CD Review: Songs & Stories as Told In Macon, Georgia (2024)

CD Review: Songs & Stories as Told In Macon, Georgia (2024)

Posted onFebruary 24, 2024 by Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony
Roger “Hurricane” Wilson – Songs & Stories as Told in Macon, Georgia | Album Review
Roger “Hurricane” Wilson” – Songs & Stories as Told in Macon, Georgia
Bluestorm Records
www.hurricanewilson.com
13 songs time – 62:04

An out of character live solo acoustic concert from the electric guitar blues-rocker, recorded at the Macon Arts Center. It is mainly a singer-songwriter affair except for two blues cover songs. An un-credited background singer helps out occasionally. His voice and guitar are recorded well, but the constant crowd noise is apparent throughout including during the songs as well. Roger’s voice has a warm quality and he is an excellent finger-style guitarist. He wrote six of the songs.
Many of his songs come off as country-tinged singer-songwriter fare. the premise of “I Got Chased by a Three-Legged Dog” portends to be the worst title for a country song, but other than that line it isn’t that bad. Political correctness is the subject of “I Just Don’t Know What I Believe Anymore”. “I Never Got To Say Goodbye To Willie Guy” is a country-ish ballad. A positive message and upbeat guitar accompaniment permeate “Everything’s Gonna Be Ok”.
He handles a cover of Marc Cohn’s “Walkin’ In Memphis” well, giving it more of a country music slant. Roger reflects on his upbringing on “On Howard Avenue”. His voice isn’t quite up to the vocal energy required for The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie”. “The Ride” is a fantasy about being given a ride by the ghost of Hank Williams. He again gets a bit country-fied for Blind Willie Mctell’s “Statesboro Blues”. He turns in another blues cover on Muddy Waters’s “Can’t Be Satisfied”. The subject is once again Hank Williams in “Montgomery in the Rain”.
A change of pace for the electric guitar slinger. Well done performances only with ever-present crowd noise. His sturdy and warm voice is comforting. Not a half bad singer-songwriter affair.