Omar Dykes' voice is singular in the blues field. His voice is like no other. It sounds like the deceased DJ Wolfman Jack. Like his other albums Omar's voice is in fine form on Boogie Man.
Vocally Omar shares vocal duty on this CD with fellow Austinite Alejandro Escovedo on one cut. The contrast in their styles shows how powerful his throaty baritone is.
As strong as Dykes singing is, it would be a mistake to overlook his awesome guitar playing. Whether trading riffs with Chris Duarte and Papa Mali or going solo he's "got the chops". Rooted in the Texas boogie style he tears it up on just about every song. Mind you, there is no other lead instrument except guitar on this CD. It doesn't give a variety of sounds but does give a lot of space to searing guitar solos. This is especially true on the song " All The Love We Can Stand".
The rhythm section of George Rains, Terry Bozzio, or Chris Layton on drums and Tommy Shannon or George Reiff on bass is consistently solid. They don't stand out (or get in the way) they just fit perfectly as if they've played together as a group for years.
Omar Dykes wrote or co-wrote all eleven songs for this CD. Dykes wrote in the liner notes that this project is a showcase of the great songwriters in Austin. Dykes is a modest man. He has written plenty of good tunes all by himself. The first song on the CD entitled "Boogie Man" is totally true to his style and musical ability. While the music barrows heavily from John Lee Hooker and ZZ Top. The lyrics tell the story. The chorus has a refrain that goes " can't stop the boogie man". I didn't want this song to end. I hope that's true for Omar; he's an unstoppable boogie man. Don't believe that
if you'd heard Texas boogie songs before that you've heard it all. Believe in the Boogie Man.
www.Omarandthehowlers.com
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