GEORGE KRALIK’S ROWDY RASCALS
Go Fast Turn Left
Deep In The Heart of Texas – It’s All Your
Fault – Go Fast Turn Left – Please Don’t Talk About – Exactly Like You –
I Never Knew – Miss Motly – Roly Poly – Stay All Night – Shame on You –
Sugar Moon – When Day Is Done – I Can’t Give You Anything
George (Jiri)
Kralik is an old friend of mine, played fiddle with Sheila and myself on
our tours to the Czech Republic and Austria, as well as in the USA on
his many tours to our country. George is one of the smoothest and
certainly one of the most exquisite ‘touch’ fiddlers I’ve ever had the
pleasure to perform with. Both Sheila and I know how well he can play
the old country songs because he would get standing ovations wherever he
performed. We also knew he was interested in western swing music, and
this CD is a result of that fascination he has for this genre of music.
This particular project was recorded in the Prague Republic with George
on fiddle and lead vocals, Jiri Bok on guitar and vocals, Milos Klapste
on upright acoustic bass, and Tomas Drdacky on banjo. Even George’s
dad participates with some whistling on “I Can’t Give You Anything But
Love” the last song on the album. George is a wonderful ‘ear’ player,
any melody is easy for him to capture on the first play. On this album,
it’s easy to see that the musicians worked around him in the
arrangements and the ‘style’ he was looking for. Extremely well done,
and a musical genre that is once again gaining appreciation in America.
The forthcoming film by the Coen Brothers (released early 2018)
features an old-time cowboy singer, and this western-swing is part of
that historical expression. The title “Go Fast Turn Left” undoubtedly
means to George, play a fast tempo and don’t stay on the strictly
‘right’ road. He wanders off occasionally with his own interpretations
of some incredibly great songs. What a lovely listening experience this
CD is. Sheila and I had the grand opportunity to have lunch with
George and his father, along with musicians Rick & Harriette
Andersen, and the occasion was filled with wonderful memories. I
couldn’t help sharing the story about Spade Cooley who recorded the
original “Shame On You.” That is a fascinating story about how he
murdered his wife, went to prison, and was later pardoned long enough to
participate in a benefit show in Sacramento, California, played
extremely well, walked off the stage, had a heart attack and died. This
CD is a kind of Spade Cooley tribute, especially since both George
Kralik and Spade Cooley have the same ‘smooth’ style of playing. The
Rural Roots Music Commission undertakes to honor all of the musical
genres of the past that kept ‘country’ somehow in their forefront.
That’s exactly what ‘Western-Swing’ is, so I’m hoping for a good listen
for Jiri Kralik.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, Pres., National Traditional Country Music Assn., www.music-savers.com for Country Music News International