Self-Release
By: Brett Lemke - brett@maximumink.com
Dallas Hodge is a name that commands instantaneous stage presence. He's the bastard son of a Detroit roadhouse; born in the throes of late-night blues bands and primed in the house that built R&B; guitar. Dallas teamed up with his brother Catfish to form the Catfish Hodge band in 1970. During the past six years, Dallas refined his craft both vocally and on the guitar as the front-man for boogie legends Canned Heat. His tenure took him all over the world playing to sold-out audiences, and honed him as a musician like a Milwaukee machinist would on the cylinders of a Harley-Davidson. Warp-speed to present day; "Reelin" (formerly I Need A Holiday) is a stellar record that features brilliantly solid originals and reworked classics. Tom Maclear of Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox fame co-produced the album and takes care of the slide, pedal steel, mandolin and Dobro. Hodge gives a nod to Canned Heat and Little Feat with "Up The Country" and "High Roller" respectively; taking a stripped-down front porch approach for the former and a full gospel choir for the latter. His Les Paul Goldtop and forcefully gritty vocals on "Take That Baby Home" and "Reelin" will make you want to dance like you're at a box social at a Detroit Presbyterian Church. Five stars from front to back! - Brett Lemke
