Shane Dwight
A Hundred White Lies
R-Tist Records
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California native Shane Dwight
has built a solid reputation as a “Guitar Slinger”
since his relocation to Nashville three years ago.
The young guitarist has performed greater than 2,000
live shows, headlined music festivals around the
globe, performed with countless big names in all
genres of music (B.B. King, Los Lobos, Los Lonely
Boys, Night Ranger, Johnny Winter, Jimmie Vaughan,
and others), and has released seven albums during a
10-year span.
The move to Nashville, however,
brought mixed results. On the good side, he signed
with a record label, found a major booking agency,
and connected with many of the world’s best
musicians, producers, and managers. The down side of
events was the end of his marriage.
During that tumultuous time, Dwight began writing
songs for his latest release, A Hundred White Lies
(R-Tist Records). The result is Dwight’s most
personal album, with 11 of the 12 tracks
coming from Dwight’s pen.
The title track, about
cheating, and how one lie quickly leads to another,
and another, and another ….. “She Struts 22”
discusses the temptations that musicians face when
on the road, and “Love’s Last Letter” has a
relentless tempo that belies the painful lyrics. The
poignant “True Love’s Gone,” which sounds as much
like contemporary country hit as you’ll find, serves
as a summation of Dwight’s emotions.
Most of the other tracks continue along this vein,
including “Black Ice,” about a good deed that leads
to trouble, “Broken,” about dealing with separation,
“Lose That Number,” about cutting the ties that
bind. “Love That’s True,” the purest blues song on
the disc, features Dwight on slide guitar, with
stellar vocal backing from the McCrary Sisters.
“I’m Talkin’ To You” comes in second on the blues scale,
sounding like a rocked-out Chicago Blues track. The
closer, “Leave The Light On,” really rocks the
house. The album’s lone cover is a faithful
rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel” that fits
pretty close to the vibe of the disc.
A Hundred White Lies was produced by Kevin McKendree,
who also plays keyboards and acoustic guitar. The
rest of the band, like McKendree, consists of members of
Delbert McClinton’s band, including Rob McNelley
(guitars), Lynn Williams (drums), and Stephen Mackey
(bass). Nashville blues cat Mike Henderson adds
harmonica on several tracks and Bekka Bramlett’s
background vocals are a major factor on several
cuts.
There’s no question that sometimes the best songs
come from the worst times. Shane Dwight’s darkest
period has resulted in possibly his best release to
date. Mixing heartfelt songwriting and potent blues
and rock rhythms with the sounds of Nashville has
proven to be a winning combination with this
release. Don’t miss this one.
--- Graham Clarke
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