For those
who are unaware it was way back in 2004 that Joey Cape (Lagwagon) and
Tony Sly (No Use For a Name) first stepped out from their respective
bands to take a stab at widening the scope of their material by
rearranging songs from their back catalogues into a quieter and more
rootsy fashion for a debut album that they simply dubbed 'Acoustic'.
It was
the success of this album that would serve to open doors for them
both, and set them on the path to rather acclaimed solo careers.
It would
also spawn a subsequent 7” split, and the two working together in
the band Scorpios.
It was
earlier this year we then seen the release of 'Acoustic Vol 2'.
An album
that would sadly be the last from Tony Sly who passed away peacefully
in his sleep just as it was settling into the collective psychs of
the wider world.
As an
epitaph goes it's a fair representation of what Tony was all about.
A singer
who broke a sweat.
Even when
he is aiming for heartfelt he can't hold the passion back, and this
more urgent heart on sleeve approach serves to compliment the more
introspective angle that Joey has to his material.
There's a
solid yin and yang feeling on the album that is also there on the
first volume.
Two different styles that work together collectively and augment each
other rather well.
There has
been some murmurings that this volume falls short of the quality of
the first.
It's a
mild critique that I would disagree with.
The only
difference is that Vol 1 came out of leftfield and carried no
expectations with it while Vol 2 had a predecessor to live up to.
The
surprise quality is missing, but that has absolutely nothing to do
with the material.
It could
be argued that the same criticisms could have been levelled at the
first album if it had arrived eight years after this one.
I suspect
that fans have already taken the album to their hearts and cherish
it, and specifically the brotherhood of NUFAN fans will be more than
happy with it being the swam song from the much loved Tony Sly.
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