| Rebulation - Tony Stampley | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
Traditional Country Music where art thou? If you are looking for traditional Country Music, look no further than Tony Stampley's debut CD Rebelution. If the Stampley name sounds familiar to you, then you must surely remember hit maker Joe Stampley. Joe Stampley was a hit singer in the 1970's and 1980's as part of the duo "Moe and Joe" with Moe Bandy. Joe Stampley is Tony's dad. Joe Stampley is also one of Hank Williams Jr's favorite writers. Joe's songs have appeared on no less than 8 of Hank Jr's CDs. In fact, for this CD Tony Stampley has co-written every track.
To classify Tony's music is easy. It's "country as cornbread." There is not one single "poptry" song on the CD or is their a song that doesn't have a fiddle, mandolin, or steel guitar on it. The uptempo songs rock and the ballads are straight out of the school of Keith Whitley and Randy Travis and Conway Twitty.
"American Offline" is a cute little ditty of a song. Tony is singing that there are no comparisons available for being outside and enjoying the wilderness. Vocally this track is just one example of Tony sounding a tad like his buddy Hank Jr. In a perfect world, this track would be a big hit.
"Another Cold One" sounds like it came straight off of a Joe Diffie or John Anderson CD. This track is contemporary sounding without being classified as "too country." This is probably the best bet for a hit single. The theme of this mid tempo song is similar to that of Montgomery Gentry's "Cold One Comin' On."
Hank Jr. is alive and well again on "Dirt Road Rock 'n' Roll." While that may turn some off, I like that he has fun with the lyrics like "Rebel Metal and dirt road rock 'n' roll." Simply put, this track is one that'll get you dancing.
Co-written with Randy Travis, "I Hate To See You Go (But I Love To Watch You Walk Away)" was already recorded by another artist. Here Joe is singing about his beautiful girlfriend. He loves everything about her so much that he even likes seeing her walk away, making this track a cute song.
"He Never Said He Loved Me" is a soft and tender ballad about a boy's love for his father. If anyone cannot relate to this track, they don't have a heart. While ballads aren't Tony's strong point, the poignant lyrics are great and should be enough to get this track some airplay.
"Waste Of Good Whiskey" is the first single from the CD and it is in the tradition of Hank Williams Jr. While it probably won't be a big hit in the urban Country markets, I bet those stations in the real country will love this track. Look for it to be a hit in the state of Texas.
When looking for an enjoyable CD that is unadulterated Country Music, look no further than Tony Stampley's Rebelution.
Song List:
Audio clips courtesy Barnes & Noble
Album cover, used with permission of Dreamworks Nashville.
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