James Intveld Hits His Stride With This One
William Gray | Portland, OR | 08/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've seen Intveld live in Portland, OR a couple times, most recently last month at Duff's Garage. His live performances are not to be missed. He has a sultry charisma onstage and rockabilly stage moves similar to an early Elvis, but it's unfair to compare Intveld to Elvis because, in truth, he rocks way harder and unlike Elvis, not only does he sing with a gorgeous southern twang, from husky baritone to creamy tenor, but is also a talented multi-instrumentalist (though he mostly plays his big Gibson acoustic guitar throughout his shows). He is the total package of singer, songwriter, musician, and dynamic stage performer.
To the best of my knowledge Intveld has only three albums available. "Have Faith," recorded in 2008 might be his best. It's beautifully recorded. The songs are varied and complementary. And Intveld's voice is strong and expressive throughout. I would say, though, that his 2001 "Somewhere Down the Road" is nearly as strong if not stronger. If you like "Have Faith" you MUST buy "Somewhere Down the Road.:
His 1997 eponymously titled album, on the other hand, is interesting for die hard fans (he plays ALL the instruments on this one including steel guitar) but the recording quality is below par and it lacks the energy and drive of his latter two albums. There is one track, however, from the album that is superb: "Perfect World." The album is dedicated to his brother who played in Rick Nelson's band and died in the plane crash that killed Rick. The sentiment is definitely there, but Intveld is just not a mature talent at this point in his career.
"Have Faith" opens with a great rollicking cover of an old country standard: "Pretty World." Later on the album, Intveld does a Rick Nelson tune, "Something You Can't Buy," and a Bobby Bare selection, "Motel Time." The former track is not what you'd think of when you think of Rick Nelson. It's a fast tempo, steel guitar inflected, honky tonker. The Bobby Bare track tells the sad story of a musician's life on the road where nights typically end with him staggering "home" to his motel room. All the rest of the album tracks are written or co-written by Intveld. My personal favorite is "A Woman's Touch," a slow country ballad about that one single guy among a bunch of married buddies who enjoys his casual life style and freedom, but can't help seeing that his life lacks something in the trade off. The album closes with Intveld backed by the Jordanaires singing a wonderful little gospel tune, written by Intveld, but straight out of the Elvis playbook. Nice touch.
So listen to the tracks online and judge for yourself. If you like honky tonk, rockabilly, and good old country, you need James Intveld in your life. He won't disappoint. Let's hope he can hang on somehow in the pop-driven, youth-oriented music business because he has a lot more great music in him, I'm sure."
A Great Ambassador for California Country
billprevails | East Stroudsburg, PA USA | 03/11/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Bill Cody had James Intveld on his WSM radio show yesterday. In addition to playing some album cuts (including Wynn Stewart's classic "Pretty World"); James also played live and told some great stories about his adventures as a road-warrior musician, songwriter and actor. The combination of the smooth shuffles and gritty ballads kept my attention and got James a new fan. For a bio, song samples and other goodies, check out [...]"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1