Talkin' Honky Blues [Enhanced] [Import]

From URB Magazine
No, he doesn't have a frog in his throat; the gruff voice that resembles your grumpy 70-year-old neighbor on Talkin' Honky Blues is indeed leftfield hip-hop icon Buck 65 (aka Rich Terfry). Those only familiar with the Canadian rap poet's nasal-toned earlier material might be bewildered to meet this new character of sorts, which was born of some serious alone time after his last indie project, Square. One part talking blues, one part hip-hop and one part hobo storytelling, Talkin' Honky Blues stumbles along riverbanks, seemingly insignificant rural roads and through the streets of Paris, where Buck was called by Anais Nin's novella, Houseboat. "Wicked And Weird" stands out, with Buck busting out a folky chant: "Wicked and weird/I'm a road hog/ with an old dog/singing slow songs/trying to hold on." The production aspect picks up with the chirps of "Protest," one of the few optimistic cuts on the album. Incredibly descriptive imagery abounds (especially during "Riverbed 3"), built best for cloudy days and pensive listeners. Still, the strapping young Buck of old is missed.

Jen Boyles

Product Description
2003 album from artist described as a cross between Tom Waits & DJ Shadow. Features 19 tracks including one enhanced track, 'Buck 65 Talkin' Honky Blues'. WEA Canada.

Talkin' Honky Blues,Buck 65,Wea International,Alternative Rap,Beat Poetry,Pop,R&B/Soul,Rap,Rock,Underground Rap

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Average customer rating: Seems to be the fan favorite... another amazing album by the versatile Buck 65 Amazing as usual What happened to the REAL Buck 65? A New Wicked and Weird Formula

Talkin' Honky Blues Buck 65 Manufacturer: Wea International ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Experimental Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Poetry | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music R&B | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Secret House Against the World Man Overboard Square Synesthesia Vertex ASIN: B0000BVL1H Release Date: 2003-09-29

Tracks:

1. Leftfielder
2. Wicked and Weird
3. Riverbed 1
4. Sore
5. Protest
6. Riverbed 2
7. Exes
8. Roses and Bluejays
9. Riverbed 3
10. 50 Gallon Drum
11. Riverbed 4
12. 463
13. Riverbed 5
14. Killed by a Horse [Instrumental]
15. Riverbed 6
16. Tired Out
17. Craftsmanship
18. Riverbed 7

Album Description

2003 album from artist described as a cross between Tom Waits & DJ Shadow. Features 19 tracks including one enhanced track, 'Buck 65 Talkin' Honky Blues'. WEA Canada.

Album Details

While Buck 65 is More Known as a Hip Hop Artist, this Album Pretty Much Breaks New Ground by Forcing a Fusion Between Country and Hip Hop Beats and Special Attention to the Lyrics. Buck Employs the Use of an Actual Band Here (As Opposed to the Turntable and Production Skills of Prior Efforts) and the Recording of the Album Took Over a Year (As Opposed to the Two Weeks it Took to Record It's Predecessors).

Customer Reviews:

Seems to be the fan favorite..........2007-06-03

because of its consistency...

I love this record for so many reasons. How often do you hear blues/country-style guitars mixed in with phat hip-hop beats, with intelligent and fun storytelling? Right. The correct answer is never.

All of Buck 65's music is completely ahead of its time. It's thought-provoking and fun... great rhymes, great storytelling, and man, how could you not love the guy's voice. Some have compared it to Tom Waits but I think it's far more listenable! Ha.

Standout tracks are:
"Roses and Blue Jays"
"Craftsmanship" (man, if this isn't THE BEST song about keeping things real in whatever you do, especially hip-hop... I don't know what is)
"Wicked and Weird"
"Leftfielder"
"463"

The list goes on and on...

I have to mention that in addition to Buck 65's awesome music... he is seriously THE NICEST and most humble musician I have ever talked to. I hung out with him for a half hour the other night in Philly when he played with Sage Francis and Alias, and during Sage's set, I just hung out and talked with him... he was running the merch booth by himself and no one was around because everyone was rocking out to Sage. He was talking to me about all sorts of stuff from books and movies to the tour and music in general... all of this while he was on his Mac powerbook, making bootleg CDs (his own) for sale at the show (tour-only CDs). Busy with that, but plenty of time to talk with me at great lengths about all sorts of stuff. Awesome. Again, how cool is that.

I bought everything he had for sale at the show, t-shirt plus the four tour-only discs... even though I lost my job the week previous. I am still unemployed as I write this. I have to support the guy. He is hands-down my all-time favorite hip-hop artist/turntablist/lyricist. And the fact that he's as down-to-earth as one can possibly get, makes the investment all the more worthwhile.

Unconvinced about this record? Buck has a page at myspace, and it is simply /buck65 after that popular domain. He has plenty of audio to hear and/or download, plus more on his official site which is his name dot com. Plus, you can find more audio if you do a basic internet search... most interviews with him have accompanying audio.

I really wish Amazon would get on the ball and put up some audio for this guy's work... there's only one album with audio clips.. but there needs to be soundclips for all of his releases.

I hope this review helped, if you were unsure about buying his stuff. You really should... no one sounds like him and no one is as down-to-earth as him. Completely influential in every possible way.

another amazing album by the versatile Buck 65.......2006-07-25

Once again this artists blows me away with his versatile and genre crossing music. Secret House...blew me away, and Talkin Honey does the exact same thing. Talkin Honkey seems to be a concept album about travelling and crosing river beds. Buck 65's flow is so original and his blending of hip hop, country, blues and spoken word is unique and inoovative. His lyrics are personal and deep and his lyrical style is simplistic yet straight to the point and heartfelt. I would recommend this album to those who are not afraid to listen to hip hop that defies genres. Such a great album. Buck 65 is one of the definitive artists of our generation, no doubt about that. Talkin Honey has a heavy country influence as well and generates such a creative vibe. I am very impressed and inspired by this album and by Buck 65.

Amazing as usual.......2006-07-22

I recently got one of Buck 65s older albums - Man Overboard to be precice...this was the first i heard of the 'old buck'. I loved this album...but now that I have his old album I can tell that his voice IS very different, but the truth is that I like his 'new voice' much better. My favourite songs on this album are Wicked & Weird, Protest, Roses and Bluejays, and Riverbed Pt3. Wicked & Weird is very catchy and exciting, Roses and Bluejays is a bit depressing but to me comes off projecting a message. Protest is one of the only more 'positive' songs, and Riverbed Pt3 I just like, I don't really know why, it's not that impressive and has nothing really going for it, it's just catchy. I really love this album and I'm sure anybody who's looking for something new to listen to would love this. After all, this IS the album that got ME hooked on Buck!
-Kat from Canada

What happened to the REAL Buck 65?.......2006-03-03

I was very disappointed by this album. I gave three stars because some of the music is decent, and the concept as well. What I need to ask when I listen to this is, why does Buck 65 now insist upon using this phony/pretentious, hoarse smoker's voice on all of the songs? With albums like Vertex, Man Overboard, and even Square Buck 65's voice is very dynamic and dances around the beats.

If you are a fan from the old days then don't waste your money.

A New Wicked and Weird Formula.......2006-01-05

I've been a fan of Buck 65 ever since I heard "Vertex" (1998). I became a huge fan after hearing "Language Arts" (1997). The set-up for those two albums are quite similar (they are both part of a the series known as "Language Arts"). There, we hear Buck 65 boasting a much different flow, one reminiscent of a child. I for one find it completely original, and very alluring. You won't hear another emcee quite like him. The production is a whole different story. It's very dark, disconnected, and there wasn't much structure to it. Although the production was very minimal, it was also highly stylized. At the time, it was some untouched ground in hip-hop. "Talkin' Honky Blues" is completely different. Here we see a beautiful transition. There's structure, progression, and (gasp) songs. At first listen, you may think that Buck has made a country or folk album. Although I can't pin it down to a specific genre, this is as close Buck 65 has ever gotten to a singer/songwriter formula. The album is filled with a variety of instruments. Several of the songs are guitar driven. Remember the relentless amount of scratching that his early recordings held? The turntable is used much less here, but it's used tastefully, and effectively. And nobody can argue about the sound quality - it's the best it's ever been. Believe it or not, his flow is just as shockingly different as the production is. He goes from sounding like a child, to sounding like a 40-year old lung cancer inflicted coal miner. The lyrics are arguably his best.

When I first heard "Talkin' Honky Blues" I didn't really like it. I was wanting the old Buck 65 back immediately. But after one honest, solid, open-minded listen, I am a true believer in the new Buck 65. The instantly catchy hooks in "Wicked and Weird", and the soothing country-esque guitars on "Riverbed 1" soon became riveting in my eyes. The shear beauty of "Roses and Bluejays" and the gorgeous story-telling of "Riverbed 3" rank as some of the best Buck 65 songs of all time.

Overall, "Talkin' Honky Blues" is an album that you could call angelic, elegant, and graceful - something you couldn't call his earlier dark and murky records. All you need to give it is one candid listen to recognize it's true beauty. This may not give hip-hop heads exactly what they are looking for, but it's a progression that anybody could find intriguing.

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