Athens, Georgia's Rick Fowler is a midnight stalker on guitar, steady when called for, but fearless when he rips into the moment. As a vocalist he's spooky-smooth. Randall Bramblett, along with a few others, mixes up tasty blues/rock cocktails behind Fowler on Back On My Good Foot. There's a distinct Brit-invasion vibe to several of the songs, but the production and the deft, exciting performances root the album firmly in the here and now. “You've got skeletons in your closet; well mine's out walkin' 'round; and when that jawbone starts to rattle; it spreads the news all over town.” That line alone, on top of a stomping beat, distinguishes Fowler as one hell of a writer. The timely political outrage in “Running from the Truth” and the chic blues in “Walk Softly” are two more cases in point. As a perfect conclusion to the album, the band all but one-ups Savoy Brown in ten agile minutes of sheer “Hellbound Train.”
Hittin' the Note Magazine, June, 2008
Hittin' the Note Magazine, June, 2008
Blues-rocker Rick Fowler's Back On My Good Foot album gets rave reviews from top music magazines:
"Fowler shows off his graceful feel on the slow burn of "Feel So Much Better." Tim "Drawbar" White adds some superb Hammond Organ here and throughout the entire album, save for one which Randall Bramblett takes the keys for."
"Fowler's guitar work can border on blasting off into superhero rock guitar but just before you think he's crossed the line, he comes back and shows why he's suited for a blues audience."
"Preacher" seethes with guile for the religious zealot hypocrite. Fowler rips them up with his lyrics in one hand while smacking them with the fury of Hell with his guitar in the other. The song, though more of a hard-driving blues-rock, is one of the high points on the disc for Fowler's all around attack."
"Walk Softly" is one of the other high points on the disc with a slow-burning blues-rock murder ballad that would almost be better suited in a Southern Rock songbook than it would blues. This song is here again another example of Fowler's excellent songwriting and storytelling abilities."
Juke Joint Soul, Music Blog
Ben Harpman, Nov. 2008
His songs are sharply written bursts of swampy blues that never overstay their welcomes while leaving space for sincere talk-sung vocals and liquid-metal guitar lines.
Fowler is a well-established figure in his hometown of Athens, Georgia, gigging with dozens of talented neighbors, including ex-R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry, who contributes to one track here, and members of Randall Bramblett’s band, who play on several cuts. There’s a sense of restraint, unusual for blues-rockers, that brings a noir-soaked atmosphere to songs such as the dark,brooding “Feel So Much Better” and, especially, a remarkable 10-minute cover of Savoy Brown’s “Hellbound Train” that rides an ominous groove.
Songwriting is generally where adherents to this cluttered genre fail. But with cutting-edge lyrics on songs such as “Infected With the Blues” and “Preacher” (the latter a scathing indictment of clergymen who use funerals to push their religious agendas), Fowler brings maturity and intelligence to his
craft. “Running From the Truth” comments on the political climate but still finds room for a scorching guitar solo. The disc’s sound is defined, clean, and muscular without being simply loud; every instrument blends into the mix, resulting in an aggressive but never overwhelming vibe best illustrated by the walking bass line of “Road to Nowhere.”
Most of the tunes are originals, but “Hitchhiking,” the disc’s sole acoustic track, is a cover that lends an achingly folky feel to the proceedings as Fowler overdubs guitar lines to riveting effect.
It might have taken some time for Fowler to get back on his good foot, but judging by this release, it was worth the wait.
Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue Magazine, Nov. 2008
copyright 2008 Jammates Records
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