MIKE WOOTAN & MONTANA SWING
King of the Thieves
How Did Love Know – Give Me A Chance – Maria – King of the
Thieves – Singing the Blues – Could Have Been Dancin’ With Me – Til I
Met You – Part of Me – If I Agreed With You – Man Who Would Be King –
Forever – San Antonio Rose
Thieves – Singing the Blues – Could Have Been Dancin’ With Me – Til I
Met You – Part of Me – If I Agreed With You – Man Who Would Be King –
Forever – San Antonio Rose
I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Mike
Wootan’s recordings, and this one finished and released in 2012, is a
remarkable CD full of ‘love’ songs in a traditional and classic country
style, nine of the twelve songs written by Wootan. This is ‘swing’
music, not necessarily ‘Western’ swing though Mike is a real cowboy from
the Badlands of Montana. Perhaps simply ‘Country Swing would be more
definitive.’ Definitely the music a cowboy would like to go on the
dance floor and dance with a pretty girl. Mike makes that point several
times in different songs. He joins a kind of ‘swing movement’ that is
taking place in America right now. Modern country music doesn’t have
this ‘feel’ in any of it’s releases anymore, but there’s a strange kind
of underground movement among that age group that wouldn’t mind being a
young cowboy dancing with a pretty girl. That is a result of music
growing ‘stale’ in the commercial market. Mike Wootan’s music is a far
cry from ‘stale’ it’s as fresh as the daisy he’d give a pretty girl,
it’s as fresh as a breath of air taking in the beauty of a mountain top
in Montana, it’s as fresh as that pretty girl you’d like to take around
the dance floor yourself. It’s romance, win or lose, that is so very
well done with the ink pen and the smooth vocals of Mike. Montana
Swing, the band he is working with, also know what ‘swing’ really is,
it’s a dance tempo, and they never let us forget that in this inclusive
CD. “King of the Thieves” is a Wootan original written in conjunction
with Joanne Wootan, though we do not know what her relationship is to
Mike. Great song too! Recorded at Pacific Studios in Tacoma,
Washington, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, this is a substantial
improvement to some of the music done in the style of “If I Agreed With
You.” Modern country music would make that impressive song rock and
roll. Mike and his band keeps it right in that “Honky Tonk” vein that
still makes it fun to dance with a pretty girl. I’m going to forward
this CD to the Rural Roots Music Commission to see if they agree with me
that this is a super good ‘country swing’ CD.
Wootan’s recordings, and this one finished and released in 2012, is a
remarkable CD full of ‘love’ songs in a traditional and classic country
style, nine of the twelve songs written by Wootan. This is ‘swing’
music, not necessarily ‘Western’ swing though Mike is a real cowboy from
the Badlands of Montana. Perhaps simply ‘Country Swing would be more
definitive.’ Definitely the music a cowboy would like to go on the
dance floor and dance with a pretty girl. Mike makes that point several
times in different songs. He joins a kind of ‘swing movement’ that is
taking place in America right now. Modern country music doesn’t have
this ‘feel’ in any of it’s releases anymore, but there’s a strange kind
of underground movement among that age group that wouldn’t mind being a
young cowboy dancing with a pretty girl. That is a result of music
growing ‘stale’ in the commercial market. Mike Wootan’s music is a far
cry from ‘stale’ it’s as fresh as the daisy he’d give a pretty girl,
it’s as fresh as a breath of air taking in the beauty of a mountain top
in Montana, it’s as fresh as that pretty girl you’d like to take around
the dance floor yourself. It’s romance, win or lose, that is so very
well done with the ink pen and the smooth vocals of Mike. Montana
Swing, the band he is working with, also know what ‘swing’ really is,
it’s a dance tempo, and they never let us forget that in this inclusive
CD. “King of the Thieves” is a Wootan original written in conjunction
with Joanne Wootan, though we do not know what her relationship is to
Mike. Great song too! Recorded at Pacific Studios in Tacoma,
Washington, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, this is a substantial
improvement to some of the music done in the style of “If I Agreed With
You.” Modern country music would make that impressive song rock and
roll. Mike and his band keeps it right in that “Honky Tonk” vein that
still makes it fun to dance with a pretty girl. I’m going to forward
this CD to the Rural Roots Music Commission to see if they agree with me
that this is a super good ‘country swing’ CD.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – President NTCMA – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International Magazine