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London transplant Godwin left three EPs and numerous gigs at legendary venues like 12 Bar and The Troubadour when he relocated to Brooklyn in 2005 and his full length debut is a concept album/love letter to his adopted home town. The vaudevillian opener, “Drinking Gasoline” is a jolly piano stomper that blends Kevin Coyne and Tom Waits to good effect. Producer/pianist Dan Costello’s boogie-woogie piano jive propels the giddy “New World City” along behind Godwin’s gruff vocals. If you close your eyes and drift away to the melancholic “Constantly Reminded,” you just might be carried away back to memories of lonely nights huddled under the blankets, whiling away the hours to the classic Bob Seger trilogy, ”Stranger In Town,” “Night Moves,” and “Against The Wind.” And, call me kooky, but I’d love to hear Tom Jones wrap his throat around this one!
The swaying, bluesy ballad “Hate Is Safer Than Love” suggests Godwin may have a few Leon Russell and Long John Baldry albums in his collection. “Outsize Shoes” wouldn’t’ve been out of place on one of our beloved Sensational Alex Harvey Band albums – it’s a campy, wall-rattling, Broadway-styled shout along that will surely bring the house down at his live gigs. Costello’s vaudevillian piano rolls boogies the night away in the finest speakeasy fashion! There’s also a romantically nostalgic air to the tear-inducing “Hook of Time,” the album’s folksiest number that delivers one of Godwin’s smoothest vocals and reminded me of that warm and fuzzy feeling I used to get listening to my old Tom Rush albums. The rollicking, beer hall sing along title track sounds like an outtake from “The Threepenny Opera” – I half expected Lotte Lenya and Mack The Knife to start doing cartwheels across the dance floor at any moment! Of course, your next stop at The Doors’ Alabama Whisky Bar goes without saying!
Boozy, barrelhouse brawn with a romantic heart of gold, Godwin is highly recommended to fans of Waits, Coyne, Alex Harvey, and recent Elvis Costello. -Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis |
