Reviews

Reviews
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701 E-zine ~ Review by Sharon Estok       Tom Staley quit as the drummer for NRBQ in the mid ‘70's, but he's still making music and having fun from his Florida homestead, as this release from last year proves. Twitchin' ‘n The Kitchen" is full of catchy tunes and wacky lyrics.
      Staley's a working musician, and by that I mean he's had his brushes with fame, but he's also slugged away in his share of small country dance halls. This kind of determination means you get to be a pretty good judge of other musicians, and Staley has assembled here a tight group who have flair with many different styles and an understated confidence.
      Tracks run the gamut from the Spanish-Texan inspired ‘Desperate Heart' through the rockabilly ‘Tornado' to the funky ‘Scuzzoid Bop' and finally an instrumental lullaby. Some of it's serious, some of it clearly just for fun, but sometimes it's hard to tell whether Staley and the band are going over the top sentimentally, or whether they're winking at us all the while.
      I must say, this record works best for me when the tunes are done tongue in cheek. The best song by far is ‘The Girl Ain't Right', classic bluegrass pickin' but carried out with Spike Jones humour and goofy sound effects. I was particularly impressed with guitarist NS Rockwell throughout and with Vgo's mandolin on ‘Run Dog Run'. On the other hand, ‘Just a Losin' Hand' and ‘One Man Woman, One Woman Man', reminded me too much of the Bob's Country Bunker segment from the Blues Brothers Movie.
      For those of us looking for something different, let's hope Tom Staley keeps writing and producing records for a while to come. If you'd like to order the cd you can do it RIGHT HERE.

From "Roctober Magazine" May 2001 I like it when percussion guys write, produce and record music, because the arrangements are sure to have some good sounds in there in addition to regular guitar stuff, and those sounds get some good attention. Funny, sometimes cute, sometimes genuinely weird tunes from this one time NRBQer. Really fun production makes this one a winner.

From "Twist and Shake" May 2001 ~ Beverly Pater Tom Staley was the original drummer of NRBQ, and that alone is one reason why you should give this mighty fun disc a whirl. Attempting to describe "Twitchin' 'N The Kitchen" is a tough assignment because it provides such an eclectic stew of musical slopes. But each number is very entertaining, lighted by Tom's perennial talent and vivid imagination. Twitchin' 'N The Kitchen" features just about everything from rustic roots rock sounds to forties style crooner magic, rounded out by unconventional melodies and snatches of silly and skewered verse. Yes, there is a lot going on here and listeners are bound to smile while listening to these nifty little songs made with lots of love and care. "Run dog Run", "The Girl Ain't Right", "Nya Nya Nya" and the title track are especially recommended. Keep pounding the skins Tom, and do another album real soon!

Review by Dan Ferguson Once upon a time there was a drummer named Tom in a band called the New Rhythm & Blues Quintet, short for NRBQ. Staley's term with the 'Q began in 1968 where he was an original member of the band and lasted through 1974 when he left to focus his energies on raising a family. His run included vital drumming duties on such classic early 'Q albums as the band's self-titled debut for Columbia from 1969, Scraps, Workshop, and Boppin' the Blues which was a collaboration between the band and Mr. Blue Suede Shoes himself, Carl Perkins. Staley did continue to play after departing NRBQ, but with local bands closer to his Florida home. With the kids now grown, Twitchin' 'N The Kitchen represents Staley's triumphant return to the recording ranks. What's readily apparent upon first listening to this solo debut is that you can take the man out of NRBQ, but you sure can't take the NRBQ out of the man. It's a fun record that when it rocks, does so in complete go-for-broke fashion (check out doozies like Nya, Nya, Nya and Scuzzoid Bop for a couple of perfect examples of the let's-let-loose quotient) and when it gets serious, it's the sort of simple, melt-the-heart pop songs that the 'Q is renowned for. Staley's got himself a keeper with Twitchin' 'N The Kitchen.

Dan Ferguson is a free-lance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. on WRIU-FM 90.3. He lives in Peace Dale and can be reached at Boudindan@aol.com.

OUTER SHELL e-zine ~ Review by Roy Harper
'Twitchin' 'N The Kitchen - Tom Staley Sure, most artists can be compared to someone else, and perhaps Tom Staley can be compared to NRBQ. That, of course, is because Tom was once-upon-a-time the drummer for NRBQ. While that was decades ago, this CD makes you wonder if NRBQ influenced Staley, or Staley influenced the rest of NRBQ. The music combines the styles of Rock, Blues, Pop, and Country mixing humor with a 'down-right' enjoyable musical experience. Your individual musical taste won't be questioned here. It's fun and sure to be delightful to every listener. Staley has graduated and he gets an 'A'.

TWITCHIN' IN THE KITCHEN ~ Review from BLITZ MAGAZINE Saint Petersburg, Florida's Tom Staley first rose to prominence in 1969 as the drummer for NRBQ, whose memorable "Stomp" single for Columbia that summer stood in marked contrast to the Woodstock-inspired, bloated rock bombarding the airwaves at that time.

Later that same year, NRBQ recorded an album with beloved rockabilly great Carl Perkins, permanently establishing the band as proponents of artistic integrity. Subsequent releases by the band demonstrated a versatility and exuberance rarely found in that most forgettable of musical eras.

With his solo debut, Staley proves that the lessons learned during his tenure with NRBQ were of paramount importance. The cover of "Twitchin' In The Kitchen" sports a cartoon caricature inspired by the sleeves that graced lounge music releases by such pioneers of the idiom as Juan Garcia Esquivel and Enoch Light.

However, with the exception of "Shape Shifter", the fourteen tracks herein are anything but so-called space age pop. Versatility is the byword, and Staley demonstrates his mastery of a variety of sub-genres, including Bill Retoff/Rich Arithmetic-ish Information Age pop ("Nya Nya Nya"), Lovin' Spoonful-flavored folk-billy ("The Girl Ain't Right"), Bluegrass ("Run Dog Run"), Rockabilly ("Tornado"), John Coltrane/Eric Dolphy-inspired jazz ("Red") and straight-ahead, Rick Nelson-styled country-rock ("One Man Woman").

If "Twitchin' In The Kitchen" would in any way benefit from fine tuning, it is with the cover of "Slow Poke", in which the horn accompaniment somehow does not match the charisma of the accordion arrangement that made the November 1951 Pee Wee King And Redd Stewart original the classic that it is. That most assuredly minor (and subjective) peccadillo notwithstanding, "Twitchin' In The Kitchen" is a versatile and promising solo debut; one that most assuredly is long overdue.

Review by Emmo Gruben ~ January 30, 2001 Tom Staley seems to define his roots in classic C&W anchored somewhere between the 30's and 60's where the ghosts of balladeers such as Hank Williams and Marty Robbins ride through sage brush dreams or swill beer in musky, smoke-filled honkey tonks.

Just as his music can be fun and whimsical, with songs like Nya Nya Nya and The Girl Ain't Right, he'll also allow you to drift off to a place of cerebral warmth and comfort, lay jazzy fabrics over your roughed edges, and take you to tranquil musical landscapes.

And just when you think you're asleep at the wheel, smelling apple pie and dreaming of that girl back home, he's got you stomping to a free-wheeling knee-slapper reminiscent of rock and roll you heard back in the 60s. Don't think you've got Staley pegged. Somewhere between classic country and classic rock he'll surprise you with a discordant saxy jazz piece that's as thought provoking as King Crimson's more esoteric stuff. Red grabs you by the scruff and forces you out of your comfort zone. A combined upward inner play of drums and sax hurls you through electric fire and blindsides you with a cacophony of emotion.

Nope, that ain't traditional C&W. Staley is eclectic. He'll pepper your appetite with a sprinkle of Dr. John, The Byrds, and other delicacies already mentioned. Quite a gourmet's delight if you're not stuck in just one genre of music.

So, feast on!