Review: Patrick Ewing's After This Cigarette

Veteran local singer/songwriter Patrick Ewing has released a new six-track EP titled After This Cigarette, which gets a release party Friday at the College Hill Coffee Company. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.

Known for his Blues work with the Voodoo Blues Band and his numerous solo acoustic gigs, Ewing’s new EP is a great representation of his full potential, fleshing out his soulful Americana with many guest artists. The album was produced by The Hiders’ Billy Alletzhauser in his Bat Cave studio, and Alletzhauser is all over the album, singing back up and playing guitar and other instruments. Ali Edwards (Ruby Vileos), Tony Franklin (The Hiders), Dave Gilligan (The Flock) and Andrea Lee (Frontier Folk Nebraska) also pitch in, giving Ewing’s songs the kind of stellar ornamentation they deserve. (Ewing plays lap steel and acoustic guitar on all tracks.)

Ewing’s tales of everyday madness are sung in his casual yet emotive vocals, which aren’t necessarily earth-shatteringly great, but they serve the songs perfectly. There’s a sadness in Ewing’s voice, which befits these songs of searching and worry, though a couple of tracks seem to be ardent celebrations of love. Perhaps it’s just the bluesman in him creeping in.

Highlights on the EP include “Post-Modern Blues,” one of the least decorated songs on the album (acoustic, vocal and harmonic) on which Ewing sings of trying to keep his head on straight amidst chaos. “Heal the Homeland” is also a stand-out, a real “political” song that questions why our country spends so much energy and resources overseas, while domestically the country is coming apart at the seams. With a call to stop the war and reflections of the Katrina catastrophe, the song is a rocker with an ominous tone. It’s the kind of song you imagine Neil Young writing — think of it as a “Rockin’ in the Free World” sequel. The riled-up rumble of the band is well matched to the song’s insistent, pissed-off message, capturing the disbelief and fury many have been feeling in the wake of our President’s underwhelming performance.

Alletzhauser helps Ewing create an album that is organic and intimate, giving Ewing’s songs an air of Americana sophistication. But its Ewing’s songs that are the album’s heart and soul. With “Post-Modern Blues,” Ewing may have well coined the perfect descriptor for his music. Whether political or personal, Ewing sings in a traditional format about our crazy, mixed-up modern world in a way that listeners can easily identify with and latch on to. That may be Ewing's greatest appeal — his songs are more like a wise buddy talking to you at a bar, devoid of any didactic "I'm the singer, you're the listener" separation.

— Mike Breen

Comments

[KinkyKathy]

Patrick Ewing could never hit his free throws when he played for the Knicks. But he could do lots of other things...if you know what I mean.