Review:

This new cd from Ronnie Hayward is actually a very welcome reissue of material that was only available on vinyl ( "Somewhere Out There" on Tail Records, hence the title) with four previously unreleased tracks from a later session. For this four tracks a drummer joined the trio.
You'll find no slick production here, Ronnie's music, a fine blend of rural blues, rockabilly and hillbilly bop, is raw and uncompromised. "
Whiskey Flavored Kisses", one of the four unreleased tune, appears here in a very different version than the one on "Too Many Chiefs", without the slide guitar and with the emphasis put on the rhythm section : heavy strumming acoustic guitar and simple and effective drums and just one stroke of electric guitar in the middle. Simply brilliant. "We'll Get High" sounds a bit like "Domino" with obsessive guitar and heavy slap bass. Changing mood, "You Cant Tell Me Why" has a kind of a rumba beat into it.
Don't be fooled by the name, "Ronnie's Blues 5" is not a blues but more a uptempo hillbilly tune with Ronnie's howlin' vocal. "No more for you" is a country weeper with harmony on the refrain while "Mean Streak Mama" reflects Hayward's blues side.
Sure this guy in not always in tune, but the lack of exactness is highly compensated by the intensity of his interpretation, even through the stereo you can feel his presence. Isn't that the most important with this type of music? Fans of Johnny Burnette's Rock'n'Roll trio and specifically Paul Burlison will enjoy "Quit My Cryin'" with its "Rock-Billy Boogie" beat. "Honey I'm" is rather different than the other one, more modern if that word has some kind of signification for a Ronnie Hayward's album, with drums rolls that put a constant tension in the song. "Beggin' Time" is quite close to the original version and Hank Sow's "90 Miles An Hour", which is originally quite soft, could be compared to the best of Wayne Hancock.
This comparison is not only valid for this song, both share something really simple, something that makes great artist, something called personality.

Fred "Virgil" Turgis
Jumpin from 6 to 6

Evaluation: