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THE DERRINGERS
Derringer X 2 (Sound Ground Records)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes
Legendary guitar monster Rick Derringer is thankfully still playing that rock and roll forty years later, as anyone fortunate enough to catch him on the road can attest. But he's also spent the last fifteen years returning to the blues, tinkering with smooth jazz and - thanks to a spiritual awakening and an inspirational wife - recording family oriented musical projects. While I admire Derringer's accomplishments over the years and respect the personal lifestyle choices he has made, Derringer X 2 is a bland and insipid platter that is impossible to sit through. I thought The Derringers (a project that boasted wife and kids as contributors) would get it out of his system, but apparently I was wrong.
I'm not a huge smooth jazz fan, but Derringer has the chops to pull off anything he chooses to play, and when I heard the shuffling version of Stevie Ray's "Pride And Joy" I thought this might at least be a good showcase for his fretwork. But the moment the breathy vocals of Jenda Derringer dripped out of my speakers, any hope of enjoyment evaporated. By track six, when Rick and Jenda started cooing to each other, I was ready to toss the disc out the window. But I pressed on. Insipid lyrics, singsong vocals, bland music. Painful. Horrible. I don't know who the audience is for something like this. Relatives?
Ironically, Derringer's voice sounds better than it has in years, and I'm selfishly hoping he uses it to belt out some more rock and roll someday. He's one of the most charismatic guitarists walking the Earth (a criminal omission from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's inductees), and I truly believe that there's tread left on those tires. And although it's been a while since he's committed that energy to record, the past few years have been peppered with reminders like Derringer band re-releases on Wounded Bird and his own re-recording of career highlights on Greatest And Latest. But if he's hung up the codpiece and never records another rocking lick, well, that's his right and I respect it. I'd even look forward to that country record he's been threatening to make since the days of "Cheap Tequila." I just hope he does me the favor of continuing to record this slop under the name The Derringers so I can avoid accidentally buying it.
[Pick this up at www.rickderringer.com.]
© 2005 - Bill Holmes