A nice, pleasant combination of organ, guitar and piano open “Memphis Me” on Tommy Roe’s Devil’s Soul Pile. As is evident from this first number — and what we know of this Atlanta-born singer-songwriter known as one of the archetypes of bubble gum — the man places sweet guitar licks precisely where they belong, offering those pleasant leads this first of what turns out to be nine lush productions.
Piano and acoustic guitar feature on the beautiful “It’s For You I’m Me,” a duet Roe sings with Melissa Hooker. “What If’s And Should Have” is the best production here; really the whole disc is fantastically produced and arranged. Roe really does know how to construct a song. But this one’s a great country tune with a poignant pedal steel, another great piano performance and Roe at his best vocally singing a really great lyric on an oft visited subject.
“Remember” sees Roe playing acoustic, and “Without Her” could be a mid-70s tune from a band like Bread. The title track tackles a rather tough subject, not one that Roe is all that familiar with as he admits in the album’s liner notes, but along with “What If’s And Should Have,” it might be the best tune here.
Sure Tommy Roe is probably best known for hits like 1962’s “Shelia” and the 1969 smash “Dizzy,” but the guy played shows with the Beatles and Roy Orbison, penned gold hits through-out the world, and inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Most importantly, Tommy Roe is still writing, producing and playing music that defies categorization — nine new ones are collected on Devil’s Soul Pile.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
