaming boiler house of power. There were times, with bass man Callum Keith and drummer Mo McPherson so bang on the button, that everyone else seemed content just to busk it for a while to keep the feel-good moment going. Donny McElligott on rhythm/lead guitar is the extrovert and carries it off without a hint of a blush, even taking the lead vocal from time to time and nailing everything he does. Owen Nicholson is equally at home on both pedal/lap steel, and Telecaster, and he and McElligott are sky-high happy as each one keeps the other on his toes. Nicholson’s a well-known face - and pair of hands - on the circuit, having worked with some top names, and turned in some pure gold session work on Dougie Maclean’s new album. Front man and all-round good guy, Gavin JD Munro is the man who gives the band its unique stance and style. He writes good songs and great songs from the rough and tumble of life’s experiences, some with tongue in cheek and others pulled from much more serious situations. The best are true stand-out gems. The band showcased a great selection from the new album BUFFALO MANSIONS, due to be released any day now on Goldrush Records. Don’t expect it all to be straight or even alt-country as they cover a far wider musical span that is nice and rocky – and has some pop peaks as well, such as the terrific For The Angels which brought a great London band from the late ‘70s called The 45s to mind. Loudon Temple.-Review by Dave Arcari Date: February 2006 NEW MUSIC SCOTLAND SOUTHPAW’s hour-long debut is an accomplished collection of original material that suggests influences from the powerful memory of a dear departed collaborator to Jayhawks and Parsons. The Perth five-piece has been augmented in parts by a bunch of guest musicians including Belle Sebastian’s Richie Colburn to create a consistently good-running album with enough variation to build interest all the way to the glorious hidden acoustic track at the end. The stunning St Peter’s Waltz and closer Reaction are the icing on an already excellent cake. Awesome.-Review by Hugo Vogel Date: January 2006 http://www.altcountry.nl/recensiesjan06.htmlsouth .."Those who were sad about Jayhawks breaking up are probably glad that at least we still have Southpaw. On their debut CD - which is their own production - there are 15 songs that are very reminiscent of the old band featuring Louris & Olson. The compositions from Gavin JD Munro are lively (sparkly) melodious guitar numbers. Acoustic and electrical guitars bounce against each other, while the steel from Owen Nicholson encircles them. The pleasing voice of Munro is perfectly supported by backing vocals. Numbers such as ..'Sent you up..' is vaguely reminiscent of other songs on the radio just 3 years ago. These five men save the best till last. Reaction is a golden number where the high standard they set themselves comes to the fore. The greatest difference with the previous mentioned Jayhawks is in the production. This could have been sharper allowing the songs to be projected louder. Something for next time. Another difference is that Southpaw come from Scotland - not that you would hear that because Buffalo Mansions sounds American - meant as a compliment!.."-Review by Patrick Donders Date: December 2005 www.hanx.net The fact that the S from Southpaw is described as a dollar sign is not (very nice) because the music is more than fine. It reminds me mostly of Say Zuzu or a light version of The Jayhawks. The Ooh La La refrain from For The Angels is irresistable and very radio friendly. Southpaw sounds best when they deviate from the usual scenario which is .."window down and full gas.." (loud!) The piano tune on Crazy Eyes is reminiscent of Bap Kennedy on Lonely Street. Come On Aboard appears to have been written following an extensive tour thro Twin Peaks, and the refrain from River sounds as if U2 have put on their .."country rock shoes..". Don..'t try and discover the .."meaning of life.." because you wont find it on Buffalo Mansions, but apart from that there is nothing wrong with it.-Review by Pete Gow Date: December 2005 www.americana-uk.com Americana pop from Perth’s Jock-hawks….. It would take a copy of ‘Buffalo Mansions’ with a press release, or a review like this to bring to your attention that $outhpaw are from Scotland. The dollar sign logo, album title and pretty much everything else about this band and record would have you believing a somewhat alternate heritage. Gavin Munro’s songs are strong, melodic and would suit pretty much any style, but his vocal delivery has all the American affectations & accents that leave you in no doubt as to where his influences lie. I have to be honest that this kind of appropriation usually gets my back up, but once you give yourself over to the songs, it is hard not to get drawn in by $outhpaw’s genuine affection for the genre & an unmasked, un-ironic portrayal. ‘St. Peters Waltz’ could have snuck easily onto one of Golden Smog’s earlier efforts & ‘Sent You Up’ starts with what could have been Steve Jones showing Sid Vicious the bass line for Pretty Vacant on an acoustic guitar, before evolving into, mellifluous, flowing new country. Musically think Jayhawks, perhaps Poco, but also carry the comparisons through into the flawless, polished performances. Owen Nicholson’s lap & pedal steel contributions truly stand out, but the standard of musicianship is extremely high through out, whether dealing with the afore mentioned single- fodder or out & out Honky- Tonkin’ of ‘Crazy Eyes’. I return to Munro’s songs briefly. As mentioned he has a real knack for a catchy number & I hope he has a publishing deal, as it would come as no real surprise should one of his compositions get farmed out to a big hitter. For my personal taste, his lyric writing can be a fraction hackneyed in parts (‘Those stolen moments, you know they feel so good’, ‘The sun sets on those crazy eyes’ etc) but hidden away towards the back of this record are two real gems worth the asking price alone. ‘Come on Board’ is an belter of a song, the content of which hints at darker depths and last but one, ‘Underwater Jesus’ cements my theory that there is more to Munro as a writer than meets the eye.-Review by Paul Reoch Date: Tues August 30th 2005 Perthshire Advertiser Called .."Buffalo Mansions..",the album starts off in blistering fashion with .."Carry My Head..",which has excellent slide guitar work.Next up is .."Bright Lights.." which follows in a similar vein with evocative female backing vocals. .."For The Angels.." is my favourite track,with a quick tempo.Southpaw have an easy sound that is exemplified by their instruments flowing into each other and there is none better to demonstrate that than this song. There are times when they remind you of The Eagles and Tom Petty which is no bad thing! .."Sent You Up.." is a different tack but is a surprisingly moving song..."Far Wide And Near.."has a laid back feel to it,with good strong vocals and harmonica playing. It features the line: .."Thought i had it,yes i did,thought i had it in my hand.Blood, sweat and tears,among these souvenirs.." The cd is filled with good songs and both .."River.." and .."Underwater Jesus.." come into this category.If you shut your eyes you could be transported to the deep south of the USA,such is the feel of Southpaw on this cd,which was recorded at Perths Clearwater Studios..