After a long
sabbatical from recording, Toy Caldwell released his much-anticipated solo album
in 1992. Interestingly, this was not Toy's first attempt at a solo record.
During his time at Capricorn he laid tracks for an individual LP that never came
to fruition. And although we may never hear Toy's Capricorn solo effort, this
recording is everything one would hope for in a Toy Caldwell album.
Originally released on Cabin Fever Music, it was re-released on Charlie Daniel's Blue Hat Records label in 2000. Son of the South represents some of the best songwriting since Running Like the Wind. Toy summoned many of his old friends for guest appearances, including Paul Hornsby, who produced most of the Marshall Tucker Capricorn albums. Toy's band, whom he had been touring with for years, was a tight unit that accompanied him brilliantly.
The original Cabin Fever Artwork - 1992
It takes only a few
chords of the album's first cut, "I Hear the South Callin' Me", to
realize that it was still the same ol' Toy. The song, one of only two not
written by Toy, sounds as if it were written specifically for him. Written in
1979 by R.C. Bannon and J. Bettis, Toy plies his trademark guitar licks,
reminiscent of "Ramblin", as brother Charlie Daniels accompanies him
on the fiddle. All in all it makes for a scalding jam about the lure of
the South.
"Midnight
Promises," is one of the stand out tracks and is a brooding tune about
lust-invoked promises "that don't mean a thing, especially in the early
morning light." Gregg Allman accentuates the mood perfectly in a
classic guest appearance on the song's final verse.
The next tune is a
festive romp, highlighted by a horn section, back-up singers, and a funky organ.
A tongue-in-cheek look how marriage often changes a bride and how love can take
a page "right out of Steven King."
The next two songs revisit Toy's past. "Fly Eagle Fly" is a fairly straightforward cover of the original. The most notable difference, however, is the absence of his steel guitar and the addition of his electric guitar, in contrast to the original acoustic version. On "This Ol Cowboy," the new rendition offers jazz inflections, a horn section, and guitar riffs to replace Jerry Eubanks' flute solos. Toy also updates another old song on the nest cut, albeit Willie Nelson's, and his reading of "Night Life" is unlike any heard before, slow and bluesy. Willie, who dropped in for guest vocals on the tune, has said it's his favorite cover of the song.
"Trouble in
Dixie," co-produced by Paul Hornsby, is a stinging tune promising for
fateful outcome to the storyteller's girlfriend and his best friend who got
caught doing things they ought not to have.
A new Caldwell classic
is "Shadow Rider". His guitar work, along with a brazen horn
section, punctuates the song's understated lyrics of a wistful cowboy yearning
for his heart's desire.
One of Toy's all-time
best country songs, "Wrong Right", finds a man promising to change his
ways. The guitar solo rekindles memories of "Heard It In A Love
Song." The next song, written by Toy but featuring bassist Tony Heatherly
on vocals, is a slow waltz. The song allows a steel guitar and Tony's
appropriately lonely voice to take center stage.
The song that
showcases Toy's multiple talents as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist the best
is "Mexico." As the music to the song starts out the listener
can envision riding full stride away from a posse that's in hot pursuit.
It is unflattering look about the life of an Old West Outlaw. "Mexico"
does what Toy's songs have always done and what has endeared him to fans,
creates the vision that takes you to another place and time. And, as
always, his interpretive musical style accentuates the vision perfectly.
The last cut from
the original release finds Toy at his mournful best. The music of
"Why Am I Crying" is, like the sentiment of the song lyrics, stripped
to an unadulterated simplicity that is honest and pure, the way a great blues
song should be. As an added bonus track to the re-release, Charlie dug
into his treasure chest of Volunteer Jam material and included a live version of
"Can't You See" that Toy performed with the CDB in the late 1980s.
Toy's first solo beckons of great things to come. Sadly, with his passing in 1993, we'll never have the privilege of realizing that promise. Our privilege, then, is to appreciate the legacy he left behind - that of an innovative musician who poured his love into his life's great passion. His life, as does his lyrics and music, leaves us aspiring for something better. We should all leave such a legacy.
- Craig Cumberland