TAS CRU
TIRED OF BLUESMEN CRYIN’
CRUSTEE TEES RECORDS #0112
TIRED OF BLUESMEN CRYIN’–CHANGIN’ MY WAYS–ONE MORE TIME–ROAD TO MY OBSESSION–TRY, OH I TRY!–THAT LOVIN’ THANG–EVERY WORD YOU SAY–SURE DO (WANT TO FOOL AROUND)–STORYTIME–HEAL MY MISERY–DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
Tas Cru has given fans a smorgasbord of blues albums with culinary titles, from “Biscuit” in 2006, thru “Jus Desserts” in 2010. For now, at least temporarily, he’s put down his knife and fork, but not his signature verbal flair and razor-sharp wit. Often referred to as the “master of the triple entendre’,” Tas has a way with a hook that few bluesmen on the scene today can match. And, he also prides himself as a blues educator, and an interview with a young student led to the title cut of his latest album (and its common themes included therein), “Tired Of Bluesmen Cryin.” It seems that this young fan preferred the more celebratory side of the blues rather than the “my baby left me” side, and Tas used that to his advantage to create these eleven sweet originals that teach a lesson in life through his sly ways with a lyric.
The set kicks off with that clever title cut, and is infused with some deep slide and harp from Tas along with Tony Perrino’s tasty B-3 work. Life on the road as a bluesman is presented as a stone-cold shot of funk, “Road To My Obsession.” It’s followed by another look at man’s battle with temptation, “Try Oh I Try!,” set to a rolling New Orleans rhythm pattern. The set closes with the most poignant cut on the album, “Dark Side Of The Mountain.” It is a somber look at military suicides, and is also a tribute to the soldiers and families of the U. S. Army’s 10TH Mountain Division.
We had a few favorites, too. Remember Albert Collins classic “Conversation With Collins?” Well, a lover who’s stayed out waaay past her curfew has Tas ready for trouble, in the acoustic “Storytime.” The roadhouse rock of “That Lovin’ Thang” is dedicated to “that one sure thing we can’t live without,” while “Every Word You Say” is Tas at his wittiest. His woman thinks he’s not listening to her, but “it only just looks that way!”
Tas Cru has crafted a fine set that is short on “cryin’ and long on using the power of the music to get you thru your tough times. “Tired Of Bluesmen Cryin” is full of the very things that make fans fall in love with the blues in the first place, and gets two big thumbs up from us! Until next time….Sheryl and Don Crow.
