This is really a gem, and one that you have almost certainly never heard of. A few months ago when I was on the road with Greg Adkins, he played me a few songs by this guy Benny Skyn.. Greg used to see Benny at open mics around Knoxville. He described him as a rough old man with no pretention, no interest in the music “biz”, just a beat up old guitar and some great songs. Benny made a low budget recording back in 1994 called ‘Chewing On Broken Glass’. It’s all recorded just guitar and vocals, no fancy overdubs. It’s pretty hard to explain how good it is, but you need to buy it yesterday. His music is much rougher than what I normally listen to, but it really grabbed me. Some of it is absolutely hilarious, some of it is heartwrenching. There is a photocopied note on the back of the homemade CD cover from WUMB, the nations premier folk radio station. It was written by the station manager who listens to hundreds of CD’s a year, and was raving about this CD, just as I am.
There are hundreds of CD’s made everyday by singer/songwriters with moderate talent and high dreams and hopes. This one really stands out, by someone with extreme talent, and little desire to get lost in the singer/songwriter rat race. www.bennyskyn.com
2 comments:
I'm a Benny Skyn evangelist man. I like to tell people about three things. Jesus, Apple computers, and Benny Skyn. :)
Seriously folks... this is one of those diamonds in the rough you need to uncover.
I did sound at a local restaurant in Shirley, MA for Benny back in 1997.
I couldn't wait for his set to be over so I could go over to the CD table and get a copy.
I agree with Dave's review. Benny Skyn's songs just take a hold of you. I still enjoy listening to this CD from time to time.
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