Chuck E. Weiss – Extremely Cool
Eighteen years after his debut album, Los Angeles scenester Chuck E. Weiss is out to prove he is still extremely cool. So Weiss, the subject of an old Rickie Lee Jones song, has taken a few pages from the book of his friend Tom Waits, playing the part of a boozy frontman with a gruff voice and a poet’s soul. Weiss even recruited Waits to produce his new album, as well as co-write a couple of tracks.
But where Waits pours himself into every one of his songs, Weiss plays it cool, even when singing the blues. Weiss sings of heartache and treacherous women, but always from an ironic distance. His flat monotone is the same whether he’s singing a party anthem or a lovesick ballad.
Nor is Weiss much of a songwriter. His lyrics are stale, the riffs well-worn and familiar. Weiss is at least savvy enough to surround himself with talent, including Waits, guitarist Rick Vito, organist John Herron and a killer horn section that keeps these blues stomps lively. The instrumentation throughout the record is superb, rescuing numbers such as “Sonny Could Lick All Them Cats” and “Just Don’t Care”.
Weiss does have a certain presence; the jaded hipster persona suits him well, and his weathered voice is appropriate for the dirty blues and piano jazz he caterwauls through. When Waits himself appears on a duet, Weiss proves he knows the lingo well enough to pull off a decent homage. But in comparison to the genuine article, Weiss is revealed as merely a poor man’s version of his producer.