Charlie Degenhart
Charlie Degenhart has got himself a new haircut, a soul man’s suit and he’s coming atcha with a new batch of his hooky, Philadelphia-born groove-n-soul. You dug his “Bridge Street Main” record (2000) and fell in love with the dangerously Stonesy “April’s Fool” EP (2005) and now you’re getting the next course; “Charlie Degenhart – self-titled”; a set of funky tunes with horns, female back up singers, Hammond organs and that same Charlie crooning that the girls can’t get enough of.
You’d think that years of living in Nashville would eventually turn a guy into a country singer. Not Charlie. He’s gone more Philadelphia than ever before. He’s blacker than blue eyed soul and may win the Paul Weller award for most stylish bad ass in front of a mic today. It’s still the same cat but he’s added a touch more Van Morrison and Elvis Costello on this one; more buttoned up, more New Orleans, more jazz and blues festival.
Degenhart is neither debutante nor dilettante; he’s the real deal despite his infrequent tours and closely controlled song output. No stranger to detail, he works a straight job in cost accounting for one of Nashville’s biggest publishing houses utilizing a University of Florida business degree he earned while pursuing a career in baseball. While others might sell their musical soul to be a full-timer, he’d just assume work like the rest of us to keep his muse pure and powder dry. The discipline shows through in lyrics that bear none of the laziness that plague much of what you hear today. If he were a vintner, Charlie would make wine that expressed the terroir and improved with age. No short cuts, no compromises.
The new record pursues this flawlessness with reaching production, moving him slightly away from the garage psychedelia of “April’s Fool” with its’ soaring choruses padded by female singers and Hammond swells. But there remains a toughness; a give-no-ground street credibility for which Philadelphia is known. “Kick Me in the Head”, the lead track sums that up nicely with its’ no BS tag line. Charlie kept his razzle-dazzle team of Cliff Goldmacher and George Marinelli in place for this record. Cliff produced, co-wrote and played keyboards while George’s guitar wizardry is in fine display. Not surprisingly, the result is meticulous, radio-ready and timeless rock-n-roll.
