Pat James : Reviews

EXCEPTIONAL HIGH-TENOR ARTISTRY FROM ARIZONA
Cowboy Pat James, from Cave Creek, AZ, sings traditional (real) country, originals and covers, better than anyone else these days. It's all about the instrument: James sings in a high tenor, reminiscent of Jake Hooker or early Ray Price. He has their soulful country vibrato, does not yodel, and will like fellow Arizonan Marty Robbins howl at the moon in chilling falsetto. James squarely hits, and intensifies, high notes opera divos can only dream about. It is a spectacular voice, very intelligently and maturely deployed. It's also great fun to listen to--what will this guy do next? The original songs--"He likes the young ladies" "She's kind"--are memorable enough, but the covers are jaw-dropping: a surprising take on "Something" that actually works as a country ballad; three Robbins signature songs ("Begging to you," "Man walks among us," "Camelia"); Gene Watson's "Farewell party" (check out James' high notes at the climax); Moe Bandy's great rodeo song "Cowboys ain't supposed to cry" and--get this--the definitive version of "Night life," completely outstripping the author's version, those by Wanda Jackson and Doris Day and even the classic Ray Price interpretation. James really is that good--his artistry is rare and impeccable--and diehard traditionalists will prize this album for "Night life" alone.

(about "A Good Night in Cave Creek" song) Yiipy ki-yo - ky yeah Dudes. Mongo been to Cave Creek and knows the very bar Pat James is singin about. This is visions of old Roy Rogers and Trigger... cruisin down that old Hollywood Highway of the old west - or the new one for that matter. And for Country Swing - if you're into that sort of thing - is just about as good as it gets. The boys in dee band are just as tight as they can be - fiddles, steel guitars and a few teles. Out of 9 Bonez - Mongo give 99

(about "It's my Life" CD) :"...Great vocals are nothing without the right musicians and a top-notch engineering and production job, and you've got 'em all! Congratulations on some outstanding recordings......very, very impressive and well done. And you cover it all from hard country to western swing and a great rendition of 'Something'. Looks like ya like Marty Robbins and he'd be proud to hear you doing his songs justice.. I pride myself in only playing the cream of the crop, and am pleased to include you in that grouping..." (about "Some Like it Country" CD) :"...Just listened to it and it is absolutely awesome!!!! One of the best CDs I've heard in a long time. All great tracks....real country....and some terrific songs from your pen. Congratulations on a truly great CD....it's one of those that I could just put on the air and let it play right on thru. I love it! You have some marvelous vocal cords!..."

"...You'll find Pat's music to be a little bit different, in a good way, than what you normally hear in the country music venues nowdays. It's a little cleaner and a bit more a throwback to the style and feel of what we listened to in perhaps a more down to earth time in the progression of my favorite style of music. Pat really captures the essence of what the classic country sound is... but somehow is able to keep it contemporary. I like that! He's been on bills with the likes of Asleep at the Wheel...I can really hear that combination. I heard Ray Benson and the gang last month at a private party on a friend's ranch in Bend, Oregon and after hearing Pat's music...I wish he would have been there performing too!..."

If anyone ever asks me again what country music is, this is it. This is country ... hard boiled, Texas styled country music .. nothing Americana or Alternative about it. This is country in the tradition of Haggard and Price, of a time long gone, traditional ... and the man knows from where he comes ... exquisite! There are not too many folk out there doing country just like this ... this is a fresh blast from the past, and a welcome alternative to both the rock influenced alt-country sound, the folkier Americana sound, and the hybrid country-rock influenced modern country sound. Killer band ...

Involuntary reaction: Yeehaw! Wow, Pat James has got the old school country sound down to - what it is - an art form. I love the fiddle and the honky tonk piano. This is like hearing good old Hank Williams. Very cool. The lyrics are what they are, sadly sentimental artifacts of a cultural phenomenon; you love them or loath them, but they belong. The slide and fiddle trade-off solo is solidly in tradition of country classics. True, songs of this sort are common bread, but they are sweetly comfortable. Also, they are much less common than they were 20 years ago, for sure. Nice to know someone is still making songs of this ilk and that Billy Ray hasn't swept the whole school of country into pop oblivion.

I grew up hearing live country music in my living room. My dad, one of the musicians making that music, complains now that country music today is just a bunch of guys and gals strutting around in tight pants, pretending they're rock stars. My dad isn't alone in this sentiment and it has nothing to do with age. If you're a fan of good solid country music then look no further than Pat James. He's got a fine collection of tunes, originals and covers, that'll put a smile on my father's face. Yours too. His pleasing tenor voice has a slight warble, like some of the best country singers, and a tight band that really makes each cut shine.
A lively pedal steel played by Danny Sneed opens the first song "She's Kind" and makes an appearance in almost every song, adding an emotional element that's so key to good country. And damn, does he tear it up. I especially like what he does on the Marty Robbins tune "I'm Gonna Be a Cowboy".
It's a foot tappin' swing tune that'd make Marty proud. Fiddle player Mike Cirillo and guitarist Billy Abdo ain't no slobs either, each contributing parts so clean and tight you'd swear they were Nashville session players. There are three other Marty Robbins tunes. It's clear that James is a fan of his and I don't blame him. His story songs are well loved by many and don't get heard enough. And like Marty, Pat is also from Arizona. There's something about that desert wind that breeds good country....

"It's My Life" is Pat James' second record. This singer from Arizona has previously released "Some Like It Country", which is a very good traditional country music CD. This one conveys the same spirit. Pat's voice is a bit like Marty Robbins' and he does a few of Marty' songs extremely well. On this record Pat has written four of the 14 songs. Among the other songwriters are George Harrison, Willie Nelson, the already mentioned Marty Robbins and Wayne Kemp. As you can tell, there is plenty of good country music on this CD. My favorites are "She's Kind", "It's All Coming Back", "What In The World", "Cowboys Ain't Supposed To Cry" and Pat's wonderful performance of "Farewell Party". Both of Pat's records offer great country music and I highly recommend them to you.

>The second CD by this Phoenix based country crooner transports you back to the days when dusty western honky tonk music stubbornly thumbed its nose at corporate Nashville. What happened in the 70s has the same effect today in Pat's talented hands. Laden with acoustic guitar, fiddle and pedal steel backdrops, Pat's Elvis tinged but wonderfully rustic voice jerks tears from your eyes in "Farewell Party" while "I'm Gonna Be A Cowboy" will have you s**t kickin' all night.

..."While on Pat's site, I clicked on a song clip, "When I See Her Again" (I liked the title). I heard the first 3 notes he sang and that was all it took... I was in love with "the voice"! Now that I've heard both of his CDs, over and over, I love his style, his timbre, his vocal range, and how he stays true to traditional country music. I love the way he "feels" a song rather than just sing it... that cry in his voice that can only come from the heart... the reality of life and love blended with each note... Man!... I just love to hear this man! With such an abundance of talent from one artist, you'd think it would be easy to write a review about Pat James but to be honest, it's actually harder. How do I put into words how much Pat's music affects me as I'm sure if affects others. I almost feel like I'm writing about a legend, where all of the best has already been said by those with more skill than myself. While the witticisms aren't flowing through my brain and into my keyboard, Pat's music is filling my senses with each song that plays as I contemplate my "strategy". I've come to the conclusion that talking about Pat James isn't about "strategy", it's simply honesty and heartfelt praise and most of all, the honor I feel for the opportunity to introduce you to a young man that is going to be around for years to come. Nothing can hold back or pull the plug on a talent such as Pat's... it's a force bigger than the "suits" who decide who will or won't be a "Star". Pat is already a star in his own right. You only need to listen to his music to understand that..."

Our CD player is used to playing good, healthy and modern country music. The merit of Pat James, singing cowboy from Arizona, is that with his "It?s my Life", he confirms the excellent impression he made on us when we listened to him during his concert in Imola (Italy). Pat James is a traditionalist, with a cowboy hat on his head and the music of George Strait and Johnny Bush in his heart, without being far away from Alan Jackson and Mark Chesnutt. The strong baritone voice, the fiddle and the steel are ever present. Sharp and pleasant to the ear, the musical arrangements make this album extremely likeable. Among the 14 songs, there are 4 originals ( She?s Kind, It?s All Coming Back, He Likes The Young Ladies, What In The World) and some covers, like "Something" from the Beatles ( in a country version), "Night Life" from Willie Nelson and 4 songs from Marty Robbins, in a modern version. This comeback to classicism is making "It?s my Life" a lot more traditional than his debut album "Some Like it Country" released in 2001 that was clearly influenced by new-country. Traditional, new-country or simply country, the music of Pat James is highly recommended.

The follow-up of his "Some Like it Country" that I reviewed in the CWB of last year. The honky-tonk singer from Arizona lives up to our expectations with his 100% pure country new CD : waltz, ballads, western swing and honky-tonk of course ! Amongst the 14 songs, a Johnny Paycheck classic, the "Night Life" of Willie Nelson (a 5mn long major cover song), 4 Marty Robbins songs and "Something" of George Harrison. Don?t miss Pat James on tour in Europe this July !

A "good giant", that?s the way I could depict this timid and robust young man from Arizona. Although "It?s my life" is only his second album, Pat has already fans all over the world thanks to his recent European tour that has made many appreciate and become passionate of the more traditional sounds of Country music. His warm and reassuring voice is perfect for the melodies written by Pat himself and for the classics that this young man proposes us in this "It's My Life". Unlike his debut album, there are here several covers while in his previous CD, almost all of the songs were his. I think that there is one explanation: Pat was leaving for the European tour and needed a new CD in a hurry and he had not enough original songs to complete the album. The covers are however well-chosen, from the Nelsonian "Night Life" to the many successes of Marty Robbins, perhaps Pat?s favorite author. From the late Marty, we find "Camelia", the number one "Begging To You", "I'm Gonna Be a Cowboy" and "Man Walks Among Us". Pat?s original compositions are every bit as good and who knows, they can become the classics of the future.
One of his originals, "She's Kind", opens the album and right away shows Pat?s respect for tradition: a piece with a western flavour with pedal steel and fiddle. Splendid is the "messicaneggiante" "He Likes The Young Ladies", another composition of Pat, and "What In The World" that brings us back when Country music did not need electric instruments. One of the beautiful pieces of the CD is no other than the classic "I Needed You", already done a thousand times but never in one fascinating version like this one. Among the covers I also have to point out "Something" from George Harrison, "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised" from Johnny Paycheck, the most famous "Farewell Party" and "Cowboys Ain' t Supposed To Cry" that some years ago Chris Jones made successful in a nearly bluegrass version... Ultimately, a splendid job of Western & Country Music as it was not listened to since time immemorial.

Pat James works in Arizona where he plays at a club in Cave Creek several times a week. He also writes songs. Pat is apparently a young man of the old school that really is country with a capital C. I'm sure he sings the classics too at the club, but on this record he sings mainly his own songs and they are of a very high class. A little swing, a little western, a touch of classic country and honky tonk, of course. Above all he sings with the kind of feeling that makes you stop and listen. The best songs on this first record from 2001 are possibly "When I see her again", "Are those real tears" and "Let me live long enough", but every one of the 14 tracks are very good. The musicians are, to me, unknown local musicians, but certainly don't seem to fall behind the Nashville elite. A lot of fiddle, steel and piano guarantee a strict country sound.

The follow-up to Pat's excellent first record is in fact with "It's my life", a record that falls under the same genre as its predecessor, i.e story-like texts with ballads, excellent shuffles and western swing. He has only written a few of the songs on the new record, but the opening is his own, the outstanding "She's kind". He furthermore presents his own reflections in "What in the world". Then follow several songs by Marty Robbins, such as "Camelia" and "Begging to you", and then swing in "I'm gonna be a cowboy". Arizona's country boy Pat James and his country and western music are well worth discovering. Both of the records are excellent, but I give the first one an extra plus.

Pat James : It?s My Life. New CD from the excellent Pat James, traditional country music singer. With his own songs : "She?s kind", "It?s All Coming Back", "He likes the Young Ladies", What in the World". And also, covered with talent, some of Marty Robbins great classics : "Camelia", "Begging to You", "I?m Gonna Be a Cowboy", "Man Walks Among Us". And other standards, wonderfully revisited: "Night Life" (Willie Nelson),"I Needed You", "Something", "I?m the only Hell my Mama ever Raised".

For a dozen years local musician Pat James has been living the life of a country and western star while serving as the house band at the Buffalo Chip. The New River cowboy and soft-spoken family man now concentrates on his music so much that he no longer has time to enjoy his horses or other aspects of his Western life. His efforts have led to the release of his second CD "It's My Life", that includes four original tunes plus longtime favorites like Willie Nelson's Night Life. "I've been really busy with this CD so I'm not able to get out any more and help out on the cattle ranch up here like I used to," he said. Pat James found new fans last summer when he played at a country and western festival in France. He is returning to Europe this summer for another tour. "Country dancing is very popular in Europe," James said. "There are bands who play country covers in France and Europe. They don't speak English, but they sing the songs in English." James thrives when playing before a crowd. He used to get a little nervous in the recording studio. "It's a lot harder to evoke emotions when you are singing in a studio," he said. He learned many things about recording since he recorded his first CD four years ago. He's learned to relax in his latest studio effort at Chaton Studio in Phoenix. "I just learned to take my time," he said. "If something bothers me just a little bit on a track, I know it will bother me a lot more later." "It's my life" is Pat James' message on his latest CD.

Some like it country. We are talking about music and this is the case here. This is Pat James' concern too with this CD that doesn't bring anything new but pleasure to the authentic country music lover. And this ultimate goal is reached. A simple and pure music that will open to him all doors from Texas to Oklahoma but not the ones of the top 40 format radio stations. And this is certainly the least of Pat's worries who sings his own music with his heart... He interprets it with great talent with a voice close to the one of Kevin Denney or Dale Watson for the fast songs. One can evoke the great Conway Twitty in his way to sing ballads. here is a young artist whose voice is definitely predisposed to sing traditional country music. 11 songs of "Some like it country" are his own. All of the excellent musicians playing on his CD are from Arizona, this beautiful state where lives our artist. The songs are rarely longer than 2'25". A "Honkytonkin' song", the 14th and last song of the album is 6'27" long and it's a true musical delight. A sort of hymn to this style that is the very soul of country music. This song, with its long instrumental part, can become a classic. Pat James will be on tour in France in 2005. Don't miss him!

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