Willy Deville

Willy Deville - Crow Jane Alley - 2004 - Eagle

Willy DeVille is joined by members of the Chicano rock band Quetzal, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, and Peruvian Afro-Cuban jazz drummer Alex Acuña, among other prominent musicians. A self-taught guitarist, DeVille found his early inspiration in bluesmen like John Hammond Jr., Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, and these influences pervade this album. It's a great mixture of blues, RB, and Cajun music. Buy his 1987 debut solo album, "Miracle." Willy Deville has never fully received the accolades he deserves for his contribution to music, so check out his albums, and also albums by Mink DeVille. They're all good.

TRACK DETAILS

1 "Chieva" - 4:40
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals; John Philip Shenale on Chamberlin, loops, ARP string ensemble Wurlitzer Sideman; Josh Sklair on guitar; David Hidalgo on bajo sexto; David Keyes on bass, background vocals; Hook Herrera on harmonica; Joey Waronker on drums; Alex Acuña on timbales, shaker; Billy Valentine, John Valentine, and Nina DeVille on background vocals
2 "Right There, Right Then" - 4:24
Willy DeVille on vocals; John Philip Shenale on Hammond A11 organ; Josh Sklair on twelve string guitar; David Keyes on bass, background vocals; Joey Waronker on drums
3 "Downside of Town" - 3:10
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals; Quetzal Flores on bajo muta, jarana, jawbone; David Hidalgo on accordion; Josh Sklair on guitar; César Augusto Castro González on Leona; Martha González on cajón, tarima; Alex Acuña on castanets, tambourine stick
4 "My Forever Came Today" - 4:15
Willy DeVille on vocals; John Philip Shenale on Chamberlin piano, loops, strings; Josh Sklair on guitars; David Keyes on bass; Joey Waronker on drums, Billy Valentine, John Valentine on background vocals
5 "Crow Jane Alley" - 3:16
Willy DeVille on vocals; John Philip Shenale on Chamberlin piano; Josh Sklair on Gibson 125 pedal steel guitar; David Keyes on double bass, background vocals; Joey Waronker on drums
6 "Muddy Waters Rose Out of the Mississippi Mud" - 4:58
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals, guitar, slide guitar; John Philip Shenale on Hammond A11 organ, Wurlitzer E piano, loops; Hook Herrera on harmonica; Steve Stevens on drums
7 "Come a Little Bit Closer" (Wes Farrell, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) - 3:25
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals; Lenin García on acoustic guitar (intro), arrangements; Martin “El Animas” Lara on trumpets; Martin "Baby Face" Arellano on guitar, vihuela; Diego "La Empanada" Arellano on
guitarrón; J. Mario “El Mono” Rodriguez on violins; Alex Acuña on cowbell, güiro; Billy Valentine, John Valentine on background vocals
8 "Slave to Love" (Brian Ferry) - 4:31
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals; John Philip Shenale on piano, synthesizer, loops, samplers; Josh Sklair on guitar, energy bow; David Keyes on bass; Joey Waronker on drums; Billy Valentine, John Valentine on background vocals
9 "(Don't Have A) Change of Heart" - 2:28
Willy DeVille on vocals, background vocals; John Philip Shenale on Hammond chord organ, Marxophone, percussion; Michael Starr on mandolin, strumstick, violin
10 "Trouble Comin' Everyday in a World Gone Wrong" - 6:07
Willy DeVille on vocals; Josh Sklair on Fender Telecaster, Trussart “gator”; John Philip Shenale on Wurlitzer e. piano and Sideman, loops; David Keyes on bass; Joey Waronker on drums, coin drum; Hook Herrera on harmonica, Alex Acuña on maracas

All songs composed by Willy DeVille, except Track 7 by Farrell, Hart, and Track 8 by B.Ferry. The album was recorded in 2004 in L.A.

MUSICIANS

Willy DeVille (vocals, acoustic guitar, slide guitar)
Quetzal Flores (various instruments, jarana)
John Sklair (guitar, 12-string guitar, E-bow)
Lenin Garcia, Martin Arellano (acoustic guitar)
Diego Arellano (guitarron)
Michael Starr (mandolin, violin, strumstick)
J. Mario Rodriguez (violin)
Hook Herrera (harmonica)
David Hidalgo (accordion)
Martin Lara (trumpet)
John Philip Shenale (piano, Wurlitzer piano, chord organ, chamberlin, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, percussion, loops, sampler, unknown instrument)
David Keyes (double bass, bass guitar)
Joey Waronker, Steve Stevens (drums)
Alex Acuna (cajon drums, castanets, cowbells, guiro, maracas, tambourine)
Martha Gonzalez (cajon drums)
Castro Gonzalez, Cesar Augusto (unknown instrument)
Billy Valentine, John Valentine (background vocals)

REVIEWS

It's hard to get a handle on what to call Willy DeVille's multi-genre music, though AMG writer Thom Jurek's description of "Spanish soul-inflected love songs" comes close. "Muddy Waters Rose Out of the Mississippi Mud" would be perfect for Rusty Kershaw, God rest his soul, a nice complement to the laid-back cover of Jay & the Americans' Top Three hit from 1964, "Come a Little Bit Closer" — its presentation a wonderful nod to songwriters Wes Farrell and Bobby Hart. The evolution is startling 28 years after Mink DeVille gave listeners "Let Me Dream if I Want To" on the classic punk LP Live at CBGB's, and DeVille emerges as a major interpreter. The four minutes and 31 seconds of Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love" may be one of the most distinct and unique adaptations of a Ferry tune put on record to date. Outside of the covers, the other eight tracks are Willy DeVille originals, "(Don't Have A) Change of Heart" liberally borrowing the melody from Kenny Rogers' hit "Lucille." "Trouble Comin' Every Day in a World" slinks and lurks around the corner with another stylistic change, sounding a bit like that other Willie from the same era, Bostonian Willie "Loco" Alexander. A sticker on the CD says "First studio album in 5 years!" — though wasn't his previous "studio" disc (not including the live albums) Horse of a Different Color released in 2001? No matter; Crow Jane Alley is a very respectable collection from this journeyman, starting off with the single "Chieva" and continuing with DeVille's novel exploration of sound and clever merging of styles. © Joe Viglione, allmusic.com

Trouser Press said of the album: (DeVille) begins Crow Jane Alley on a dubious note with "Chieva," an ambivalent song about recovering from heroin addiction, but then turns his attention to romance and gets it all right. His renditions of Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love" and Jay and the Americans' "Come a Little Bit Closer" bring their own drama and gravity to the material, while such homemade numbers as the convincingly authentic mojo-wielding "Muddy Waters Rose Out of the Mississippi Mud," the surging "Right There, Right Then" and the rustic waltztime "(Don't Have a) Change of Heart" are small strokes of heartfelt majesty. Richard Marcus said of the album, “Crow Jane Alley is the work of an artist who after thirty plus years in the business still has the ability to surprise and delight his listeners. Listening to this disc only confirms that Willy DeVille is one of the greats who have been ignored for too long. All Music Guide said, "Crow Jane Alley is a very respectable collection from this journeyman, starting off with the single 'Chieva' and continuing with DeVille's novel exploration of sound and clever merging of styles." Uncut said, "DeVille continues to excel at conjuring new tricks from old genres — Drifters-scented barrio pop, booming melodrama and accordion-laced trysts are rendered with verve and sensitivity. An ill-conceived Tom Waits/Captain Beefheart-style Muddy Waters tribute and the dreary "Slave To Love" apart, a welcome slice of swamp-pop heaven."

BIO

The roots of American music, including the blues, RB, and Cajun music, gave Willy DeVille's (born William Borsey) late-'70s punk band, Mink DeVille, its unique flavor. A quarter of a century later, DeVille continued to blend musical traditions and postmodern intensity. A self-taught guitarist, DeVille found his early inspiration in the blues of John Hammond Jr., Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Determined to become a musician, he moved to London in 1971, hoping to latch on with a British band. Frustrated by his lack of success, he returned to the United States. Temporarily settling in San Francisco, he spent most of 1972 developing his stage persona in Bay Area clubs. Returning to New York, DeVille was in the right place at the right time. Forming a band, Dilly DeSade the Marquis, later renamed Mink DeVille, with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer T.R. "Manfred" Allen Jr., he found his roots-oriented rock welcome in the city's burgeoning punk scene. When the independent Omfug label included three of their songs on the multi-artist compilation Live at CBGB's, recorded at the influential New York punk club, their punk connection was assured. With Atlantic acquiring national distribution rights to the album, Mink DeVille became one of the country's top punk bands.
Willy DeVille has remained active since the breakup of Mink DeVille in the mid-'80s. His debut solo album, Miracle, was produced in 1987 by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and included such guests as guitarist Chet Atkins. One tune, "Storybook Love," used in Knopfler's score for the film The Princess Bride, was nominated for an Academy Award. Residing in New Orleans since the early '90s, DeVille featured the city's leading musicians, including Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo, on his 1990 album, Victory Mixture. New Orleans-style rhythms remained essential on his 1996 albums, Big Easy Fantasy and Loup Garou. Subsequent releases have focused on DeVille's live shows. Released in 2001, Live combined performances from ~the Bottom Line in New York and ~the Olympia Club in Paris. Live in Berlin, released two years later, featured the accompaniment of Seth Farber (piano, background vocals), Boris Kinberg (percussion), Freddy Koella (guitar, mandolin, vocals), David Keyes (bass, background vocals), and YaDonna Wise (background vocals).
© Craig Harris, All Music Guide