THE RACKET
The experience for your ears...
THE JAMES DAY & THE FISH FRY DISCOGRAPHY
FIRECRACKER
BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE - by Tom Hysop
Talk about Truth in labeling: Firecracker, the new James Day CD, sports not only Day’s indelible songs and harmonica, but production and guitar from the talented Nathan James, piano by Carl Sonny Leyland, and saxophone from Jonny "Nocturne" Viau. The rollicking affair hits on both city and country blues beginning with "Blues on a Fuse," in which Day blows a squalling solo over a chugging shuffle, continuing through the T-Bone Walker-style "Big Money," which reflects on how corporate giants are pasteurizing America, one town at a time, and touching on the spooky Latin blues "Before I Go." The many hotspots include James’s fat-toned stuttering guitar break on "Man About Town," Leyland’s boogie masterpiece "Too Many Tattoos," and Day’s roaring harp showcase "Boiled Peanuts." Fabulous stuff.
-Recorded at Sacred Cat Studio, producer James Harman, engineer Nathan James, Oceanside, California
SOUTHLAND
BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE - by Rex Bartholomew
The heart of their music is Day's fresh, humorous songwriting brought to life by the musical stylings and performances of this talented group of musicians. "Southland” is a meandering down the Mississippi river- a musical tribute to the Gulf Coast and has got it all. James Day sings and blows harmonica, but his greatest talent is bringing fresh original tunes to a diverse sonic palette of Southern American Roots styles.
Southland has 14 tracks and with a running time of 50 minutes you can do the math and figure out that the album is not loaded up with self-indulgent 10-minute guitar jams. Instead, you will find a solid crop of well-written original tunes that relate a vivid image of life in the American South (so, it turns out that Southland is not just a clever title). There is no shortage of different southern musical genres that are used to tell these stories, including blues, zydeco, rockabilly, country, New Orleans parade marches, gospel, and a whole lot more.
-Recorded at Widget Studios, producer James Day,
engineer, Dave Young Media, Pennsylvania