Our favorite Mad Telecaster SuperGenius, Jim Campilongo, has a brand new album called “Orange” that will be released on February 16, 2010 — and, due to the magic of the internets, you can buy it right now via iTunes — that sets a broad, new, standard for experimentation in melody and intention.


What we love about Jim’s Telecaster mastery is the way he takes center stage and makes that guitar howl and twank unlike anything we’ve ever heard before.

We are delighted by the opening cut of Orange — “Backburner” — because it is classic Campilongo where you can never anticipate where the melody will take you.

Jim also provides some classic Chet Atkins style picking on “Awful Pretty, Pretty Awful (Solo Guitar — Chet Atkins Style).”

We were disappointed with the vocal tracks.  Why, Jim, WHY? 

When the singer sings, our favorite Jim takes a backseat to a creepy, sleepy, stereotypical “I’m Too Cool for the Room” female jazz singer who bleeds any sense of fun or anticipation from Campilongo’s playing. 

We actually yelled, “Wake Up!” at her this morning in a febrile attempt to move her from the boring and into the craziness of the Campilongo camp.  More “I’ve Got Blisters On My Fingers,” please, and none of “No Fun.”

Another disappointment was the track — “I’m Helen Keller and You’re a Waffle Iron” — we expect less cruelty from Jim and more irreverent genius that doesn’t tease the disabled.

Can we all agree that using Helen Keller as a musical crutch is played out and over?  Let’s move on and pick on some other dead and disabled person for awhile.  I nominate double-amputee and Academy Award winner Harold Russell as Helen’s replacement.  I’m sure some young musician can’t wait to write a song about holding Harold Russell’s missing hands.

In the final analysis of Jim Campilongo’s “Orange” — we enjoy him most when he challenges us with eerie melodies — and we are disappointed in his curiously feeble attempt to expand his taste away from what he knows best:  Making the Telecaster twang the center of our melodic lives.

We can’t wait to try to get our poor, sweaty, hands on Jim Campilongo’s signature Fender Telecaster due in early 2010. Until then… Orange will just have to assuage us.

4 Comments

  1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    Gordon Davidescu says:

    I’m listening to him now on Youtube from his web site – quite excellent guitar playing! I will have to have a listen to the new album. 🙂 Thanks for the great review, David!

  2. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    I’m glad you’re able to enjoy the sounds of Jim, Gordon! His work is fascinating and challenging. He’s a big talent.

  3. Kathakali Chatterjee – Hyderabad, India – Professionally, I have an interesting concoction of experience -- from entertainment industry to retailing to executive education -- the journey is still on. When I don't work, I love to travel, read, listen to music and watch movies.
    kathakali.chatterjee says:

    I was wondering for last 2 days about why the name sounded so familiar….
    Just discovered it — I heard him with Norah Jones — loved his work!!

  4. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Jim has also done a lot of work with Martha Wainwright.

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