Search - Nikki Sudden :: Texas / Dead Men Tell No Lies

China silver/ Needles in the dark

Alain Didier | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the real stuff, folks. Bought this two years ago and it's literally been in regular rotation since then... One of my favorites. His brother Epic Soundtracks and deservedly legendary genius guitarist Rowland S. Howard play on most of these tracks. _Texas_ is louder and more rock-ish, in kind of a Stones "Torn & Frayed" mode... also there's a definite Alex Chilton _Like Flies on Sherbet_ vibe on several of the tracks, which Nikki acknowledges in the (self-penned and expansive) liner notes, including the feedback-drenched "Glass Eye" and "Such A Little Girl." _Dead Men..._ is quieter, more acoustic and introspective, and takes longer to weave its spell... In places it reminds me of Johnny Thunders' quieter, more sensitive stuff... yeah Nikki was an unapologetic fanboy, a rock & roll lifer who idolized the Stones, Dylan, Bolan, Dolls et al, but if yr gonna idolize anybody it might as well be them. He was nonetheless the real thing, true to himself, and his music never sounds derivative. Really a beautiful set. Thanks to Secretly Canadian for putting this and the other NS sets together before his passing. (Title for this review is the opening line of "In Your Room," and a Marianne Faithfull quote, according to the liner notes)."