brawlett

I was very excited to get this CD just before its official release. Due to one strange circumstance after another, it's taken a while to get my fingers to the keyboard for a review.

Some artists are easily compared to others. Sometimes that is complimentary, sometimes it's not. Rawlett is one of those rare individuals with his own style and his own sound. If you are looking for that polished, shallow, pretty boy country, or the voice of an angel, you should look elsewhere. If you are looking for original, deep, almost poetic, raw music performed with heart, then Billy Rawlett is your man.

This isn't a "campy frat boy sing along" CD. These lyrics are often deep and thought provoking. Rawlett's "Crying in the Wind" is a song written with Amber Hagerman, her family and other victims of child abduction in mind. It's a very gripping song...one I won't ever forget.

Rawlett performs a variety of tunes on this CD, from a rocking, "Horses Riding Through a Forgotten Time", to a heartfelt "I Understand These Feelings", to even a fun "I'll Take the Hick". It's obvious that each of these songs was written by a man living REAL life. "Latent Treasures" contains songs written by Rawlett from as far back as 1976, to the present. I have the utmost respect for the comments he has in his liner. In his "not so subtle disclaimer", Rawlett states that he didn't make this one for radio play or mass market appeal. He felt they were worthy of his best effort and needed to be recorded. He did this all on his own, and he's very proud of it...and rightly so.

He says, "We should never measure our own success by what everyone around us has accomplished, but measure our own progress by how far we've come to achieve our own goals." What wonderful words to live by.

Billy Rawlett is an honest writer and a good man. You can tell that from his music. Having had the privilege of meeting him, you can see that honesty in his smile and his handshake. Having seen him perform LIVE at Bill's in Dallas recently, that honesty shines through even more in his performance. I watched also as he spoke with fans, including a young one in the crowd. He speaks to each individual as though they are the most special person he's met.

This CD won't win awards, won't get much of airplay, and won't be liked by everyone. It's very artistic, and everyone interprets art differently. Some people will "get it", and others won't. I feel privileged to have this very personal, "latent treasure" in my CD collection. Thanks to Billy Rawlett for sharing his music, and himself, with all of us.

Written by Dana Jones, September 2001

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Billy's CDs can be ordered through his site and found at Bill's Records & Tapes and CD World in Dallas.