Vintage Review: Tim Krekel's Happy Town (2002)

Singer/songwriter Tim Krekel left Louisville to ply his trade in Nashville for a while during the 1980s, hanging around with folks like Webb Wilder and Jason & the Scorchers and releasing a fine, criminally-ignored album with his band the Sluggers. That the album died on the vine was a shame, too. Even though Krekel wasn’t the most talented songwriter in town at the time – Steve Earle probably deserves that crown – he was nevertheless better than 99% of the hacks that haunt the doorsteps of Music Row studios trying to place songs with Garth or Shania. Krekel wrote a couple of country hits for folks like Patty Loveless, then disappeared for a while, returning to Kentucky. I haven’t thought of Tim Krekel much at all lately until a copy of Happy Town crossed my desk.

Judging from the eleven songs showcased on Happy Town, Krekel remains as bright a songwriter as he ever was. Musically, his material sits firmly in a roots rock vein, mixing the jangling guitar-rock of the Byrds or Tom Petty with traditional country influences, throwing in a healthy dose of Southern rock, kind of like Wet Willie, for good measure. At times, Krekel gets all funky and shows his blue-eyed soul, as on “Sugar From My Baby”. In other instances, as with the title track “Happy Town”, Krekel rocks with a fire in his eyes, adding just enough twang to the song that he sounds like he’s still trying to burn old Nashville down.

Not the most distinctive vocalist in the world, Krekel still gets the job done, and, possessing a keen eye for arrangements, his performances never fail to entertain the listener. If you’re looking for music guaranteed to cure your blues, something that’s a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, without lapsing into the cliches of either, it would be worth your time to find a copy of Tim Krekel’s Happy Town. (FreeFalls Entertainment, released 2002)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™