FooManChoo Reviews: Doug Swindell

Now the Foo remembers that the first thing he learned to play on the geetar (that was not his own) was the 12-bar blues. But the Foo's Blues is nowhere near that of Mr. Doug Swindell. It's obvious that Doug's love is the guitar. The tracks on his new album are filled with riffs that are professional and tasteful all around. And for the blues, this collection of tracks on his new album "Big Blue Sky" offer up many flavors and even hint at different styles - a little taste of country and some back beat funk make this album sparkle. As always, Foo is most impressed with multi-talented musicians and Doug does not fail to please. His versatility from one song to the next shows that his musicianship is well rooted in rhythm and feeling.

And like all good Blues albums, this one definitely has feeling. "Hello to Sad" brought the Foo kinda down right when he read the title of his featured single. And the other song titles are all in tune; "Baby Don't Love me", "Dead Man Walking", trains, rivers....it's all right on point for a Blues record (Foo's fav is actually the slow track "Slow Train" - very creative). Foo loves the drum tracks on this album as well. They are all tight with some great EQ - and every track fits the tune just right. Perhaps, Doug is as good a drummer as he is a guitar player. But, the solos kick in and well - ok - Doug is a fantastic lead player with riffs that are filled with melody, feeling and true grit.

So, now Foo comes of course to one of his favorite parts, the audio. For the most part, much care has been taken to record these tracks. The drums are full and guitars are blazing! Foo's main complaint is the vocals. Now Doug is a good singer and that's not the point here. It's just that sometimes the words are hard to hear on some of the tracks. Now, if you've been keeping up with Foo's Reviews, you'll know that Foo himself is a reverb junkie. However, especially on the vox, reverb is something that should be added during the mixing process. Now, if you're anything like Foo, you need to actually hear the reverb when you're laying down the track; but, the track itself should be dry. This is called a foldback mix. It requires a board with direct outs going to the tape (or whatever newfangled digital device being used). Then you take the monitor out and roll it though all the effects gear. Well you get the point and for all The Foo knows Doug did it exactly this way. So one more suggestion is required; double the vocals track, preferably, just bounce it over to another track and blend in the dry w/ the effects. This will give some great presence as well as filling out the mix, try panning them slightly different and just a bit off center. Foo's other top secret weapon of choice is the BBE Sonic Maximizer. Do not tell anyone this secret or this review will self destruct.

FooStats(out of 10):
Audio Quality: 7
Originality: 5
Spicey factor: 6
Chops: 8

Total: 26

Doug Swindell