Search - Lee Hazelwood :: Movin' On

Hazlewood's Muse on Vacation

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 06/03/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There is probably a good reason that this album was released only in Sweden. The Swedes were probably too embarrassed to admit it had been recorded in their country and banned its exit! Just joking of course, but several listens will make it patently clear that Movin' On isn't Lee Hazlewood's finest moment.

I admit to being a Hazlewood completist. There is just something about the wry and often dark humor, the whiff of cheese and sleaze, and Lee's way with words that I find appealing. So I bought this just because it was issued.

There's not a whole lot to recommend here. The best cut is a fresh take on the rare Come On Home To Me. Others I enjoy are L.A. Lady which is vintage Hazlewood humor and the stupidly funny Kung Fu You. Also listenable is a jazzy take on It Was A Very Good Year. Randy Newman fans might enjoy two covers of his songs featured here. The rest are merely OK but kind of weak, with the notable exception of the execrable I've Got To Be Moving. The aural stench from that one still lingers on my eardrums.

The CD comes with an informative booklet containing pertinent album info and lots of "rare" photos. If you are a Lee Hazlewood fan and can find Movin' On cheap, go for it. But if you can't, don't lose sleep over the gap in your collection."