Chuck Prophet Pays Homage To Rock’s Finest With ‘Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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chuckprophet2To say that Chuck Prophet is a rock and roll obsessive would be an understatement. His love for rock music is so deeply rooted in him, it continues to inspire him in sound and in songwriting. On his latest record  Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins, Prophet pays homage to the genre and to the obscure artist of the title, Fuller, who died mysteriously at 23 after his single “I Fought the Law” became a hit. Perhaps his story resonated with Prophet, but what is undeniable is the way Prophet clings to rock and roll music and all that comes with it. It’s his lifeblood, and this album puts his passion on full display.

Prophet gets especially clever on “Jesus Was a Social Drinker” and “If I Was Connie Britton”, as he inhabits alternative identities, humanizing and humoring as he goes. The former offers a head spinning guitar solo, while the latter has a subtle twang.

Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins acts as a monument to more than just the music that moves Prophet. It also pays homage to Prophet’s home state of California, and there’s a west coast coolness in his arrangements, from the hints of surf rock, to the golden shimmering sound of his ballads.

“Bad Year for Rock and Roll” is a sad ode to losing our artistic heroes. Prophet sings of holing up inside to mope, even as he fights the urge to get out. One of the record’s catchiest tunes, Prophet mourns dramatically, but sings cooly, “The thin white duke/Took a final bow/There’s one more star/In the heavens now/The moon won’t rise/The sun won’t set/There’s so many things I would rather forget.” There is morbidity in Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins, but to hear Prophet tell it, it sounds like a blast. No track captures this better than “In the Mausoleum”, a psychobilly groove that gives surf guitar a dark, sharp edge with plenty of distortion. You’ll never want to dance so hard to a song about a tomb in your life.

 

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