Wayne Hancock
Swing Time (Bloodshot) Ol’ Wayne the Train has had the rockabilly crowd in his back pocket like a flask of bourbon for years now, so it’s logical that he’d put out a live CD from the Continental Club. It’s just too bad that there’s not much of interest on Swing Time. More songs about trains, Cadillacs, girls, dancing, going out, whiskey, highways, motels, and beer joints, in other words. Even if Hancock covers the same ground on every outing, at least he does it well. Paul Skelton and Dave Biller trade jazzy guitar licks throughout, and Bob “Texaco” Stafford honks a trombone or two, with Rick Ramirez sliding the steel rail. Hancock’s covers include “Hoy Hoy Hoy,” “Walkin’ the Dog,” and a nice boozy version of “We Three” (“My echo, my shadow, and me”). Still, songs like “Big City Good Time Gal” and “Juke Joint Jumpin'” are merely more of the same ol’ Wayne, and as good as that is, it’s a bit of the ol’ Johnny-one-note after a while.
This article appears in July 18 • 2003.