This is the self-titled debut album by down home country duo Deano & Jo based in Lafayette Louisiana, originally Deano is from Chicago and Jo from Austin. Dean Schlabowske was an original Waco Brother and Jo Walston was in the Meat Purveyors. The album was recorded and produced by Chris Stafford at Staffland Studios in Acadiana, he's also in the other band called Feu Follet to the one I reviewed last year. The backing band include members of the Bad Livers and The Revelers as well as Robbie Fulks.
This opens with One More Day that sort of caught me out the first time I played this, as I wasn't expecting anything quite as Old-Time country as this maudlin song, for surviving One More Day helped along by a bluegrass band stretching their fiddles to serenade your babbling into that last glass of Old Style.
Come On Down the price is right, if you play your cards right, she'll be yours all night long, so go on over and let Jo soothe your worries away, in the only way she knows how with some twangy guitars, lonesome fiddle accented by the slow bass striding along.
Hold Watcha Got you'd better not fold before Deano can make it home again to the old homestead, he's been out roaming in the gloaming again, but don't worry he's gonna be back in your arms momentarily, as soon as the finger picking guitar lets him.
A Promise Unfulfilled is slow sad ruminations for another love gone awry, as the slide guitar gently weeps towards the arguments you're having with each other's families.
Tennessee Border is a classic tale of cross border love and desire, that should only be played by people wearing Nudie suits who can name all the other songs Hank Williams wrote at the same sessions he wrote this one at.
Stone Walls And Steel Bars is another hard luck country tale with trotting percussion underneath the fiddles with sad lyrics for everything that went wrong, as she's lost again, it's three strikes and out for her.
Murline is a sideways salute to Murline and the damage done by her with that can of kerosene, I'd love to hear them cover Kerosene by Big Black in this style, as that would fit perfectly back to back with this dark tale of betrayal.
Flame In My Heart is going out due to your cheating ways, retribution will be coming your way soon enough now the thrill has gone.
A Man Like Me gets down home with Jimmy James in genuine homage to this classic broken hearted bluegrass staple.
I Just Can't Let You Go is full of longing for that lover that's just about to go out the door and all the things Jo will do to keep him.
Down, Down, Down, deeper and down to a place where this isn't a Status Quo cover, but you're on that hell bound train once more, with lord alone knows who on your trail, as your love has gone, all that's left is the pit of despair for you.
My Evil Twin only appears once you've drunk a couple of bottles from the still out back, he can never remember what went down, but that drunkard can really rip a place apart, on this sorrowfully gentle country tune.
The album closes with Never Going Back about the need to keep on moving running away from normal life, with all the other demons chasing you around the country, as this gets up to full on hoedown speed, I guess live this is a song that will get faster and faster with each passing verse.
Find out more at https://deanschlabowskemusic.com/home????https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086051899772 https://deanojo.bandcamp.com/album/deano-jo-2
