Jonny Corndawg: Chevy Beretta
Jonny Corndawg: Life of a Bear
Jonny Corndawg is a country singer with incredible heart and ambition. He is also a musician from the early part of the last century using language and technology from this century to put together his career. I feel like I've gotten to know Mr. Corndawg kind of personally after watching two documentaries about him via Vimeo (I & II), bootleg concert footage on Youtube, reading blogger interviews and podcasts that include both Daytrotter and American Songwritter. He also smartly uses Facebook and Twitter to self-promote and broadcast concert information. Furthermore, he successfully used Kickstarter as a means of funding his newest album. This is a man who clearly knows how to network, and make use of every possible mode of communication to share his work with everyone who is willing to listen. I admire this.
I also admire that beyond all this 21st century nonsense he is at his core a country troubador who tours relentlessly, and only writes music which is meaningful to him. To him, country music is not concerned with scenes of Mexican vacations, cliches about cold beer, or lame overt religious imagry. Jesus take the wheel I think not. Down on the Bikini Line is a cohesive collection of country tunes that tell stories with heart, humor, and hook. This is an album with great replay value and an innate quality for singing-along.
The album opens with the song Shaved Like a Razor which gives us both the album's title in the opening line, as well as sets the tone for the duration of the record. Jonny is backed on this project by the band Dawes and the two compliment each other well. Corndawes (as they've dubbed themselves) is that perfect combination of rock and roll and traditional clean cut country.
Chevy Beretta and Red on the Head ares the hardest rocking songs on the album and are not short on Jonny's quick word play and story telling. Life of a Bear is also an obvious stand out on the album because quite frankly, who doesn't love quasi-educational songs about forest animals and guitar solos. In a similar vein, When a Ford Man Turns to Chevy is another vehicle (pun intended – booya!) for Jonny's more light hearted song writting. With witty lines like "There won't be no worries, no need for the Triple A, when a Ford man turns to Chevrolet" it's hard not to smile. However, the album is not without some emotional weight. In the song Undercover Dad Jonny tells the story of a father (presumably him) on the outside looking into his young daughters private life by reading her diary. It is both a touching song and hopefully an appreciated sentiment for the youg lady.
Pop music should be about getting in and out in under 4 minutes while leaving an indellible impression on a persons life. I believe that Jonny Corndawg accomplishes that with this album. You dig?