BROTHER LOU, “As Good As You Want”Brother Lou sounds like a time-traveling folk troubadour who’s returned from the 1960s with a guitar in his hand and a message in his heart. The singer/songwriter takes listeners on an aural protest march, a la Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, on his 11-track “As Good As You Want,” rife with themes about religion, freedom, prejudice, hope—and love. Obviously, the marketplace is still yearning for a voice of reason: Lou’s songs have aired on nearly 100 Americana radio stations, two were featured in the award-winning documentary “Anytown USA,” and his wall is plastered with songwriting awards from the likes of VH1, Independent Songwriter’s Society, Austin Songwriters Group and the Unisong Social/Politcal Songwriting Contest. Album highlight “Hey Jesus” (a winner in the Great American Song Contest’s folk/acoustic category) takes on the holier-than-thou: “I haven't read that good ole book in 10 or 20 years/But I can't recall you saying you hate single moms and queers.” “Wasted Time” scolds society’s greedy—“Every penny you take from the poor, every kid you take behind closed doors/Let the devil make room for one more when he sees the things you use God for”—while “Rain,” one of the best, huffs over political posturing, as the Brother sings, “It feels like November again, you can tell by the blow hard wind/They tell you not to vote, then the guy with the most votes doesn’t even win.” “Tonight” rails on corporate greed: “This land belongs to giants now that dwarf the Philistine/That rock you’ve got is about as much use as a protest sign.” Brother Lou also serves up emotional rescue in songs like “Elizabeth,” about letting go of love; “Let Go,” on knowing when to say goodbye; love-gone-wrong anthem “Trampled Heart”; and “Black and White Kisses,” a wistful love letter to a relationship obliged after it’s too late. With producer/percussionist John Martyn, bassist Jack Beasley and Ted Strauss on mandolin, Brother Lou (himself adding guitar, slide and harmonica) accompanies his American anthems with a versatile instrumental palette befitting the roots persona and ideal for live showmanship. “As Good As You Want” is in the top tier of an enduring, if underappreciated genre. Brother Lou is a man of the people who has earned due respect .... Cortney Harding Billboard Magazine
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As Good As You Want 2008------- Grade A-
An exceptional debut album. Brother Lou roars out against religion, about lost innocence, politics, the economy, longing, and ultimately hope. A bittersweet tale of life in a world spinning out of control. At his best, Brother Lou reminds one of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Bruce. The music, sound, and pacing is right on; the brilliance of the album is most evident when his passion meets his lyrics.
JD -- X-Mark/Monkey Entertainment - Reviews
A first rate singer songwriter with both the singing and the songs as well as the guitar playing wonderful.
He is one of the unsung heroes of the local folk scene
Tony Thomas
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100% Music Songwriting Contest
http://www.100-music-songwriting-contest.com/media
Honorable Mention Award for 'Hey Jesus'
- Date: 9/15/2008 1:44:05 PM
- Status: Selected
- Response: Congratulations!
- We have completed the preselection process. You have been selected as an honor award in the 100% Music Songwriting Contest.
Independend Songwriter Society Awards
Honorable Mention Award for 'Hey Jesus' in the
songcontest.issa-music.org/honorable_mention.htm
Austin Songwriters Group Annual Spring Song Contest -
Hey Jesus --Selected as Finalist 2008
- The Austin Songwriters Group
- Status: Selected
- Response: Thank you so much for submitting your song to the Austin Songwriters' Group 2008 Song Contest. We are pleased to inform you that your song has advanced to the final round
Dan Appenzeller
Event Director
Review from Folkwest director/FolkWest
"I was blown away by the level of musicianship"
Can You Rock a Little Softer? Presents Brother Lou and Matt Sabatella Tonight
– Arielle Castillo, Miami New Times
It’s been a while since we checked in on Can You Rock a Little Softer, the weekly Wednesday event that Miami New Times just named Best Open Mike night. If you don’t already know, the schedule is thus: From 9:30 to 10 p.m., there’s an acoustic open mike. Then, from 10 to midnight, some featured acoustic acts perform. Finally, there’s another open mike session from midnight to 1 a.m.
On the bill as featured acoustic acts tonight are Brother Lou and Matt Sabatella. A regular at intimate spots like the Luna Star Café in North Miami, Brother Lou’s music definitely rambles in the folk vein. But alongside the conscious lyrics come catchy melodies and bubbling percussion, sort of like Simon & Garfunkel taken down a few octaves and roughed up a little with the blues. And this past April, his song “Hey Jesus” (actually a bit of a dig at self-righteous “Christians”) won an honor award in the Great American Song contest, in the folk/acoustic category.
Brother Lou's Song 'Tonight'
was named as a 2007 - Song of the Year, Finalist -- please visit the link!!
www.songoftheyear.com/webawards/l/luisdominguez.htm
10th Annual GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST..
Top 2008 Finalists:
Contemporary Acoustic/Folk:
"Old Familiar" Colin McGrath (Brooklyn NY)
"Corinne" Rachael Sage (New York NY)
"Before The Separation" Freebo & Robert Tepper 333 (LA CA)
"Military Road" Eric Weinberg (Washington DC)
"Better Life" Michael Tiernan (Del Mar CA)
"You Without Me" Eddie Tadross (New York NY)
"Waiting for Someone Else" Austin Willacy (San Francisco CA)
"All Is Well" Lisa Dudley (Woodstock NY)
"Used" Kevin McGee (Lexington SC)
"Hey Jesus" Brother Lou (Hollywood FL)
"The Road to Love" Wes Casto (Marietta OH)
"Nothing in the Sky" Lou Dominguez (Brother Lou) (Hollywood FL)
"Take Us Down" David Llewellyn (Nashville TN)
"About the War" Mare Wakefield (Nashville TN)
"Snow flakes" Lifeinbible (Victoria Wang) (Sharon MA)
"In God We Trust" Marc Bridge (Westborough MA)
"This Old Town " Sal Belloise (Clearwater FL)
"Because I Dreamed You" Gail Vareilles & Tommy Faragher (New York NY)
"True North" Kim Richardson, William Lee Ellis & Mary Unobsky (Memphis TN)
www.greatamericansong.com/honorary.html
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Review: Brother Lou - As Good As You Want
Brother Lou - As Good As You Want
2008, Hollywood ACSEP
Brother Lou goes to work 9-5 every day to pay the bills. The newlywed Miami resident has more than enough on his plate, but still finds time to write, record and co-produce his own songs, not to mention performing live. Those of you in the Miami area might know Brother Lou as the host of Luna Star Cafe's bi-monthly Open Mike night. He's also been on various local radio shows in the Miami/Jacksonville region, but is just starting to make a push into the rest of the Southeast United States. Brother Lou's latest CD, As Good As You Want, gives the sonic picture of a singer/songwriter with roots that straddle the line between 1960's folk icons and Country/Rock/Americana artists of today.
Brother Lou's voice is deep and full and reminiscent of another era. I've spent a couple of days now trying to figure out who he sounds like and I finally figured it out. In the deeper elements of his voice Brother Lou sounds strangely like Jim Morrison, but never completely and never for long. This familiarity combined with strong songwriting and an easy presentation style makes for a highly accessible album in As Good As You Want. Brother Lou opens with Nothing In The Sky, a look back at the days after the September 11 attacks on the United States. The song questions the actions that people take on behalf of God and expresses a low simmering anger that will never go away. Let Go is the recognition that sometimes a relationship reaches a point where nothing you do is going to save it. Brother Lou's vocal delivery is full and rich and sprinkled with wit, creating a highly listenable and enjoyable experience. Hey Jesus is an energetic Folk/Rock song is about hypocrisy and religion; taking to task those who profess belief in God and Jesus yet act in ways that seem contradictory ("With the God they've conjured up what do they need the Devil for?"). Brother Lou mentions such public figures as Paula White, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and "Kennedy" in a scathing and witty diatribe you won't want to miss.
As Good As You Want has an almost Celtic flavor to it and reminds listeners that life is what you make of it. Elizabeth is a beautiful and highly personal song about the letting go that needs to occur when someone you love passes on. Brother Lou conveys the emotion and depth of feeling you might expect on this subject without sounding trite. Rain takes on the political campaign process and the shallow nature of both politics and its practitioners. Wit tempers vitriol in what turns out to be a highly intelligent and descriptive song that should be a primer for political science classes everywhere. As Good As You Want closes out with Black And White Kisses, a song about revisiting a lost love from film that's left behind. This is something of a tearjerker about someone who maybe appreciates his lost love more now than when she was alive.
Brother Lou is highly personal in his songwriting. Lyrically he's highly descriptive; this can be both a blessing and a curse at times, but Lou's unadorned arrangements and honest, everyman delivery makes it work. As Good As You Want is the sort of album that should do very well in folk circles and I wouldn't be surprised a few years down the line to see Brother Lou become a staple on the folk circuit. Brother Lou has a lot to say and a lot of stories to tell. Take some time to listen; it'll be As Good As You Want.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Brother Lou at http://www.brotherlou.com/. You can purchase a copy of As Good As You Want at www.cdbaby.com/cd/brotherlou, or you can download the album from iTunes.
MUSE'S MUSE REVIEW
CD REVIEW: Brother Lou - As Good As You Want
By Don Sechelski - 06/19/2008 - 09:46 AM EDT
Artist: Band: Brother Lou
Album: As Good As You Want
Website: http://www.brotherlou.com
Genre: Americana, Folk, Acoustic
Sounds Like: 60's protest music
CD Review:
Brother Lou has something to tell you and he wants to be sure you're listening. Brother Lou is Lou Dominguez, a singer songwriter from Hollywood, Florida. In the tradition of folksingers, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Brother Lou has a distinct point of view. His songs are brash, sometimes in your face, and honest. When you've listened to this CD, As Good As You Want, you know exactly where Brother Lou stands.
Brother Lou plays guitar, slide, and harmonica. He's joined on As Good As You Want by producer/percussionist John Jay Martyn and bassist Jack Beasley. Rex Blazer Jr jumps in with fiddle and Teddy Strauss adds some mandolin and guitar. The result is a pleasant, folk/Americana styled musical blend with Brother Lou's driving vocal on top. But Brother Lou's lyrics are the real story. They are direct, political, and sometimes a little angry.
The first song, Nothing In The Sky, is an atheist's sermon. Brother Lou songs,
"There ain't nothing in the sky
Just a cool, calm, neutral blue
Staring me back in the eye
And no one's walking
On the water
Or coming back when they die"
The third cut, Tonight, echoes of Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land as it opens with
"This land belongs
To giants now
That dwarf the Philistine
That rock you've got is about
As much use as a protest sign"
The song goes on to indict corporate greed and big money for distorting democratic values. He finishes by referencing the assassination of JFK,
"I was born long after
It was still cool to believe
Perhaps I'm even lucky
I'm not stuck with some memory
Of what hope felt like
Before November 1963."
As Good As You Want is not just about protest songs. Elizabeth is a softer song about letting a loved one go. Brother Lou's fingerpicking and the simple string arrangement are a welcome change of pace. Trampled Heart is an angrier song about love gone wrong. Black and White Kisses is a questioning song that looks back at a past event and wonders. But the loudest voice is Brother Lou's protest voice.
As Good As You Want is not for everybody. Songs like Hey Jesus and As Good As You Want will offend some listeners. But Brother Lou is direct and honest in the tradition of American folksingers. His songs are sometimes reminiscent of 60's icons Phil Ochs and Dave Van Ronk. With Brother Lou, you always know where you stand. And you definitely know where Brother Lou stands.
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First Reviewed:
November 06, 2008
Status:
Selected
January 29, 2009
Honorable Mention Mike Pinder, the Judges, and staff at SONGWARS wish to thank you for your participation in the 2008 October-December quarter competition. 'Hey Jesus' was selected as an Honorable Mention. This selection means that your song was notable and deserving of praise.
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http://www.americansongwriter.com/2009/07/lyric-contest-winners-julyaugust-2009/
McGee - Elvis Had Already Left The Building
Richelle Putnam - Ridin' A Railroad Car
Brother Lou - Nothing in the Sky
Jenny Goodspeed - Lookout Ledge
Jerry Yates - The Strange
Mark Stepakoff - Little Black Dres
Trey Lockerbie - Sullivan Street
Kirk Ridge - Tight Squeeze
Farrel Droke - Needle and Thread
The Westbound Rangers - Unpredictable
Truman Sparks - Idaho Jawbone
Matt Laszewski - The Ocean and the Guillotine
Teel Montague Cook - Bean Dip Bomb
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER .. American Songwriter Magazine
“MORRISTOWN (A BIRTHDAY IN THE PAWNSHOP)”
WRITTEN BY MEGHAN HAYES
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
WWW.AMERICANSONGSPACE.COM/MEGHANHAYES
“ELIZABETH”
WRITTEN BY BROTHER LOU
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA
WWW.SONICBIDS.COM/BROTHERLOU
“DRIVEWAYS”
WRITTEN BY DODGE DART
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
WWW.SONICBIDS.COM/STEVENNEALWAGNER
“THE PENNY”
WRITTEN BY JOHN RATHBONE
CANTON, OHIO
WWW.AMERICANSONGSPACE.COM/JOHNRATHBONE
“I AM NOT A MOTHER”
WRITTEN BY JULIANNA WATERS
PORTLAND, OREGON
WWW.SONICBIDS.COM/WATERSJULIANNA
“THE BEST PART OF YOU”
WRITTEN BY JEFF KRIZAN
SOUTHBURY, CONNECTICUT
WWW.AMERICANSONGSPACE.COM/JEFFKRIZAN
“CLOSER TO THE RAIN”
WRITTEN BY SUZANNE STRICKLAND, PAT LUBOFF, PETE LUBOFF
STARKE, FLORIDA
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Brother Lou
As Good As You Want
Brother Lou's As Good As You Want is not only entertaining but makes one think as well. Each tune is full of messages about everything from politics to religion. Many performers forget to back their melodies with importance.
However, that is not the case with Brother Lou. He was able to put intellectuality to a beat. His singer/songwriter style, political satire and distinct voice could place him in the ranks with artists such as Bob Dylan and Steve Earle.
Track 1: "Nothing In The Sky" showcases how Brother Lou is able to tell a story to a great melody. He questions religion without being too forward, but with just enough allusion to make an audience ponder if there is
anything in the sky but stars and sunshine.
Track 6: "One Blues" resonates with the great blues songs of the early 20th century. The harmonica creates an imagery of a man sitting on his porch in the South, surrounded by his musical friends, jamming about broken hearts.
Track 9: "Rain" symbolizes the storm that comes with American elections. It has lyrics that are straightforward such as "the guy with the most votes doesn't even win" that are similar to the protest songs during the Vietnam War. "Rain" is a refreshing song because it keeps audiences aware that not all artists are about making a buck, but making a difference.
Reviewed By Kendra Beltran
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