Quarternotes
Carolina boy Lee Sinclair returns with an outstanding album filled with Southern Rock influenced country that will get you dancing, drinking, and generally having a great time. High Cotton USA represents some of Lee’s finest songwriting and performing yet, with the country Top 40 deserving “Almost Single,” a song taylor made for today’s country rock radio. There are so many great songs on this album, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I personally love the melodic “Summer Girl,”and the pretty “She’s a Woman.” “Don’t Let it Rain” rocks with an early Marshall Tucker Band vibe, from the opening sax to the rocking guitar. Of course “Lonely Town” also proudly boasts a strong MTB influence. The album is chock full of A-list musicians, including Ronald Radford- himself a former member of The Marshall Tucker Band; Johnny Volianitis; Jeff Smith; Steve Alonzo Walker; Phillip Flemming; Adam Quay; Scott Steele; Kevin Riley; Paul Singh; Mark Blackmon; and Dana Fleming. The album was produced and mixed by Sinclair and Phillip Fleming, and mastered by long time Marshall Tucker guitarist Rusty Milner. To make a long story short, High Cot- ton USA is my kind of album, start to finish, Southern Rock blended with good country music. Don’t miss this one, folks.... Silverfish is a seriously rocking band with more than a little Southern Rock influence. No small wonder, since some of the members
used to be in an excellent band called Cata- wompus. For their debut album, Silverfish rock’s with a Christian message, and the re- sult is overwhelmingly positive. Band mem- bers include: Jimmy Hamilton on vocals; Douglas Gery on lead guitar; Bryan Graves on bass; and Jamie Smith on drums. Douglas and Jimmy wrote all of the songs and produced this fine CD. While all ten tracks are excellent, “Celebrate” stands out, as does the rock- ing “I’m What it Looks Like,” and perhaps the finest track on the album, “Love is Everything,” that kind of sums up the entire message of the album. Silverfish blend Southern Rock sensibilities with
Christian rock to great effect. Check ‘em out.... The Ann Wilson Thing! returns with a second red-hot EP, Focus (New Rounder) . This band, made up of of rock veterans all backing the always powerful vo- cals of Heart’s Ann Wilson, is out to have some serious fun, and there sure pull it off. Fun for them equals fun for us. The fun be- gins with a Jimi Hendrix cover, “Manic De- pression,” kicking off this four-track EP with a passionate vocal and high energy. The band slows the tempo, but not the energy, with “Fightin’ Fer Life,” a relatively sparse track, with soft strings underscoring Ann’s vocal. “Don’t Give Up,” originally recorded by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, is given an excellent new reading here. Focus brings it all home with a semi-swampy “Anguish,” an edgier
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