Rodney Parker

Joyfully reminiscent of John Hiatt's Bring the Family period, Denton's Rodney Parker plays country with just enough grit to escape any comparisons to Nashville schlock. Country and folk rarely offer the punch and integrity Parker applies to the majority of this fine release. Blow the Soot Out has much in...

By Darryl Smyers

March 31, 2005

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Joyfully reminiscent of John Hiatt's Bring the Family period, Denton's Rodney Parker plays country with just enough grit to escape any comparisons to Nashville schlock. Country and folk rarely offer the punch and integrity Parker applies to the majority of this fine release. Blow the Soot Out has much in common with the more conventional elements of a (sadly) just-retired Denton group. "Just the Sounds" easily could have come from the pen of Brent Best, while "Mesquite Tree" and "Bring Me My Gun" deliver the sentiment, if not the backwoods wackiness, of classic Slobberbone. Blow the Soot Out is good advice for a variety of alt-country acts with a lot to say but an overly sanitized way of saying it. Void of slickness, this is music built from sweat and an intensity only the rural experience can provide.

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