THE TWANGTOWN PARAMOURS – Double Down On A Bad Thing (Inside Edge IER004)

Double Down On A Bad ThingThe Twangtown Paramours (what a great name!) release their third album, Double Down On A Bad Thing, on February 4th. The core of the band are husband and wife Mike T Lewis and MaryBeth Zamer from Nashville; Lewis has written nine of the songs and co-written the other three. If I say that Double Down On A Bad Thing feels like its live, that’s simply a way of describing the energy that comes over from this album.

To build on that image…. the album opens with the title track. The best way I can describe it is as the kind of blues-soul sixties track that you watch a band playing in your local venue, steady beat, speedy beat, rising vocals, brass – and everyone up, dancing and swaying.

You don’t get chance to sit down with the second track – more bluesy, but dancing blues with a nifty bit of lead guitar and organ break in the middle. You’re still on your feet and ‘Talk About Peace’ moves towards soul/gospel with a cracking hook of a chorus that everyone wishes they could write.

‘Anyone But you’ is slower, a yearning vocal, chance to sit and rest and admire the song and the singing. ‘Comin’ Back’ and ‘Whoa Nellie’ pick up the pace a little. ‘Love Is a Stranger’ would be a great track for mid-sixties Presley.

Then the album bounces you into the beautifully poppy ‘Some Other Day’, if anyone isn’t on their feet they will be from the first notes when this song jingles into life, ready to applaud raucously at the end and bring the band back for three more tracks, finally finishing on ‘Alright Again’ – just voice and keyboards, but taking the song to the heights where it hauls you in like a Ray Charles number.

Zamer sums the album up, “It’s our hope that while listening to this record, people will smile and dance around their living rooms like nobody’s watching…if a good groove and musical energy can help change people’s mindsets to one of positivity and hope, this is the album to do it”.  Yep – in spades.

They’re hoping to follow up the album by touring with a live band. That should be fun.

Mike Wistow

Artist’s website: https://www.thetwangtownparamours.com

‘Double Down On A Bad Thing’ – official video:

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