Danny Click
Danny Click's sound is a
refreshing return to smart, sassy blues-inflected rock and roll. Think
Tom Petty crossed with John Mellencamp, spiced with the Southern rock
tradition of Duane Allman and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Add to that Click's
searing guitar, reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan and David Lindley, and
you've got a winning mix. Yet Click doesn't just pay tribute to his
musical heroes, he offers up his own emotionally compelling vision, one
that puts him comfortably in their company.
On his third release, Elvis the Dog (Appaloosa/I.R.D. 2002) Click
further defines his soulful sound, putting his unique stamp on songs by
his musical heroes (the Beatles, J.J. Cale) as well as lesser-known by
local Austinites with whom he's shared a stage with over the years. A
showcase for his breathtaking guitar work and soulful vocals, this
collection of songs chronicles a journey through loneliness, heartache,
and -- ultimately -- redemption.
Click grew up in a small town outside Indianapolis, the youngest of nine
children in a working class family. One of his earliest memories is of
listening to his mother play slide guitar using a butter knife while she
held the guitar flat on her lap. Click first picked up his older
brother's guitar when he was six and by the time he was in high school
he was gigging around the area in his older sister's country band,
covering tunes by Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson at VFW
halls and other local venues.
During the '80s Click honed his skills in cover bands throughout the
Midwest before discovering a love of the blues. After immersing himself
in the musical traditions of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and other
giants of southern blues, Click felt the pull of the Austin scene.
Recorded between Dec 2001 and May 2002 in his home studio, Elvis the Dog
finds Click in top form, surrounded by stellar musicians and serving up
a heartfelt collection of songs of struggle and redemption. From the
passionate intensity of the opening track, "Killing Fields," to the
playful Beatles cover "I've Got a Feeling" (featuring Jimmy LaFave on
the "Lennon vocal"), Elvis the Dog leads us seamlessly through a range
of emotions that closely follows the highs and lows of life itself.
There's the roiling anger of Billy Harvey's "Love at War," the poignancy
of J.J. Cale's "Tijuana" (featuring a gorgeous guitar solo by Andrew
Hardin) and the haunting instrumental title track that closes the album.
Dedicated to the memory of Click's beloved dog Elvis, this record evokes
both a profound sense of loss and the wonder of transformation.
As Click says in the liner notes, "as I was recording this, I realized
that it was not just for Elvis the dog, but it was also for all the ones
we have ever loved and lost." Take a few minutes to listen to the
stunning purity of Click's slide intro to "Dust on the Bible" and you
can't help but feel a deep appreciation for life's equal doses of pain
and beauty. Click explains his eclectic song choices with the simple
comment: "These are songs that really deserve to be heard." Amen to
that.
- Melanie Haiken
