wonderful songs perfectly delivered
author: Nancy Orr
This was a "sounds interesting" purchase for me, and I'm sure glad. I've nearly worn it out. Sullivan is a terrific songwriter and guitar player, and this CD is well produced.
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Great lyrics delivered with style. You'll like what you hear!
author: Barbara Manning
Excellent music with lyrics to make you think. The is great traveling music. Highly recommended.
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Catchy,Moving, Danceable!
author: AmyBeth Parravano
I like the crafted musical patterns.There is a clear difference in stylings and similarities between Thelonius James VS Thelonius Monk CD versions...
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Sullivan conjures up a great country blues feel.
author: George Schaeffer
Like many people, I started listening to the Blues many years ago. I am skeptical about many newer artists who define themselves as blues artists. Because of the surface simplicity of the music, anyone can appropriate the chords.
This skepticism is why I was happily surprised with The Adventures of Thelonious James by T.J. Sullivan. This self produced disc manages to execute both acoustic and electric blues with some nice mandolin and dobro touches added in. Phil Bloch plays drums and all percussion and Mark "Pocket" Goldberg adds upright and electric bass. I found myself being impressed with his ability to keep the sound fresh throughout the disc. The Adventures of Thelonious James is put together almost like a continuous story. The disc opens up with "Momma's Got a New Tattoo". This starts off with some acoustic guitar. Sullivan also has a good voice for delivering the blues. It is very heartfelt and husky. I like the way Sullivan is able to conjure up a great country blues feel. I can picture him sitting on a porch playing a guitar. The songs are strong and deal with timeless themes. I like tracks like "Through Drunken Eyes" and "Drinking the Blues". I think most people with an affinity for the blues have been there before.
There are also the songs of amour. "Baby I Know" and "Woman Looking For a Man" help us understand the complexities of love. "Who Do You Think you're Foolin?" has a nice Little Milton feel to it although Sullivan textures the song with mandolin. "Fat Kats/Deep Pockets" deals with the problems of economy. This is a bit of social commentary on the state of the union. "These Blues" is also a fine song about the blues. The album consists of ten songs all written by T.J. Sullivan. "These Blues" was co-written with Oscar Jordan.
Many of the themes are standard for the blues but Sullivan manages to put his own stamp on them. This is a fine disc for fans of contemporary blues still steeped in tradition.
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