Cemetery Shoes Johnny Dowd Artist

Despite {|Johnny Dowd|}'s fixation with death, the 56-year old guitarist has inexplicable appeal on his fifth album, {|Cemetary Shoes|}. Beneath all of the bloodstained clothes is a man with superb axe prowess and a {|Nick Cave|}-meets-{|Tom Waits|}-meets-{|Tom Verlaine|}-vocal approach. {|Brother Jim|} is an offbeat, twangy {|rock|}/{|blues|} concoction that's as delightfully fun as it is peculiar, {|Garden of Delight|} is a blistering stomper and {|Whisper in a Nag's Ear|} is an eerie {|jazz|}-tinged offering. If the latter's chorus, You're carrying a coffin!, makes it a must for all future Halloween parties, the creepy, {|Cramps|}-ian white trash barnburner {|Rest in Peace|} is equally worthy. At times, {|Dowd|}'s obsession starts to grate -- specifically on {|Dear John Letter|} where frenzied percussion uncomfortably meshes with his nightmare-inducing {|spoken word|} -- but often enough there is magic in the midst of his morbidity. ~ John D. Luerssen