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Vintage Honky Tonk
Some Velvet Evening: No Law Against Talking album review.
By Natalie Sugarman
ome Velvet Evening is the charming Honky Tonk duo
of Detroit's own Carrie Shepard and John Holk. Their
)'' sound is reminiscent of days gone by. As stated in their
bio,"Masters of twang, melancholy and harmony, their
original tunes harken back to the lonesome crooners of
yesteryear in the tradition of the Louvin Brothers, Porter
Wagoner & Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn,
and Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris."
Their debut album No
Law Against Talking is an
assemblage of cleverly
written songs. Their writ-
ten musical verse travels
down the dusty road with
a sparkling versatility
that pops with vintage
country-western style.
The album was pro-
duced by John Holk, who
was nominated in 2010 by
the Detroit Music Awards
for Best Country Record-
ing for the John Holk &
the Sequins' album If You
See Her. Shepard also per-
formed with the group.
Shepard and Holk met
in 2007 at a show in Fern-
dale."I went to see John
Holk & the Sequins play at
the New Way Bar in 2007,
and I was completely
blown away by the music;'
says Shepard."So when
I had an opportunity to
do my first solo show at Oak City Grille,
I asked John to join me. We each per-
formed some of our own original material
and also tried out a few duets includ-
ing Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's
"Some Velvet Morning,"from which we
borrowed our name. We gradually added
more and more duets to our repertoire,
returned to Oak City Grille
for many more 'velvet
evenings; and began
writing some duets of our
own."
Shepard and Holk's vo-
cals blend together well,
with pleasant harmonies
that are sultry, sweet and
full of heart.
The 11 tracks on the
album flow together in
a steady rhythm. The first track,"Shoot-
ing the Breeze;' opens with toe-tapping,
rollicking guitar. It has the feel of a Johnny
Cash and June Carter duet.The song is
about two members of the opposite sex
talking to each other, and as the chorus
states, "just shooting the breeze." Under-
neath that guise there are undertones of
a hidden desire; however, "they're not the
cheatin' kind!'
No Law Against Talking includes the
cover song "Come On, Let's Go;' originally
written by Ritchie Valens. Shepard and
Holk's version of the Valens hit has the
classic '50s pop-rock sound. They sound
JOIN OUR NIGHTLY CELEBRATION 0
OD, WINE & MEMORABLE TIME
SOME
VELVET
EVENING
NO LAW
AGAINST
TALKING
comparable to the currently popular duo of She & Him on
this track.
Other great tracks on the album include "Behind the
Line" and "Springtime."The closing track, "Come on Down,"
begins with harmonica and tambourine as the vocals kick
in and are met with guitars that intertwine into a song
that is melancholy, whimsical and full of longing.
No Law Against Talking is a great album to listen to on
a cold, gray, rainy day or a sunny day when you're feeling
blue. If you love honky tonk, catchy lyrics, sultry vocals
and brilliant musicianship, check out the album.You also
can catch one of their live shows.They will be performing
Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Oak City Grille in Royal Oak. P,7
For more info on Some Velvet Evening, visit somevelvetevening.com .
•
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