Tulsa
Wayne personifies the two great American musical inventions, jazz and country, and Tulsa creates its own style of uncompromising western swing; as much Gershwin as Hank; equal parts Art Blakley and Bob Wills.
Tulsa—Wayne's third full length for us—is a testament to the version of America he loves; one decorated with lonesome desert highways, cheap hotels, dance halls, and lost loves along the way. Wayne Hancock personifies the two great American inventions of jazz and country and creates his own style of uncompromising western swing; as much Gershwin as Hank; equal parts Art Blakley and Bob Wills.
In typical Wayne fashion, Tulsa was put to tape in 2 days, capturing the band at their livest and loosest. Recorded by longtime producer and ally, Lloyd Maines (Wilco, Joe Ely, Richard Buckner, Uncle Tupelo), Tulsa is spurred on by Wayne’s "call-outs" to his stellar cast– Eddie Biebel, Dave Biller, Paul Skelton (lead guitar), Chris Darrell (doghouse bass), Eddie Rivers (steel guitar), Bob Stafford (trombone), and John Doyle (clarinet). This album swings like the hips on Bettie Page impersonator.
Don't miss the title track's infectious spelling lesson ("T--there's a lot of pretty women...U...and I'll be there.."). Shit man, every city should have a theme song as cool as this. It wouldn't be a Wayne record if there weren't some odes to the upside of the open road: ""Highway Bound," "Shootin' Star from Texas", and songs about the perils of the downside: " Drinkin' Blues", "No Sleep Blues."
Tulsa adds to Wayne’s stellar canon of musical documentation of an America, not spliced into red and blue states, but one where in any town, on any given night, with the right soundtrack, you can still take a real top shelf girl out for a spin and knock back a couple of cold ones.
CHOICE CUTS:
Tulsa
Shootin' Star from Texas
Gonna Be Flyin' Tonight
No Sleep Blues
