Sal Valentino - Come Out Tonight

 

Sal Valentino - Come Out Tonight - 2008

By Bruce Eder, AMG

This record is a genuinely amazing listening experience -- in fact, it's downright spellbinding for anyone who remembers the Beau Brummels, the mid-'60s/late-'60s outfit that Sal Valentino fronted. One hears accounts of enduring talents all the time, but even so, nine times out of ten with veteran performers of four decades' standing, it's too much to expect that they could actually deliver albums as strong as their classic work. But that's precisely what Valentino has done with Come Out Tonight. The voice is a little rougher, to be sure, but it's also every bit as powerful, expressive, and memorable as it was in the 1960s -- and with some fine songwriting of his own plus some careful selection of other people's tunes, he's come up with an album that's a fine successor to the first two Beau Brummels albums or just about anything else he ever did during his classic years. Come Out Tonight does cover all kinds of ground that wouldn't have been in evidence in the mid-'60s, of course, including a killer slow acoustic blues-style rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues" and a similarly unexpected interpretation of Jimmy Webb's "The Highwayman," his singing driving any of the pop smoothness from the piece. The newer numbers are also memorable, if mostly in more of a pop/rock vein (with a folk-rock veneer on a lot of them), and one could see a song like "Treasure of the Orient" turning into a hit in a friendlier musical environment. And although he's mostly known as a singer and songwriter, Valentino also contributes some acoustic guitar to his cause on a pair of tracks, most notably the title song. A dark, minimalist, bluesy personal reflection that's as alluring as it is devastating listening, "Come Out Tonight" delves into profoundly moving depths of despair and loneliness. And what makes this record even more special is the energy behind it -- Come Out Tonight isn't just an exercise in nostalgia, or an example of a veteran artist ascending to an unexpectedly high plateau, but a solidly compelling body of performances, surprisingly close in spirit to the records that Johnny Cash cut with Rick Rubin -- except that Valentino never needed (or saw the urgency for) the "comeback." 

01. All The Places
02. Catherine I Do
03. New Day
04. The Devil Is In The Courtyard
05. Grease The Wheel
06. For The Longest Time
07. Folsom Prison Blues
08. Treasure Of The Orient
09. Lookin' For You
10. The Highwayman
11. Come Out Tonight

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Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man - REPOST

Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man - 2011

from Twirl Radio

Sal’s early fame came as vocalist for the 1960′s band The Beau Brummels with such top hits as “Laugh Laugh” and “Just A Little”. It’s been argued that the band defined the San Francisco sound. Certainly, they were out ahead of the pack–a little before the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead.

The 1970′s came, and Sal played in Stoneground, a great amalgam of funk and country rock, perhaps a precursor to the Doobie Brothers. And he’s had quite a respectable solo career. As one of my European listeners said, “Sal Valentino–one of the great voices of all time!”.

His most recent album, Dreamin’ Man, teams him up with long time collaborator John Blakeley. This is one fine album. It starts with the breezy opener “Love Song”, then transitions into determined mid-tempo rocker “Hwy 49″. Sal and John turn in a great Americana performance on rising Sacramento star Jackie Greene’s “Valley of Woe”. While Sal sings with conviction, John’s stellar acoustic picking drives this song forward with abandon. These two bad dudes will kick your rear with this song, and you’ll love it.

But make no mistake–this tends to be a rather romantic album, especially the second half. “Looking For You” is a fun rave up, and Sal is completely devoted to getting through to his woman, no matter what it takes, a la the Fabulous Thunderbirds in “Tuff Enuff”. The last four songs burrow deep into your heart, with their romanticism. “Dreamin’ Man”, the title track, is quite moody and haunting, but always listenable. “Catherine I Do” and “Lovin’ Fallin’” feature classy instrumental hooks and lyrics that grab you, work their way through your mind, and into that place in your soul reserved for love and sentiment. These melodies are sublime and exquisite. The album ends with the confessional “That Way”–what Sal is confessing is eternal love and devotion for his woman.

01. Love Song
02. HWY 49
03. Snowman
04. Valley of Woe
05. Weakness In Me
06. Lookin' for You
07. Dreamin' Man
08. Catherine I Do
09. Lovin' Fallen
10. That Way





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Sal Valentino - Every Now And Then

Sal Valentino - Every Now And Then - 2008

from Amazon

Sal Valentino is truly a living legend. Famed lead singer of The Beau Brummels and manic front man for the 70's psychedelic-funk-rock-full-stage-extravaganza, Stoneground, Sal continues to share his gift with the world. Every Now And The features Sal doing what he does best, interpreting songs and stories that can only be delivered (by what has been referred to by rock historians, as) 'the most underrated voice in Rock and Roll history'. As a nod to the past, Valentino covers The Beau Brummels biggest hit Laugh, Laugh evoking memories of the innocence of early 60's rock and roll without the slightest bit of regret that time has moved on. Every Now And Then is a musical road map of life featuring heart-wrenching songs like Jackie Greene's title tune, to the jangly rock guitar-drenched What The World Needs to the bouncy duet with Chris Webster, Just Like You. Every Now And Then is a new piece of history, a road map of the long and twisted back-roads of rock that lead us to today. 

01. Tell Me What The World Needs
02. Just Like You
03. Every Now And Then
04. Laugh, Laugh
05. Kiss Away
06. You
07. I Love You, I Do
08. Sign Of Love
09. Angel Come Home
10. Every Blue Day


Other SV? Click HERE




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Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man

Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man - 2011

from Twirl Radio

Sal’s early fame came as vocalist for the 1960′s band The Beau Brummels with such top hits as “Laugh Laugh” and “Just A Little”. It’s been argued that the band defined the San Francisco sound. Certainly, they were out ahead of the pack–a little before the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead.

The 1970′s came, and Sal played in Stoneground, a great amalgam of funk and country rock, perhaps a precursor to the Doobie Brothers. And he’s had quite a respectable solo career. As one of my European listeners said, “Sal Valentino–one of the great voices of all time!”.

His most recent album, Dreamin’ Man, teams him up with long time collaborator John Blakeley. This is one fine album. It starts with the breezy opener “Love Song”, then transitions into determined mid-tempo rocker “Hwy 49″. Sal and John turn in a great Americana performance on rising Sacramento star Jackie Greene’s “Valley of Woe”. While Sal sings with conviction, John’s stellar acoustic picking drives this song forward with abandon. These two bad dudes will kick your rear with this song, and you’ll love it.

But make no mistake–this tends to be a rather romantic album, especially the second half. “Looking For You” is a fun rave up, and Sal is completely devoted to getting through to his woman, no matter what it takes, a la the Fabulous Thunderbirds in “Tuff Enuff”. The last four songs burrow deep into your heart, with their romanticism. “Dreamin’ Man”, the title track, is quite moody and haunting, but always listenable. “Catherine I Do” and “Lovin’ Fallin’” feature classy instrumental hooks and lyrics that grab you, work their way through your mind, and into that place in your soul reserved for love and sentiment. These melodies are sublime and exquisite. The album ends with the confessional “That Way”–what Sal is confessing is eternal love and devotion for his woman.

01. Love Song
02. HWY 49
03. Snowman
04. Valley of Woe
05. Weakness In Me
06. Lookin' for You
07. Dreamin' Man
08. Catherine I Do
09. Lovin' Fallen
10. That Way





+@192