(Rockabilly, Country, vintage rock & roll) Deke Dickerson - The Melody - 2005, MP3, 256 kbps

Biography
A native of Columbia, MO, Deke Dickerson was born June 3, 1968. Growing up on a farm gave him an interesting slant on life and certainly contributed to his love of all things retro. By age 13, Dickerson's musical abilities began to show themselves. Playing in bands around his home town allowed the budding prodigy to nurture his growing talent. At 17, he and some friends from high school formed their own band, Untamed Youth, a garage band that favored surf guitar licks. During the course of time Untamed Youth was together, they operated as a national touring act and released four indie recordings while gaining a strong reputation in the Midwest. But Dickerson wanted more and moved to the West Coast in 1991. He soon became entrenched in the L.A. roots and rockabilly scene and eventually hooked up with the equally talented Dave Stuckey, another Midwesterner who had transplanted his talent to the West Coast. Together they formed one of the premier hillbilly duos to come out of Los Angeles and released two projects, the second being the highly acclaimed CD, Hollywood Barn Dance.
While with Stuckey, Dickerson's expertise as a guitarist began to evolve into the definitive Dickerson style. Part rockabilly, part surf, and rock & roll with a strong dash of the Roy Nichols jazzy style of country guitar, Dickerson put his mark on his brand of guitar playing. Sadly, he needed to move on yet again in spite of the success of Dave & Deke and the overwhelming emotional connection their audiences seemed to feel for the twosome. Parting ways was difficult and their last performance on a hot summer's evening in 1996 at Jacks Sugar Shack, located at the corner of Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood, proved to be a hearbreaking experience for the SRO crowd. Yet, Dave & Deke never sounded better. While tears were shed, both looked toward a future as solo artists.
Under the watchful eye of manager Allen Larman, the same man who guided the career of Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys to success, Deke Dickerson spent the next year seeking out a band to join him on-stage and in the studio. He had a vision built upon the sounds he loved from days gone by, and found his dream band in a unit that he christened the Ecco-Fonics. Armed with his "trademark custom double-neck Mosrite guitar", Deke & the Ecco-Fonics began to meld together and played all around Los Angeles, Orange County, and the West Coast. They were featured at such roots music spectaculars as the Irvine, CA annual Fourth of July Hootenanny and the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly spectacle in Las Vegas, NV.
An accomplished engineer and studio producer, in 1998 Dickerson went into the studio in order to produce a solo project by the Fly-Rite Boys sans Big Sandy. Another critical success, Dickerson was ready to take the Ecco-Fonics into the studio and record his first solo effort. The result of those sessions in 1998 was the fall release of Number One Hit Record on HighTone's HMG label. More Million Sellers followed a year later; Rhythm, Rhyme & Truth was released in fall 2000.

Deke Dickerson is an interesting man. Some people love him, while others aren't quite sure-and I for one have left my opinion on the fence for years.
The Melody (Major Label Records) is Deke's sixth solo disc and will probably polarize his rockabilly fans again-some will get it, while others won't. Deke calls his newest release a concept album, "carefully engineered to bring you songs with melodies and hooks that you won't soon forget." Like him or not, Deke's nailed it!
The Melody is a refreshing and invigorating trip through rockabilly, 50s rock 'n' roll and country. Featuring nine originals out of the 15 included tracks, Deke opens with "Broken Heart", a 1958 rock-and-bop classic by the original Moonlighters (not to be confused with the modern New York City lounge band of the same name).
Following next is "Good Time Gal", an original country song which perfectly describes the gal that we all know at our local watering hole who is past her expiration date but still comes out to party-you know who I mean, there's one in every town. "Good Time Gal" features D.B. Berzansky's steel guitar, which ties the melodic components of this ditty together beautifully.
Another stand out is yet another country original, "Looks Like I'm In Trouble Again". If Nashville had a true appreciation for great music, this song would surge to the top of the Country charts. "As Long As I Live", a Dorsey Burnette cover, still retains it's country roots while it is given a little boogie help by Carl Sonny Leyland on piano.
Oh, we can't stop there, The Melody contains more great potential hits. "Safely in Love Again", made popular by Faron Young in the early 60s, is a beautiful song about discovering true love in a new relationship after exiting a previously loveless relationship-showing that there is always something great around the corner when all seems lost. Deke's version is peppier and better arranged as well. "Mister Cheater", yet another great Deke-penned song, is a wake up call about infidelities and how to damage your loving relationship. It's a serious topic complemented by the playful piano licks of Leyland.
Drummer Chris Sprague wrote the Buddy Holly-esque, sock-hop inspired "Give Me All Your Love", which (if this were 1957) would be all over the airwaves from coast to coast. "Tell Me How", an actual Buddy Holly song follows. Deke's rendition is so close to the original that if it weren't so clear, you would'nt be able to tell the difference.
Al Urban, a largely forgotten Texas Rockabilly artist, wrote "Lookin' For Money" back in 1957. Deke seemingly has an appreciation this song considering that he has also released it on the new Dave & Deke Combo CD, There's Nothing Like an Old Hillbilly. Once again Leyland tickles the ivories, adding a light color of fun to the song, while Chicago's Jimmy Sutton shines through on bass behind Deke's adept guitar work.
Lastly, the coup-de-grace of The Melody is Deke's cover of Willie Nelson's "I Never Cared For You", which dates back to 1966. After digging up Willie's original it is easy to say that Deke and the boys have improved the song tenfold by adding a more firm Western/Rockabilly rhythm-driven by Sprague's deft drum work and Sutton's bass,-all smoothed over by Deke's guitar and the well-placed backing vocal harmonies. All together "I Never Cared For You" is potentially the best song I've ever heard recorded. Only an actual Nelson/Dickerson album project could possibly out do it (Hey Deke, hint, hint!).
Musically The Melody is completely infectious. You will find yourself playing the songs over and over again just on their own. The hooks and bridges of the music are practically perfect. Lyrically, Deke has chosen smart and intelligent covers, and has penned some wonderful verses himself. He's also sequenced the tracks so each song fits well with the preceding and following number, making The Melody a record that can carry itself. In essence, this CD is absolutely perfect.