Country Gentleman- Elvis Cantú
Released May 2022.
Wild Records 12 Tracks, available as a digi sleeve download and on CD.
Produced & mixed by Rob Kennedy and Omar Romero
Mastered at Melrose music mastering by Rob Kennedy & Dave Williams.
Photography by Amie Cantu.
Artwork by Rockie Edwards.
Recorded at the Wild Studio Hollywood, CA, March 2019.
Reviewed by Terry Mead 01/11/2022
Elvis Cantú hails from Texas USA, he performs a unique & exciting mix of rockabilly, Country, Western Swing, Zydeco. To date, Elvis has released 2 full length records on Wild with a new 45" in late 2020. The Country Gentleman is Elvis Cantu's second album. It's a fantastic recipe of early 60's Rock'n'Roll, Country, Zydeco, Western Swing and Soul. It contains 12 original self-penned songs.
The musicians on this album consist of:
Elvis Cantú - Vocals/Lead Guitar Alex Vargas – Bass Bobby Greenig – Drums Eddie Lopez - Rhythm Guitar/Backing vocals Omar Romero-Backing vocals
Review track by track:
Country Gentleman-So, here we go and, to start: the title track. This is going to be a great club bopper that has all the ingredients that will keep you on your toes all the way through. There is a deep crunchy riff that really gives this tune a punch.
Sugar – Wow, what an awesome track and it's only the second one in! Love the catchy beat & rhythm with the clever guitar licks thrown in.
Hog Hunting - Get yer guns and off we go! another upbeat tune again with a catchy riff throughout telling the story of Hog Hunting.
Had Enough – Not yet! And this track will keep you appetized for more…the guitar riff throughout gives great structure to this tune.
Lone Star- Great instrumental intro and chorus to this track dedicated, as the title indicates, to the Lone Star state of Texas where Elvis was raised, and where the full moon always shines bright.
Scrappy Lone Wolf-Nothing scrappy about this track: its lovely laid-back ballad which you can stroll along to, and there is some cool guitar picking too which makes the unique sound.
Too Many Miles- ‘I’ve been strolling too many miles’: well, that’s what Elvis tells us he has been doing in this track. Another great catchy little laid-back number that’s well put together.
Hot Chicken- If you like Hot chicken then this spicy instrumental is for you, with plenty of twangy guitar licks and a cool vibe tune to listen to.
Side Saddle -Another of those great catchy tunes produced by Elvis. Love the vocals which capture the story of the title “Side Saddle”, not at a gallop but more of a meander.
Guest List-Cool riff running through this track with an easy beat that gets your foot tapping.
I Got Problems – Here we go again! Party time, and this ripper will get you in the mood, quite an upbeat number that never pauses for air.
Dressed Up For Fun- To end, a nice slow smoochy little number that’s well orchestrated to glide you around the floor.
To summarise Southern music from Texas at its best, Elvis Cantu has produced an album that has covered the range of tempos for all moods. Keeping in line with his first album “Here I Come” this album has continued with the authentic Rockabilly/Western Swing sound. Quite a feat to write and arrange all the music yourself then to go on and perform it exactly what Elvis has done here and the end result 12 nostalgic tracks to feast over.
Lastly, a bit about the man himself:
“Elvis Cantu is a Wild Records recording artist born and raised in the great state of Texas. His sound can be summed up as a high energy mix of 1950’s southern boogie and soul that always gets people moving and shaking. Elvis has played both large festivals and intimate stages from Austin, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee as well as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and various cities and stages all over Europe. He comes from a musical family and has been playing live since the tender age of ten and currently has two full length albums on Wild Records as well as several one offs releases on various Wild compilations.”
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