Search - Preacher Boy :: Devil's Buttermilk

Preacher Boy stands at the crossroads of the blues, country, rock, and rockabilly, howling his tales into the void of human misery, folly, and (possible) redemption. Preacher Boy is Christopher Watkins, a one-man band of epic proportions, playing virtually everything--shy a few drums and keyboards-- on The Devil's Buttermilk, his fourth album. Indeed, "epic" may best describe Watkins collection of tales that blends the intimacy of a front-porch jam with themes of universal import. With a voice that sounds like he's been gargling gravel and an eclectic grab bag of music that draws on virtually everything with organic roots, Preacher Boy covers a remarkable amount of territory in 14 songs. Misfits, dead friends, brilliant barflies, preachers, lovers, and a whole panoply of losers all stumble, walk, and wail through his songs. Watkins adds mandolin, national steel guitar, accordion, harmonica, and other instruments to the usual collections of guitars, keyboards, and drums. "On and On It Goes" kicks off with a organ-fueled rocking beat before warping through changes that take it to the near operatic and back again--and that's only the first track. From there the journey goes through dusty blues, dark folk laments, country shuffles, the lovely, Leonard Cohen stylings of "This Morning," and a dash of Celtic before ending up somewhere near the local cocktail lounge with "It's Cold Tonight." One can only hope that the absurdly talented Preacher Boy gets a least some of the recognition he so richly deserves. --Carl Hanni