The Good Feeling Music Of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
Mistletone, 2009
4 stars
The work ‘ukulele’, for me, throws up all kinds of warnings, but Mississippi native Dent May’s approach to an instrument often regarded as a novelty is, as described, kind of magnificent. Here the uke kicks off each track, but for the most part takes a bit of a backseat, forming a nice strummed backing tune, with bass and electric guitar and Dent’s great crooning vocals taking centre-stage. Songs such as College Town Boy and You Can’t Force A Dance Party are perhaps the finest examples of Dent’s perfect combination of tongue-in-cheek lyrics and honeyed ‘50s-style songwriting but, quite honestly, there isn’t a weak track on this album. Ukulele is officially back on the menu – now I’m just hanging out for Dent May And His Stupendous Kazoo.
Artwork: B
Some nice artwork, with '60s tones and a combination of modern styles and aztec shapes.
Published in mX, Thursday March 12, 2009.
4 stars
The work ‘ukulele’, for me, throws up all kinds of warnings, but Mississippi native Dent May’s approach to an instrument often regarded as a novelty is, as described, kind of magnificent. Here the uke kicks off each track, but for the most part takes a bit of a backseat, forming a nice strummed backing tune, with bass and electric guitar and Dent’s great crooning vocals taking centre-stage. Songs such as College Town Boy and You Can’t Force A Dance Party are perhaps the finest examples of Dent’s perfect combination of tongue-in-cheek lyrics and honeyed ‘50s-style songwriting but, quite honestly, there isn’t a weak track on this album. Ukulele is officially back on the menu – now I’m just hanging out for Dent May And His Stupendous Kazoo.
Artwork: B
Some nice artwork, with '60s tones and a combination of modern styles and aztec shapes.
Published in mX, Thursday March 12, 2009.
