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Remo Ricaldone - Planet Country Italy

“All Night All Day”, ultimo disco in ordine di tempo per Roy Heinrich, country man texano dalle ottime doti musicali, Ë chiaro esempio di passione e di dedizione ad una tradizione che nel Lone Star State mantiene intatto cuore e sentimento. Prodotto in maniera tanto semplice quanto efficace, l’album ci permette di portare a casa una fetta di Texas e delle sue polverose e affascinanti ballrooms.

Duncan Warwick, Country Music People, UK

Our very own Rob Patterson was responsible for introducing this reviewer to the work of Roy Heinrich via the wonderful Austin Country Nights compilation he worked on some years ago. Previously unfamiliar with Heinrich’s work, his track A Face In The Crowd stood out as one of the highlights for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was a killer piece of hardcore honky-tonk (and a good tune to boot) and secondly Heinrich’s delivery is a little unorthodox. Vocally he is somewhere between Johnny Cash and Ernest Tubb and he has a tendency to take his time going up to the note he intends to hit. It was this trait which made him so appealing. It adds an “alternative” sound to what might otherwise be pretty straightforward barroom fodder and immediately identifies him. Hear him once and there is no mistaking Roy Heinrich. If he was in his 20s he is the kind of singer Bloodshot would be keen to have on their roster. Equally, this very same vocal style might not be to everyone’s taste.

It has now been several years since his last release, during which time it would appear he has written some pretty good new material. The opening ‘tonker Too Much Whiskey, with its twangy guitar work could be sung along to in a bar the first time you heard it, and is typical of what Heinrich does best. In a similar vein is Twenty Thousand Reasons, and when Heinrich says he has “twenty thousand reasons to tell you goodbye” there can be no doubt he is singing from experience. Bitterness towards relationships past also surfaces via the splendid Give Me A Kiss. Here, on waking up next to an unused pillow he asks for “a kiss where the sun don’t shine”. A Thousand Ways is another track with plenty of twang and some good steel work from former Cornell Hurd Band member Bobby Snell.

Six Feet Under could be a Dwight Yoakam or Johnny Cash song, and is a wonderfully dark look at regret and redemption – “I couldn’t help but love the whiskey or say no to the call of the wild” mourns Heinrich in a way that tells us he has probably been down that road. Sad Songs On The Jukebox would also sit happily with Mr Yoakam.

In contrast to the songs of the barrooms is the topical Yesterday’s News which, with a driving guitar hook, questions the wisdom of certain military action – “who’s going to write yesterday’s news”. American Wall, with an intro rather like Have Love, Will Travel, is another song filled with social comment. But the best is saved for last, an ominous tale of domestic violence gone bad; She Grabbed A Knife. Just the kind of item Porter Wagoner could have recorded and one of the diminishing genre of murder songs.

No guitarist apart from Heinrich himself (who plays electric, acoustic and bass guitars) is credited on the sleeve notes, so his musical deftness is also something of a revelation, as he swings from a boomchicka backing to a solo that Joe Walsh would be proud of. The downside to the album is the production. Recorded at “various locations in Austin”, it does show. There is a lack of consistency in the overall sound. Some tracks are a little flat in their production and some almost like live recordings. It’s a shame, because with a more “expensive“ sound this would have been a truly great album.

If you can look past these issues, and you like Heinrich’s voice then you can still get a lot out of it. There are some terrific songs and he has an enjoyable turn of phrase. Obviously recorded on a budget but don’t hold that against it, it’s gritty rockin’ honky-tonk and most of all, an honest album. (royheinrich.com) Duncan Warwick

Rob Patterson, Texas Music Magazine

Roy Heinrich rocks the honky-tonk in a style unlike most any other artist in Texas country. His neo-traditional equation melds hard-nosed and deep true country with his rocking C&W guitar sizzle in a dynamic fashion, topped with a deep baritone voice that echoes but doesn’t ape Johnny Cash. The themes in his songs range from kiss-offs with feisty one-two punches like “Twenty Thousand Reasons” (“to tell you goodbye”) and “Give Me a Kiss” (“where the sun don’t shine”) to blood-soaked character portraits and the struggles to be found on the underside of the American dream. Heinrich does take his voice into Cash terrain on “Six Feet Under,” and shows his sensitive side on “Sad Songs On the Jukebox.” But this is largely tough stuff that’s always danceable, and Heinrich stakes out his own distinctive territory on the Lone Star turf with a barbed-wire toughness that’s a refreshing change from the usual country fare here and elsewhere.

john conquest, third coast music

"...there’s no filler here, just a string of truly excellent songs, especially Too Much Whiskey, Twenty Thousand Reasons, Reap What You Owe, What You Never Had and Sad Songs On The Jukebox. What’s more, his big sad barroom baritone sounds better than ever and he has an outstanding version of The Pickups behind him..."

dan ferguson, timeout

"Heinrich has a barroom-tested outfit that has been with him for the long haul and know all the ins and outs of the songs. All that and then some is clearly evident..."

John Morthland, No Depression

"Roy Heinrich possesses one of the rarest of musical instruments, a richly melodic baritone voice, and he knows how to use it."

Jerry Renshaw, Austin Chronicle

"Heinrich and the boys nail it down nicely this time around...evocative and satisfying...a just-right mood of melancholy. Heinrich's humor comes across on "Take Me Drunk," a shuffle about the bar wastrel who can't find his ass with both hands." -- Jerry Renshaw, Austin Chronicle

John Conquest, Third Coast Music

"His big, mournful honkytonk baritone delivers barroom tried and dancefloor tested originals..." -- John Conquest, Third Coast Music

Marcus Thell, Smalands Country Club

"Roy Heinrich is a honky tonk singer from Texas. This CD with him is recorded live in a studio, but you only hear the applause during the last seconds of every song. Roy has written nine of the 13 songs, among the covers you find Johnny Cash´s classic "I Still Miss Someone", Johnny Horton´s "Honky Tonk Man" and Hank Williams "Hey Good Lookin´". I like Roy´s style, it kinda reminds you about Doug Sahm and Dale Watson. He also has good musicians like Mickey Coover on electric guitar and steel and drummer John McGlothlin. The best songs on the CD are; "Is Anybody Goin´ To San Antone", "Take Me Drunk", "Sittin´ In This Honky Tonk", "You Walked Your Walk" and "I Still Miss Someone". A good record for you who like Texas country or honky tonk music. I really hope that someone will take Roy to Sweden some day, because I feel that he would take the Swedish public by storm. The CD can be bought at www.royheinrich.com"

Cristian Gualandri

"Registrato dal vivo il 20 Gennaio 2002 al KUT Live Set a Austin, questo "Playin' Favorites" di Roy Heinrich dimostra come sia possibile ottenere una buona produzione dal vivo senza che questa abbia nulla da invidiare ad una release classica. Ci troviamo di fronte ad un seguace della tradizione classica del musica country texana, quello che trova i suoi segni distintivi nell' utilizzo di tanta pedal steel guitar, senza dover fare ricorso a snaturate e tecnologie di incisione per conquistare il pubblico. La melodica voce baritonale di questo artista nato e cresciuto a Houston, si miscela in modo molto piacevole a brani honky-tonk vecchia maniera. La band che lo accompagna in questa sua avventura, che viene definita dallo stesso Heinrich come miglior Country Band del pianeta, è formata da Mickey Coover alla pedal steel, Bill McCoy al basso e Dave Fisher al mandolino. Roy scrive nove pezzi su tredici, e vi accosta quattro covers d'annata: "Is Anybody Going to San Antone " di Tillman Franks e reinterpretata anche da Kevin Fowler nel suo Live al Billy Bob's, "I Still Miss Someone" di Johnny Cash, la classicissima "Honky Tonk Man"(stupenda reinterpretazione) e "Hey Good Lookin'" di Hank Williams. Prima di questo "Playin' Favorites", l'artista Texano ha inciso dal 1993 al 1999 altri tre album: "Smoky Night in a Bar", "Listen to your Heart" e "After All This Time", tutti rigorosamente permeati di uno stile classico. Insomma, questo "Playin' Favorites" è un cd dedicato a chi ama la musica country vecchia maniera. Per informazioni www.royheinrich.com"

The Boudin Barndance (90.3, WRIU-FM, Kingston, RI) Free American Roots (FAR) top albums for November, 2008 as reported to 3rd Coast Music Magazine are:

AoM: Cornell Hurd Band - American Shadows (Behemoth) *DF
Charlie Pickett & the ... - Bar Band Americanus (Bloodshot)
Roy Heinrich - All Night, All Day (3H)
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (Lost Highway)
Starline Rhythm Boys - Live at Charlie-O's World Famous (Cow Island)
Angela Desveaux - The Mighty Ship (Thrill Jockey)

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