Search - Jo-El Sonnier :: L.A. Sessions

Squeeze Box King

Anthony S. Prowse | Melbourne, Australia | 05/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cannot understand why this album has taken so long to surface. It was recorded in the mid-80's but has only recently been issued on CD and still available on Jo-EL Sonnier's web site or from the Amazon sellers. Any fan of Jo-EL will love it and any fan of good, rockin' country/roots music will search out more of his albums. This album contains 11 great tunes (6 written or co-written by Jo-EL), a great band and superb backing vocals from Jennifer Warnes and Bonnie Bramlett. James Burton and Albert Lee star on guitars and Johnny Gimble, Byron Berline and Sid Page provide outstanding fiddle arrangements and jaw-dropping solos. Jo-EL sings with an amazing passion (similar to Gary Stewart) and pumps that accordion into submission. The sound quality is excellent and sounds nothing like the "demo/audition" tape it was supposed to be. Although a lot of the material appears on his subsequent RCA albums, the versions here are as good if not better than the later ones. This is the sort of album which will have your friends saying "Who's this, it's great" and can be played with confidence at any party where alcoholic beverages are being served (if you can get off the dancefloor long enough to partake). If you wish to explore further, seek out Jo-EL's RCA debut "Come on Joe"."