I have known very few artists who combine being prolific at very high levels with the quality of their creations.
If I have to think of a name to explain this concept, without a doubt the first on my list would be Creed Fisher, a tough and pure Texan.
I got to know Creed’s music very casually looking for outlaw country classic artists around the net.
I was struck by the titles and the covers of his records and so listening to his songs, I went deeper and deeper trying to know others.
Fisher’s powerful and intense voice is an absolutely recognizable trademark and even more so are the lyrics of his songs devoted to the “man who works” and his country, especially the South and above all Texas.
I have already reviewed 4 albums by Creed Fisher, you can find them here on my blog if you look for his name, and in none of these records I found some bad songs or put there just to fill a space.
Sometimes I had to make choices, I couldn’t review them all because, as I told you, ours is prolific at unimaginable levels: in 2020 4 records were released in his name, in 2021 another 3 and last year two (counting also the fun EP with the participation of many small Outlaws, go and find out you will not regret.)
It’s incredible that none of these records look cluttered or without a perfect production or a fluid writing, indeed!
In the margins of this, I remember that, the work of guitars in concerts and in many past songs and also in the 12 tracks of this Ain’t The Hamptons, is entrusted to the magical hands of one of our compatriots now become one of the most appreciated guitarists of the American independent circuit: the Umbrian Emanuele Pistucchia.
So for me double joy in reviewing the works of Creed. Emanuele, who, together with the mythical Orianna of WCN Radio http://www.wcnradio.it (the radio where my Trex Music Club program is broadcast, every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.), we interviewed a couple of times, witnessed the exponential growth of Fisher’s fame.
From performing in small clubs for a few hundred people to sold out concerts and festivals with thousands of appearances every night. And not only in Texas, where Creed Fisher is now synonymous with local legend, but around the United States.
I hope that the fame also from this part of the Ocean will grow (maybe thanks to me) and one day to be able to see him put to iron and fire even the axes of the European stages, would be magical.
This album is the third after signing with the independent label Dirt Rock Empire and, like the previous one, is produced by Fisher himself together with Bart Rose and Josh Rodgers and recorded in the legendary Fort Worth Sound recording studio in Fort Worth, Texas.
The singles had anticipated the quality of the new material and just one of the singles opens the record: One of ‘Em is country rock powerful, dusty and overflowing character.
The guitars push a beautiful riff and lyrics that is the celebration of the things that Creed and his people love, without judging who doesn’t think like him.
The melancholy ballad Stars and Stripes is for the blue collar, for those who work and love his country and is a little tired of today’s world and its ideologies that trying to impose on people.
It is not only in this Creed, lately also other independent artists come from nowhere like him have unleashed a not indifferent following without frills, without magic, but only talking to people about the real problems, dramas and joys that normal people live every day.
Creed’s music is like that and people understand it: in independent music, the audience understands when you are sincere and true, and if you have the narrative and compositional talent of Creed Fisher, success is a consequence of all this.
The title track is a country lick, as they wrote in the years of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard and the title explains itself: the place where Creed comes from and where his audience has nothing to do with the world of millionaires (not to say worse) hamptons. In fact, it’s in another galaxy.
Lowdown & Lonesome is my favorite of the record: dusty, dirty, pedal-steel and guitars, harmonica and the tale of the difficult life of the independent musician up and down the highway. You want to introduce Creed to someone, here is the right poster!
The next Hank Williams, the father of outlaw country, a country rock that flows into the southern to which the lashing guitars give a crazy character, is also splendid.
The work of Creed guitarists is always masterful both studio and live: energetic, technical and never banal. The final solos are the classic cherry on this fantastic cake.
Dixie is a ballad dedicated to his land, where the violin and the voice of Creed take the proscenium and lead us to the sunset in the distance, where we can admire the beauty of the arrangements and the skill of the musicians that you brought into the recording studio to bring to life these stories of real life.
Fantastic southern rock guitar You Ain’t From the South and perfect duet with another great Texas independent artist Kaleb McIntire.
Air-blowing guitars, powerful vocals and the background of banjo and dust. As always, the final solo is a joy for the ears.
The banjo and the guitars have the task of closing the album with The Party’s Right Here: there is all the country rock and the southern, the celebration of everything that Creed loves, there are Waylon and Hank, the icy beers and the desire to have fun after the working week.
Incidentally, Creed has done really hard work until a few years ago and knows very well what he talks about when he tells these things: he has lived and feels.
A record that could only have been good and not very inspired and instead, despite it being the 14th of his discography started with Down Here in Texas in 2012, it is pretty damn good, energetic, arranged great and played by a band with absolute talent.
A celebration in music of the South of the States, not only of Texas: in the lyrics never so incisive and true, but especially in music where Creed knows how to mix the southern rock (sometimes almost hard rock) to the country classics, coming to be one of the most credible heirs of the great country men of the past.
If Merle, Hank, and Waylon were here, they could only be proud to have been the inspirers of a talent like Creed and would be happy to know their legacy in such strong and secure hands.
Good listening,
Trex Willer by http://www.ticinonotizie.it
(in Ticino Notizie web site you can find original italian version of this article)
