David Lindley y Wally Ingram
Twango Bango III

It’s no secret that most independent releases aren’t worth the cost of the media upon which they are recorded. After all, most artists, regardless of what they publicly admit, would jump at the opportunity to have a deal with a label rather than doing things on their own. They just can’t get anyone interested in their often banal fodder. But David Lindley isn’t your average, every day artist. He’s an accomplished industry veteran who is best-known, perhaps, for his work with Jackson Browne. He began his solo career over two decades ago but has since given up on an industry that increasingly has little time for those who are impossible to pigeonhole.

In recent years, Lindley has found a compatible partnership with renowned session percussionist Wally Ingram, and the duo’s latest release Twango Bango III is full of typically eclectic Lindley material. Indeed, there isn’t a style of music that he is afraid to incorporate into his roots-oriented stew. Over the course of fourteen tracks, Lindley and Ingram traverse a rather broad terrain, yet their skillful knack at moving the listener from one place to another makes the journey appear quite seamless. Meatgrinder Blues is pure greasy, crunchy rock; Gabrielle settles into Cajun territory before mutating into something delightfully Middle Eastern; and traditional songs like Hesitation Blues and Little Sadie are completely reinvented — the former is fitted with a reggae groove, while the latter is turned into an Arabic lament.

Lindley has always taken a humorous approach to his lyrics, and if comparisons must be made, Frank Zappa would be the most appropriate. Funny as they may be — and some are laugh-out-loud hilarious — each song is designed to make a point. In the past, Lindley has skewered everything from SUV-driving knuckleheads to tour food to trailer-trash, drug culture. On Twango Bango III, he attacks illegal concert recordings (Tokyo Bootlegger Man), America’s overindulgent, fast-food culture (When a Guy Gets Boobs), human sexuality (Shame and Scandal in the Family), and Western society (Meatgrinder Blues). Yet, he still finds time to turn in a rather poignant cover of George Jones’ A Drunk Can’t Be a Man.

For certain, Twango Bango III is Lindley’s finest recording to date. Nevertheless, it undoubtedly will be largely overlooked simply because it doesn’t have the financial backing or the distribution that it deserves.  That’s a shame, because it’s a gem of an album, one that is full of surprises that magnificently blossom from within its shape-shifting interior. 

Twango Bango III is not currently available from Amazon.com
or any of its affiliate sites. To order, visit the David Lindley Site.
Please mention The Music Box when ordering!

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!