Singer-songwriter Grady Crumpler got his start on a stage just big enough for a single singer and his guitar. It was during one of these performances that Crumpler met drummer Bill Eagen and a friendship was formed. Together, Crumpler and Eagen would go on to play with many talented musicians that would eventually become part of a rotating line-up of a band known by the moniker of Shady Cats. While Crumpler would write his own songs, Eagen and the rest of the performers would help perform the music.
Soon, Grady Crumpler would have enough songs to create an entire album of music. Having many musicians that took part in the band of Shady Cats throughout its history, there was no set line-up or specific style. With that in mind, singer/songwriter Grady Crumpler and drummer Bill Eagen went about recording the Love Callin’ album in much the same way. No two tracks would have the same line-up, nor would any two tracks have the same feel. Crumpler and Eagen were the only two constants on the entire album. In fact, about a dozen musicians took part in the making of Love Callin, the first album from Shady Cats.
With Crumpler having grown up listening to songs from English and American rock bands from the era known as the British Invasion, he ended up adding some of that sound into his writing style. That style definitely reflects the British Invasion influence. And while there is a generous amount of that influence in the music of Shady Cats, the other musicians who have been a part of the band have added their influences and other elements to the music to keep the band from coming off as a group with a “retro” sound. This album seems to be split between the past influences and the present ones, starting with the title track. “Love Callin’” is one such song that definitely features some of the British Invasion influence that is evident in a lot of Crumpler’s writing. The second track of “Lost Myself” also has that same type of vibe. In fact, the song sounds like The Raspberries, one of the American bands that were influenced by the British invasion, influenced it.
The third song on the album is “She Kisses Me With Her Eyes,” a song that steps out of the British Invasion feel. This track feels like it really fits on today’s Adult Contemporary radio formats. This is also one of the songs on the album that could be pushed as a single. The next track on the release that deserves mentioning is “Lines”, which takes the group’s sound in the direction of southern rock from the seventies.
After spending a lot of time with a sound influenced by the seventies, the band changes directions once again on the song “I Want Independence”. “I Want Independence” sounds like a hard rock song that fits with today’s bands and sounds. “All The Way” seems to come out of nowhere. When many of the songs on the album feature a sound or style that was influenced by British Invasion-era bands, this track is very much influenced by Carlos Santana and his group. This only refers to the sound of the song, of course, as the band does not head off into an extended jam.
Grady Crumpler, Bill Eagen and the rest of the band save the idea of an extended jam for the final track of the album on the piano-driven tune. “Desperation” closes out the CD and sends the group into a song that breaks the six-minute mark. The slow pace of the song brings the album to a close in a relaxed fashion.
While there is an abundance of music on Love Callin’ Cats that was definitely influenced by bands from the British Invasion, the song selection and the style of those songs is nicely diverse. And the talent of the dozen or so musicians that came together to create one single album under the moniker of Shady Cats helps to keep the music from falling into a groove where every song sounds the same. No matter what style of playing the musicians take to the songs, the album has something for every rock fan.
Review by Matheson Kamin
