‘. . . a little jangle, a little grimace, and a great big knowing wink. Velvet is casually poetic, fascinated by Americana, never too bitter or too jolly. He's by turns wistful, playful, brooding and hilarious. James Velvet is the kind of performer fans of clever, subtle songwriters like Randy Newman, Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg would appreciate. . . “ Brian G. Larue, The New Haven Advocate
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It’s simple.
The lead vocal, rhythm guitar, solo instruments, and percussion were recorded all-together-live. Then the backing vocals, bass guitar, and a few sweeteners were added.
It’s energy efficient; the only electrified instrument is the bass.
I sang, and played acoustic and bass guitars. -- JV
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Track Listing
1. Just Plain Jane (simple, straight ahead mandolin rock)
2. Mr. HedgeYerBets ( 12 string jangle, liberal “quotes” from famous, name-brand rock’n’roll)
3. Easy To Give (sweet, banjo-soul)
4. Lost (existential melodrama outlined in dobro-blues form)
5. It Just Happens (in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock & Tom Lehrer)
6. Whiskey & Cigarettes (feauring The Symphonette Sottische under the direction of Jahnny Bock)
7. Limousine Parade ‘06 (an imperfect elegy for Curtis Mayfield)
8. Ridin’ On A Train (fun: why not use a slide trombone?))
9. (What’s So Holy ‘Bout) The Holy Land? (a rhetorical question)
10.Stay With Me (what rhymes with Pennsylvania?)
11.Goodnight. (very quiet)
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