{"id":842,"date":"2012-05-05T20:00:53","date_gmt":"2012-05-05T20:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=842"},"modified":"2015-10-13T17:45:16","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T17:45:16","slug":"colin-brooks-almost-austin-pasadena-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/05\/05\/colin-brooks-almost-austin-pasadena-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"Colin Brooks – Almost Austin – Pasadena, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Eddie Ferranti <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 05, 2012 at 08:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"Songwriters have to follow their muse wherever it leads them. When a band has several songwriters, their muses don\u2019t always go in the same direction, or at least that\u2019s the way it was for the Beatles, CSNY and the Band of Heathens.<\/p>\n

I had the good fortune to be in the house on House Street for Almost Austin\u2019s presentation of Colin Brooks after having seen the Quist and Jurdi show there a couple of months back. It was a blow when I first heard that this great co-op of talent had broken up, but thinking about it, this is quite likely the next step. The Heathens had been on a nonstop run of tours and performances and hadn\u2019t had the time to really write and create new material. Both of these shows have left me with grand expectations from the former Heathens.<\/p>\n

Colin Brooks warmed up the frets with the familiar \u201cHallelujah\u201d , before rolling in to an acoustic set of new songs and some old ones from his now out of print solo records, \u201cChippin\u2019 Away at the Promised Land\u201d (2002) and \u201cBlood and Water\u201d (2005). \u201cShow Me the Way\u201d showed Colin\u2019s broad vocal range over a jazz\/pop guitar melody whose chords seemed to splash like raindrops on the pavement. Brooks switched to his steel resonator for the bluesy \u201cMexico\u201d featuring mean Lowell George style slide and the pensive \u201cWater in the Sky\u201d. Then it was back to the acoustic for \u201cHeavy Load\u201d (a tribute to his trucking Uncle Bill) and \u201cGravity\u201d, before the intermission.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"After the break, it was back to the resonator with a sure fingered slide and a low key blues growl rolling into \u201cBlood in the Water\u201d followed by the highly suggestive \u201cCornbread\u201d which Brooks dressed up in an acoustic funk sound that really brought the song down home. It was back to the acoustic for his new song \u201cJust Want to Lay in Your Arms Tonight\u201d which traveled on blues\/jazz phrasing reminiscent of Les Paul and Chet Atkins.<\/p>\n

Then it was the title track from his first album \u201cChippin\u2019\u201d where Colin seemed to squeeze the soul out of the guitar like Jimi Hendrix would do on his more subdued acoustic work. After solo versions of \u201cAll Your Love\u201d and \u201cHanging Tree\u201d Mr. Brooks saddled up the lap steel guitar for his version of Townes Van Zandt\u2019s \u201cIf I Needed You\u201d followed by a resounding lap steel instrumental. Colin finished off the show with acoustic versions of \u201cJenny Was a Keeper\u201d and \u201cSomebody Tell the Truth\u201d.<\/p>\n

Generally, the artists spend intermission and some time after the show at Almost Austin talking to the patrons and hawking their CD\u2019s and T shirts. Colin Brooks spent the time talking with the folks, but at this early time of the next phase of his career he\u2019s got no wares to hawk. Brooks is a double threat, moving into the future, as a great singer\/songwriter and a guitarist that would be an asset to any artists recording session. I\u2019m looking forward to his next appearance at this venue and I\u2019ll be first in line to pick up a copy of his new recordings when he brings them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Eddie Ferranti May 05, 2012 at 08:00 PM Songwriters have to follow their muse wherever it leads them. When a band has several songwriters, their muses don\u2019t always go in the same direction, or at least that\u2019s the way it was for the Beatles, CSNY and the Band of Heathens. I had the… <\/p>\n

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