Al Foul
  The One And Only
Rock’n’Roll Purgatory RRP009

Flat Broke - Oh My Lover - Gonna Be A Fight - Wanted Man - Ruthless Information - Singing The Blues - 10 Bucks - Lonesome Tears - Bo-Wang - Ever Been Hit By A Flying Saucer - Dropping Quarters For Jane - Rock Island Line
Being unable to say “yeah” without loosing my beat when I play drums, I’m kinda fascinated by the one-man-bands. Recorded totally live (except for one song, Wanted Man, that have a guest fiddle) with raw and powerful sound, Al delivers a fine collection of Rockabilly-Blues-Country tunes. Apart from his voice, a powerful and soulful growl, Foul’s strength has to be found in his lyrics. In “Flat Broke” he explains the good side of being a one-man-band : “There ain’t no use in me having a band anyhow / just a couple guys I got to learn to pay somehow / 50 dollars divided three ways”. Money, or the lack of it, is also the theme of “10 Bucks” where the poor guy finds himself hanging on the telephone and telling lies to his girl to get 10 bucks cause “10 bucks will get me two six packs and a half pint of old crow”. But the best tune, one that has an immediate addictive effect is “Dropping Quarter For Jane”. This “romantic song” tells us about the singer’s love for… a peep show dancer. The one man band format isn’t a musical limit (like often) for Al, as the songs’ structures are diverse and sometimes rather complex. Add to the mix a couple of covers like Burnette’s Lonesome Tears, Endsley/Robbins’Singing The Blues and the traditional Rock Island Line and you have one hell of album. Read more and listen to soundclips at www.alfoul.net
Fred "Virgil" Turgis