RANDY MCDONALD
On The Wild Side (Heart and Soul Records)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Last month, I shouted about Randy McDonald's bass playing in my column that focused on a recent show at Seattle's Triple Door with Tommy Castro, Coco Montoya, and Duke Robillard. One of the standouts of that evening was seeing Tommy's bassplayer close the set with his own "Take It Easy Greasy" from his debut record as a solo artist, On the Wild Side. Heart and Soul Records is the brainchild of Tommy Castro and Miki Nord, who'll focus on the artists and their music instead of being hypnotized by SoundScan numbers and commercial radio. That's pretty tough talk in one of the most predatory businesses around, but I encourage you to bet on Heart and Soul to give artists like Randy McDonald, Junior Watson and Tommy Castro a chance. On the Wild Side is a fun record, but it's hard to pidgeonhole. Overall, I'd say it leans toward rockabilly, and On The Wild Side gives this long-time Bay Area bassist a chance to strut his own considerable stuff when he's not a key player in the Tommy Castro Band.

Track List:

House Rent Party * Everywhere I Go * Crawfishin' * Texas Flower * Scattered, Smothered and Covered * Take It Easy Greasy * Out of Work * Yardsale * Can't Judge a Book by the Cover * You Eat Too Much * Teenage Letter

© 2003 - Eric Steiner