While Johnny Dowd seemed like a throwback to the era of Appalachian murder ballads on his 1997 debut, Wrong Side of Memphis, his third album finds the late-blooming, 52-year-old artist extending his stylistic reach. His ly... more »rics continue to probe the psyche's darkest recesses--the feverish obsessions with death, Jesus, and the disease of love--but the settings range from the nightmarish disco of "Vengeance Is Mine" to the surf beat of "Big Wave" to the cinematic expanse of "Angel Eyes." ("Zombies prowl the streets," sings the monotone Dowd. "Dead souls fill the bars.") With his voice evoking a private hell, the ethereal innocence of singer Kim Sherwood-Caso offers glimmers of redemption. Dowd's dread-laced primitivism might strike some listeners as oddly funny--unsettlingly so--but this singular artist sounds deadly serious throughout. --Don McLeese« less
While Johnny Dowd seemed like a throwback to the era of Appalachian murder ballads on his 1997 debut, Wrong Side of Memphis, his third album finds the late-blooming, 52-year-old artist extending his stylistic reach. His lyrics continue to probe the psyche's darkest recesses--the feverish obsessions with death, Jesus, and the disease of love--but the settings range from the nightmarish disco of "Vengeance Is Mine" to the surf beat of "Big Wave" to the cinematic expanse of "Angel Eyes." ("Zombies prowl the streets," sings the monotone Dowd. "Dead souls fill the bars.") With his voice evoking a private hell, the ethereal innocence of singer Kim Sherwood-Caso offers glimmers of redemption. Dowd's dread-laced primitivism might strike some listeners as oddly funny--unsettlingly so--but this singular artist sounds deadly serious throughout. --Don McLeese
CD Reviews
Magnificent.
G. Moses | Men...Of...The...Sea! | 01/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As good as Johnny Dowd's first two albums are, they both have noticable flaws. His third, Temporary Shelter, on the other hand--well, I suppose I could nitpick, but I just can't bring myself to do so; this music is so overwhelmingly good that it would be futile. The album opens with 'Vengeance is Mine,' and right from the start you know this is gonna be good. Not only is it a great song--evocative, numbing, ambiguous--but it sees the incomparable Kim Sherwood-Caso taking a more prominent role than ever before; she sings lead, with Dowd's voice relegated to the background. A similar pairing is seen on the desperate, apocalyptic love song 'Hell or High Water,' which is probably the album's highlight, which is saying something. She takes over the singing duties entirely on the album closer 'Death Comes Knocking,' which is, believe it or not, Christmas song of sorts, albeit not one you're likely to hear on department store loudspeakers in December.And this is only scratching the surface. Elsewhere, there's 'Big Wave,' surely the most unnerving song about surfing ever written; the wonderfully-titled 'Sky Above, Mud Below,' with it's brilliant Sherwood-Caso-sung anti-corporal-punishment chorus; and the eight-minute-long 'Angel Eyes,' a deeply atmospheric song that my feeble linguistic powers are not up to describing.What more need be said? Dowd's most recent album, 'The Pawnbroker's Wife,' is a relative disappointment, but even if Dowd never records anything else worth listening to in his life (highly unlikely, of course), it'll all have been worth it for Temporary Shelter. A must-own."
DEATH COMES KNOCKING
04/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The guy gets all sorts of comparisons---Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, a derranged Hank Williams. But he doesn't sound a thing like any of them. He sounds more like Gabby Hayes weilding a chainsaw. Nor would I tag an alt-country label to it. He's more or less taken the "O" out of country if you ask me. Infact,Johnny Dowd's probably one of the most disturbing songwriters I've ever heard. Having seen him live though, he's quite the showman. So, keep in mind, there is a sense of humor buried with the body.Like his 2 previous releases, this album has the feel of some lost, Blue Velvet era David Lynch flick, cut with a strong dose of Sam Sheperd. Kim Caso Sherwood's eerie, lobotomized vocals once again add a ghostly presence to the proceedings. Johnny's guitar drills into your spine under such sentiments as VENGENCE IS MINE. ANGEL EYES is oddly moving it's own grief stricken way. The last track, DEATH COMES KNOCKING is sure to be a yultide classic in years to come. At the song's close one is left with visions of the reaper dancing round the all too quiet farmhouse at Christmas time. Infact, Christmas seems to crop up a number of times throughout the record. Call it his Christmas album."
Creepy/great/funny/strange all at once
sunra | Ithaca, NY | 07/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Johnny just keeps getting better, and his music never stays the same. Like an aural version of the book "Wisconsin Death Trip", this music is a harrowing experience based on reality but always with a sense of humor (if you can see it - sort of the way Eraserhead is after 20 viewings). By the way, ignore the reviewer comment about a fake accent or whatever - Johnny is from Ft. Worth and the accent is real (I live in the same town as Dowd & can vouch for it!). His live show is not to be missed, too."
Johnny Dowds accent is not fake I'm afraid!!
sunra | 06/25/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"All off Johnny Dowd's dementia remains quite fully intact on "Temporary Shelter," a fact of which I am quite pleased. This album however, does seem a bit over produced as compared to "Wrong Side of Memphis," or "Pictures from Life's other side." If you enjoy this strange and somewhat raw music I strongly suggest that you check out Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks at lonesomewyatt.com. Included on the site is a great picture of Dowd with the Holy Spooks. Whooooooooeeeee!!!"
Absolutely riviting
Michael R. Webster | Newfield, NY USA | 03/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"lots of folks are going around comparing dowd to tom waits these days - don't see it - can't hear it - and i am a big fan of both. both are uncompromizing originals, and if being creative puts you into, like, some kind of special group these days, that's too bad. as originals, why waste time comparing. I know who could USE dowd, and that's david lynch, he could restore his flagging career by featuring dowd, and his beautiful and birdlike co-hort, kim sherwood-caso. if you have seen this group (and this record, is the first one that really feels like a group effort - and a fine one) live can attest, the visuals of dowd grinding out one guitar freak-out after another while Sherwood-Caso roams trancelike - it's absolute Blue Velvet. mezmorizing...amazing...scary! it's the best show out there. i hope dowd can keep kim under wraps, because their work has evolved to the point where it is truly special, and they are in my view, indespensible to each other. while this disc has nothing as "catchy" as "worried mind", or as chilling as "i hope you don't mind" or "no woman's flesh", there is a continuity to this one. and this crazy moralism which i really love. sometimes i wonder if dowd has spent some time with southern baptists. the religous overtones make this seem almost gothic. this is the blues at it best. i am from around dowd's home base of ithaca new york, and have seen him for a while. i am astounded at how he has morphed into the musical genius (and i don't EVER lob that one around) that he has become. I firmly believe that he is turning out the most challenging and compeling material of the new millenium! don't hesitate to pick up on it. i am looking forward to next years grassroots fest (he had better be there), this has proven to be a very interesting place to catch him, i recommend it!"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1