I give both these CD's, my highest rating, Five*****
Excellent CD's... Thoroughly enjoyed it... Highly Recommended...
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
For the life of me I don't know why I have not heard of Erick Hovey, but I am
extremely happy to now have met his acquaintance with not one but two new
dynamic releases,
"Recycled Souls" and
"Blues Farm".
With
"Recycled Souls" and
"Blues Farm", Erick Hovey has firmly entrenched himself as not
only a fine musician, but also a superb lyricists, with songs that have no
problem connecting with all whom listen to them.
With a voice and sound similar to Mark Knopfler's, Erick Hovey had no problem
hooking me in from the very first opening tracks.
Erick is certainly a real gem that clearly shines through all the clutter and
pretentiousness that to often permeates our airwaves.
This is the first time I have awarded a double release my highest rating
5***** and it was also, after listening to
"Recycled Souls" and
"Blues Farm", one of my easiest decisions.
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Other Info & Reviews
Blues Farm and Recycled Souls
By Richard Greaves / Blues In Britain Magazine
Erick Hovey is from Fort Dodge, Iowa in the Midwest of the USA. He combines being a farmer (5th generation) and a musician. He is a singer and guitarist who started gigging when he was fourteen and put out his first CD about fifteen years ago. He has released these two CDs at the same time. I'm going to concentrate on Blues Farm which is the more blues oriented of the two. All songs are original and there is a core backing band of keyboards, bass, and drums together with occasional horns.
The CD opens with "Ball And Chain", which has a slow, reggae-ish beat and some really good spare and moody guitar work. And this sets the scene for the whole album with
tasty and often understated guitar work rather than fret burning speed playing and high volume.
"Know Who You Are" is an up-tempo blues with horns and the one appearance of a harp player (who is good) and some tough guitar, really liked this one.
A complete change of style for "Soda Pop Girl" which is a 50s style swing blues with piano and trumpet spot on. With the line "She likes driving, I like drinking beer" this song hits the spot.
Another of my favorites! "Patchouli" chugs along nicely with some BB King style guitar.
There is a late night feel to the mainly acoustic "Running With A Full Moon".
"Fight That Monkey" is another highlight with a good guitar intro, nice stop time, good lyrics, and topped off by tasty guitar throughout.
There are more good lyrics in "Baby Come Home" and then it's back to that swing jazz style on "Missing Part" where again the band have it nailed.
Next another favorite, "I'm Through", which is a shuffle shot through with good guitar work.
The reggae style comes up again on "Talkin Bout Love" and then it gets a bit more heavy on "Going Down" which lyrics-wise borrows from "Going Down Slow".
The CD rocks out with "Can't Fall Down".
The second CD. Recycled Souls maintains the same high standard of musicianship but is more in a singer/songwriter mode with the songs showing blues influences rather than being more directly blues linked. The backing musicians don't overplay and get it right for the style of each tune. Erick has a good almost "smoky" voice and is a very tasteful guitarist (think latter-day Eric Clapton for instance). A couple of the reviews in the promo blurb call Erick a hidden gem of the US Midwest and I can only concur. I really enjoyed these CDs.
REAL BLUES TOP 100 BLUES, SOUL, GOSPEL & ZYDECO CDS
At number 40, Erick Hovey's 09 release "BLUES FARM"
Note: REAL BLUES 'Top Releases' charts are based on what CD's, DVD's, Books we have received in the previous 12 Calendar months. Like our Top 100 List all have been graded as 'Highly Recommended Purchases' and all selections are based solely on Artistic/Spiritual Merit. Selections have already been reviewed or will be within the next issue. This list is a 'Bribery-free' listing so you can 'take-it-to-the-bank'.
Blues Farm is a soulful groove!*****
By Mick Polich - July 8,2009
Can't say enough about Erick and his music, which I have followed for many years now. Those of you who don't know this fifth-generation Fort Dodge, IA farmer/musician will be dutifully impressed -
The songwriting, lyrics, production, and arrangements on "Blues Farm" will have you hitting the replay button often. The great care in details - guitar tones, the homage to different eras of blues and blues-rock recording, insightful lyrics - all combine for a heady mix of meaty, soulful grooves. Just goes to show you that Iowa boys play their music card decks close to the vest until delivery - no boasting, no grandstanding, just deliver the musical goods when needed.
And boy, this delivers!
1.Hazy 3:24
2.Half Dead 3:18
3.What You Doin Here 3:02
4.Aint Done With You 3:38
5.Could Have Told Me 4:17
6.Here Again 4:03
7.Didn't I Pray 3:50
8.Sweet Fire Rain 2:57
9.Can't See the Page 3:20
10.Thousand Times 4:08
11.Whatever It Is 3:43
12.Feels So Good Hurts So Bad 3:36
12.Ask the Stars 2:43
1.Ball and Chain 5:48
2.Know Who You Are 3:56
3.Soda Pop Girl 3:51
4.Patchouli 3:16
5.Runnin With a Full Moon 4:15
6.Fight That Monkey 5:36
7.Baby Come Home 4:01
8.Missing Part 2:48
9.I'm Through 3:05
10.Talkin Bout Love 3:35
11.Goin Down 3:19
12.Can't Fall Down 4:34
Erick Hovey is a songwriter, guitarist, singer, and fifth-generation farmer from Fort Dodge, Iowa. His albums What You Blue About and Prairie Dance Music have received critical acclaim for his unique, honest voice, cool rocking blues, and introspective grooves.
His new releases for 2009 are Recycled Souls and Blues Farm.
What You Blue About? was a Catfish Choice of Blue's Access magazine. According to Delta Snake Daily Blues, "Erick Hovey is a hidden blues gem in the farmland of the Midwest." La Hora Del Blues of Barcelona, Spain, writes that Erick "skillfully mixes and develops his own blues style." And Omaha's Reader says his music has "genuine heart and engaging personality."
Erick learned the blues scale when he was ten years old and began performing in local taverns when he was fourteen. He still enjoys playing in small-town bars but has performed in venues and festivals throughout the Midwest.
Erick Hovey, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fifth-generation farmer plays the blues
By Ian Schmit
Be creative and break rules. These are the words of Erick Hovey, a blues musician who lends his own unique brand of the blues genre to the Fort Dodge, IA area.
Hovey's been playing guitar since he was 10 years old and has been performing publicly since he was 14, playing in more than 30 bands over the years in a wide array of musical genres, including country, pop, rock, funk, and blues. He said he spends hours every week writing, rehearsing, jamming, recording, and performing.
He's released four albums: "Prairie Dance Music", "What You Blue About", and for 2009, "Blues Farm" and "Recycled Souls".
He's also enjoyed playing on many of his friends' recordings, he said. "It would seem like a full-time job if it weren't so fun", said Hovey.
Hovey is also a fifth-generation farmer. The work schedule is fairly compatible with the music activities,: he said. "Spring and fall present some challenges, so I have learned to scale back on the music during the planting and harvest seasons."
It all started when Hovey was 10 and his parents started taking guitar lessons. They encouraged him to give it a try. "Before that, I used to beat out sounds on an old upright piano and imagine I was making music," he said.
He was influenced by the counter-culture music being played on the radio then. "I used to listen to a radio show at night called Beaker Street. It was hosted by a DJ named Clyde Clifford on KAAY out of Little Rock ,Ark.," said Hovey. "Rather than featuring top 40, Clifford's show featured the creative end of what was going on then musically. That's where I first heard blues-based music that was considered counter-culture at the time, like Clapton, Floyd, and Zeppelin." That blues-based music had a hold on Hovey early on, and it has taken him a long way from beating on the old upright.
"Blues has an interesting combination of discipline and freedom. You have some structure in the rhythm and chord changes that lay down the groove or feel, then you have a lot of improvisation over that," he said. "The blues is at the root of so many styles of music."
Hovey is doing what he loves. His band, the Erick Hovey Band, is comprised of Hovey on guitar, Jeff Foreman on drums, Doug Hines on keys and Dan Lodden on bass. Hovey has this advice for up-and -coming musicians: "Make music for yourself first and avoid chasing trends," he said.
"Be creative and break rules."
