STEVIE HAWKINS: High Time

Stevie Hawkins

High Time

© 2006 Emphasis Records/Atlanta Music Group (634479345586)

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Stevie Hawkins' "High Time" is a cross-genre mix of authentic Soul, Blues, R&B and Rock.

notes

High Time is an impromptu set of original tunes from an unplanned recording session. What began as Hawkins spontaneous desire to record an acoustic blues record with guitarist Drew Stawin, has resulted in a 180 degree eclectic mix of original Soul, Blues, Rock, Spiritual, R&B. Songs that relate to life and times, love and relationships, dancing and simply having fun. The "musicians having fun" aspect is apparent in several of the tracks as in "Take Me Back To Memphis" and "Crack Me A Cold One". A true story written about and dedicated to a fraternity at the University of Georgia. Stevie performed at the fraternity house while on the 2005 tour of colleges with the Dean Dollar Band.

High Time combines the artistic interpretations of African-American, Hispanic and caucasian musicians. Hawkins thinks this approach to a unity effort was much a part of the magic and success of Stax, Motown, Gamble and Huff, and the Atlantic Records sessions. From that light of thought, Hawkins enlisted musicians from the 60s/70s era of those labels to perform and contribute to the High Time sessions. Hawkins says, "musical and melodic simplicity fused with lyric content that relates to the everyday person are keys to moving people emotionally. Whether it be a sappy love song, a tear jerker or a dance tune, simplicity relates and works.

High Time is a project delivered from the heart with disregard to perfection. Allowing true human emotional elements and/or feels to be captured and retained throughout the track list. All in, about a two month project. The session timeline is indicative of Hawkins desire to revert back to an era when recording an album took only a month or so to finish, rather than the 6 month average today. In other words, letting the musician's creative visions and self-expressions be realized on the spot, rather than a producer's. Hawkins says; "It is a producer/label world in the industry now. Very few artists have any input into the outcome of their music. Although, we're probably shooting ourselves in the foot for releasing a project such as this in todays market, we really don't care. We wanted to do some music that we love to do, so we did it. If someone picks up on it, understands and appreciates what it is about, then we appreciate that person's sensibilities. We didn't try to be modern, no loops, no drum machines, no sequencing, just us playing and having fun. The way sessions were some years ago. We have the luxury with Emphasis of not having the label or producer dictating how the music should relate. We're directing our musical output toward an older audience. Maybe some of the younger set will like some of the music too? Bottom line, this project is not designed to impress the industry or hipsters, we weren't trying to force write hit songs, we took it all back to simple and went with what came first, 'the natural feel'."

Via Hawkins vocal and drum stylings reminiscent of his days playing with Rufus Thomas and Albert King, the soulful guitar work of Drew Stawin and Johnny "Guitar" Brown, expressive tenor sax of Wally Tarado, the pocket bass of Terrell "Cool" Robinson and other supporting musicians, High Time takes us on a journey through some of the sounds, moods and grooves of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s. Here again, as with his previous Southern Rock release, "Georgia Jam", Hawkins and company holds true to themselves by going against the grain of current popular music and productions. Creating music that lives inside them, rather than music to accommodate trends. Hawkins & company hope you have a High Time listening!

Hawkins dedicates these recordings in memory of Ray Charles, Rufus Thomas, Little Milton Campbell, Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burdette, John Lee Hooker, McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfield, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Freddie King, Jimmy Reed, Lightning Hopkins, Albert King, Johnny Taylor, Brook Benton and Funny Papa Smith - The Original Howlin' Wolf. All have had a major influence and impact on shaping Hawkins musical career. Those influences can be heard throughout the recordings on High Time.

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  • An album not to be missed.
    author: Luc Brunot, Bands of Dixie-France

    A year ago, I did not know Stevie Hawkins at all, even though he is a veteran musician having played behind Albert King and Rufus Thomas. He is however on the way to becoming an inescapable person of our small world with on the one hand his quality-label Emphasis, which has just realized the release of the album of the return of Hydra and that is preparing to release a new live recording of Eric Quincy Tate, and on the other hand his own discs, on the same quality-label. The first one, Georgia Jam, groups together tracks taken from different concerts, with some famous guitarists as Spencer Kirkpatrick (Hydra), Wayne Bear Sauls (Eric Quincy Tate) and Reddog subtitled. Southern Style Rock and Roll descendants of Allman Brothers / Eric Quincy Tate. The new project of Stevie Hawkins, High Time, is oriented differently and has this time no report with the rock Confederate. For this substantial CD of seventy-three minutes, Stevie Hawkins wrote or co-wrote eighteen songs with Charlotte Hannon and Drew Stawin, who is also here the guitarist. I would not quote the body of the musicians, too numerous to mention, who were chosen for having played the big time for labels as Stax, Motown or Atlantic. Their names would not mean anything to you, except for the one of Spencer Kirkpatrick, the acoustic slide, on Mr Conductor Man. It is necessary nonetheless to speak all the same about the presence of a section of brass instruments as playing an important role on this disc, it gives to us an even presence of soul, rhythm & blues, blues with touches of rock, gospel, funky and some among others. A disc at once homogeneously strong and, at the same time, varied. An important aspect to note is that this music is joyful and lively in spite of the presence sometimes of dark and poignant titles such as Lonely No More. I really like a lot the voice of Stevie Hawkins, this very beautiful voice, that is ample and that knows how to be rocky, with intonations that recall sometimes strangely the one of another Atlanta drummer, Donnie McCormick (Eric Quincy Tate, Reddog). We could maybe place Stevie Hawkins between Mighty Sam McClain and Howlin' Wolf. And as to the arrangements, the rhythmic, the brass instruments are perfected and warm, the harmonies are in sync, Drew Stawin reveals himself to be a very good guitarist, in other words that we have to deal with a high-quality disc. This especially since there is no waste at the level of compositions even if the disc would have, can still be gained to be a little shortened while remaining good. Useless to detail all titles but I would just distinguish the irresistible Take Me Back To Memphis and Even Drummers Get The Blues, where Stevie Hawkins takes the liberty of interpreting the piece, just accompanied by his drum kit and by some strange guys in vocal support. I find this CD, certainly less Confederate, sharply superior to Georgia Jam. An album not to be missed if your universe does not restrict itself to the hard southern rock of Blackfoot or Molly Hatchet.

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