Cruel Words
An all-American original, Johnny Dowd combines a sound that suggests roots rock from the Twilight Zone, writing steeped in film noir, and a craggy voice that raves more than it croons. Prophet or musical madman? With the return of vocalist Kim Sherwood-Casio to smooth some of Dowd's rough edges (though in these surroundings she sounds like the ingénue trapped in a horror movie), the bare-bones interplay of Michael Stark's keyboards, Brian Wilson's drums, and the jagged edges of Dowd's guitar reinforce the dark essence of the material.  Whether it's the unnerving spoken-word recitation of "Corner Laundromat," the musician's epitaph of "Final Encore," or the soldier returning with wheelchair in "Praise God," Dowd and band explore thematic dimensions where lesser mortals fear to tread.  Kindred spirits and co-conspirators Jon Langford and Sally Timms of the Mekons join him for the alcoholic's singalong "Drunk."  Changes of pace include a surf-style instrumental--"Wilder than the Wind '66"--and a finale that grafts Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" onto Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode."  "Ding Dong" suggests that, for Johnny Dowd, every day is Halloween.--Don McLeese