Calvin Russell
Le voyager

Life as a tough guy, as an outlaw, that of this Texan rocker adopted by France. He had wanted to make a record since he was twenty, but at that age, he was in jail for armed robbery, and so it took him just as long to become a true musician. His face is a series of racetracks literally carved out by events that hit him like boulders, his music is a reflection of his suffering and damned life, his songs are like thorns in the side of the do-gooders, those who consider ex-convicts only as rejected and heartless men, destined only for a desperate and derailed life. Obviously, from someone like this, who at 55 has a face that looks at least twenty years older, can only come a wild and carnal rock’n’roll, a blues that seems to come from the underworld. Even American puritanism prevented him from recording until quite an advanced age, but the French noticed him and practically adopted him in the early '90s, giving him a record contract with New Rose, which allowed him to record some of the best rock-blues albums of the whole decade.

A good Bignami for those who are not familiar with the talents of this Austin Texan and who detest anthologies (there's a good one, “This Is My Life”), is definitely this live recorded in Paris called “Le Voyager.” It's from 1993 and contains his best pieces from the first three albums in absolutely explosive versions, with a band perfectly tuned and with performances absolutely up to the situation. Even the first piece (a furious rock’n’roll) has an explanatory title: “Living On The End Of A Gun,” then the rest is a succession of hot rock-blues (those from “Crossroads,” “Crack in Time,” and “One Meatball” are absolutely stunning, highly recommended to all fans of the genre, especially the last one where there's a guitar and drum break that has always done its job with me) and ballads (especially the Stones cover of “Play With Fire”).

There’s not much else to add except that rock’n’roll reigns supreme over all the nuances of this somewhat underrated live performance, but it certainly deserves the attention and listening of every true rock enthusiast. Also because Calvin Russell's music always went hand in hand with his life.