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Chicago
Sun-Times The backing band is tight and talented, and the 10 Rocker originals are the perfect vehicle for the quartet. The covers include a reworking of Bob Dylan's "One More Night"; a rocking version of "Lost Highway," the Hank Williams hit by Leon Payne, and a novelty number called "Crazy When She Drinks" by Rocker's guitarist Buzz Campbell. And then there's the cool title song, which draws on every blues myth you could conjure. Rev it up and go, indeed. --- Jeff Johnson All
Music Guide Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange This is Lee Rocker's second disc on Alligator and though it rocks as hard as the first one, there are moments when this disc shows that there is an occasional slower tempoed cut (What I Don't Know, is a true belly rubber) or two in this rocker known more for his vibrant energy and straight ahead all out punk rockabilly. Don't think he has forsaken his full speed ahead style but he is just as adept when he does slow it down to a less frenetic pace than his usual. This disc has ten of the thirteen songs penned or co-written by Rocker and the covers are of One More Night by Bob Dylan (quite a nice cover), Crazy When She Drinks, by one of his guitarists, Buzz Campbell, and Leon Payne's, Lost Highway. The songs are all done with just he and his road band which has been together for awhile and is as road tested and as tight as he could want. The band is made up of; Buzz Campbell, guitar, Brophy Dale, slide guitar and vocals, Jimmy Sage on drums and of course Rocker, playing his upright bass, vocals and acoustic guitar. This disc is an extension of the work he was doing with the Stray Cats, a Rockabilly band he formed with High School friends Brian Setzer, and Slim Jim Phantom in the early 80s on Long Island, NY, that eventually had to go to England to get a break. The band split up a few years later and they each went their own way, Rocker continuing to explore the Rockabilly field and doing a good job of expanding its parameters. This is an excellent disc by this extremely talented bassist (if you want to hear some excellent upright bass playing there are few better to learn from) and Alligator Records has done a good job getting his music out there for the public. -- Bob Gottlieb Journal
Star With the record-on-turntable sound starting the drum click and shimmer in “Gone,” Rocker lyrically claims that nothing lasts forever, then across the rest of the record shows that the ’50s-rooted hillbilly rock ’n’ roll sound and attitude is still alive and well. Covering the range of rockabilly, the disc moves from the jumpin’ “Crazy When She Drinks” and the bluesy backstreet slink of “Black Cat Bone” to country balladry of “What I Don’t Know” to the romantic shimmer of “Sometimes You Win” — all of which bring back familiar themes. But Rocker, an under-rated songwriter who wrote or co-wrote 10 of the disc’s 13 songs, gets a little unexpectedly political on the bouncy “Sold Us Down the River,” intoning: “Too many people dying in the sand/too many people want to hear a marching band.” But “Black Cat Bone” isn’t
a topical album. Quite the contrary. The thumping, ripping “The Highway is My Home” and “String Bass, Guitar and a Drum” are autobiographical as Rocker describes the traveling life, then lays out his stripped-down rockabilly ethos, rumbling and stomping and raving about the Sun Records sound. The biggest surprise on the disc is a laidback, airy version of “One More Night” which captures the soul and romance of Bob Dylan’s song. The record’s other cover is more iconic, but Rocker manages to put some driving wheels on “Lost Highway,” the Leon Payne-penned tune made famous by Hank Williams. From start to finish, “Black Cat Bone” is muscular and moving, smartly played by Rocker, guitarists Buzz Campbell and Brophy Dale and drummer Jimmy Sage. If you like rockbilly, this is the good stuff. Mix
Online
...Racin'
the Devil is essentially the apex of [rockabilly]. This disc
is pure ducktails and bobby sox, replete with twang-rich guitars,
doghouse bass and hard-rocking tunes." "The
music thumps hard and stays remarkably affectation-free. Rocker
has fresh ideas for the oft-revived genre." "Racin'
The Devil
is Lee Rocker's strongest solo outing to date. One of the first
truly great albums of 2006...Remarkable. Rocker's voice has never
sounded better and his is surrounded by a band equally up to the
task of finding new territory to explore." "Rockabilly
lives" "Three
Stars" "heart,
soul and conviction...Racin
the Devil
finds Rocker racin' at full throttle through such numbers as "Race
Track Blues" and "Ramblin." "With
Racin' The Devil, Lee Rocker continues to put a more satisfying
spin of this twang-fueled rock than the Cats ever did in their studio
work." "This
is perhaps the best disc that Rocker has done, including his work
with the Stray Cats" "A
gritty neo-rockabilly album, welcome and delightful. Rocker's sound
is heavy, with a groove that falls just short of the brazenly punky
onslaught of outfits such as the Reverend Horton Heat and Social
distortion. It's tough and tasty, with a sense-of-humor chaser." Lee
Rocker cranks it up as a punkier, grittier rockabilly hound. Racin'
The Devil is a real hoot, wicked and rowdy. Rocker's
enthusiasm for the old school is infections, and his songwriting
is creative.
Almost
midway through 2003, it's already clear that Lee Rocker has released
one of the year's best rock albums. "Unlike
Mike Ness or Horton Heat, Rocker is a purest. He revived rockabilly,
and he may be its last true champion. He is one of the best slap
bassists working, let alone living." "A
thudding rockabilly masterpiece",......"an early candidate
for album of the year, regardless of genre" "Bulletproof
is a high-caliber good time, from a honky-tonkin' take of the Beatles
"I'll Cry Instead" to a jazzy "Blue Suede Nights." "The
guitar playing and drumming are fine,"..."the bass playing
is solid as they come,"..." Stray Cat fans will enjoy
the hell out of this one!" 4
STARS........."Rockabilly for the 21st Century" "High
octane and passionate as it [his music] has been for the past 23
years."
"The
best solo album any of the cats have ever made...Rocker hits us
right between the eyes with this storming self-produced live set,
full of raunchy rockabilly." "This
is the way it was meant to be, the way it's supposed to be and the
way it ought to be." "Rocker leads his crack band through a tough and tight live set of Rockabilly and roots-rock classics." - Bass Player Magazine "Lee
Rocker Live is a uniquely American tour de force" "Rocker
is more than a retro act... his music exudes cutting edge style
and, coupled with his unique signature on the bass, is a staple
of "This
CD is something you will want to pick up for sure" "Clearly
the genuine article, with no trace of nostalgic imitation. INTERVIEWS
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3
Stars - Union Tribune S.D. |
What
the press is saying about Black Cat Bone
What
the press is saying about 
What
the press is saying about Bulletproof
(read full 
What
the press is saying about Lee Rocker: Live
How
the press rated No Cats
