The Cornerstone/Spin Around
By Rocky Stone
Music News-Houston's Oldest Music Monthly, Dec. 2006

The new album "Spin Around" is a series of live recordings from David Brake & That Damn Band. All of the tracks were recorded live over four dates in three local venues. Brake's competent songwriting and singing is ably backed up by solid arrangements and performances from Damn Band members. Vocally he's reminiscent of John Mellencamp mixed with Jackson Brown, but the music is a welcoming mix of pop and country. The band is tight and well rehearsed, perhaps overly so. Even on the rockin' boogie "Ignorant Hicks" they seem somewhat restrained and never really cut loose, but their performances are competent and professional, executing the challenging turnaround riff on "Bottle of Beer" and the three part acapella harmony intro on the humorous country number "Ugly People" flawlessly. In fact, the production and presentation of the album is professional throughout. The sound is very good for a live recording. The momentary thinness on the title track's fiddle solo provides the only loss to the sonic challenges of recording a live show. Let's face it, we all like to back a winner every now and again, and this band gets my pick as the next act to really break it big...really big. Of course when that happens, they'll move away to Austin or Nashville and the intimate live shows that make up this CD will be just a memory to the folks who attended. Live it up while you can folks.

David Brake keeps an eye on the world
By Sara Cress
Houston Chronicle, Nov. 30, 2006

Spin Around
By Dave Miller
North of the Border Magazine, Dec. 2006

David has been a staple on the Houston music scene for some time now and has appeared at the Cajun Catfish Festival, The Hawg Stop Blues Festival, Tuts, and other local venues. With David on vocals and keyboards, Jeff Duncan on fiddle vocals and bass, Ronnie Dobbs on lead guitar and vocals, and Chuck Payne on drums--this tight-knit group knows how to please an audience. My favorite thing about David's albums are that he mixes it up, with a two-stepper following a kick-butt rocker, and then a pop song--and they all work! Recorded live over the last year or so at local clubs, all of these original songs rank right up there with some of the best local music I have heard in years. This album is a good example of that eclectic mix, from the opening social commentary on the title cut that touches on everything from Iraq to Enron, a gut-bucket rock n' roll cut that will raise your consciousness while you wear out your dancing shoes, and the pop-rock ballad "Greyhound Bus", a semi-love song with great grooves, to the dreamy ballad "Kayla Blue", a beautiful sound that will stay in your head long after it's over. The beer and drinking songs are plentiful--from the icehouse anthem "Bottle of Beer" and the fabulously humorous "Bar Tab Blues" (about taking out a woman who drinks an awful lot leaving him unable to "pay Brenda's bar tab" and eventually losing her to Bill Gates who ends up on the street because he can't either), to the beer-joint hillbilly ballad "Beer Gut" (where he lament's that he "can't see my willy, hope it's still there" among other side-splitting anecdotes), making this trilogy into a singalong paradise. His ode to "Ugly People" is a foot-stompin' two-stepper that tells it like it is (and he sure sounds like Charlie Robison doin' it), and the lovely "I Got Friends" is as good a love song as it gets. This is an excellent example of local talent at it's best, and it's a well-produced effort that is sure to please every music lover. For the best effect, pick up a copy at one of his live shows. Find him at www.thatdamnband.com.

David Brake & That Damn Band - Spin Around
By David Blue
NetRhythms, Jan. 2007

12 new songs, all played live, yes David Brake and That Damned Band are back. Live albums are notoriously difficult to pull off for many a reason and, in my opinion, every band that is worth its salt has to release at least one in their career. They open with the title track - a Bob Dylan style verse, and Billy Joel rapid delivery a la We Didn�t Start The Fire. It has a strong, simple chorus and it allows the band to set out their stall as a tough live band. Greyhound Bus is good modern country rock and suits Brake�s easy style. He has the ability to become another great American storyteller. It�s so easy to listen to this band, and they are on top form on Kayla Blue. She Owns My Bones leans toward classic country and although it�s a bit sedate for me, I�m sure that it will please those many country fans out there. There�s some more contemporary country on Ugly People, and I Got Friends is pleasant enough middle of the road fare. Ignorant Hicks is Eagles style country rock and a jovial dig at city dwellers, whilst the effortless Kingdom Of One is top class new country � a standout. Bottle Of Beer is more traditional country and not particularly inspired, and Jennifer�s Leavin� is standard fare new country. Things lift up with Bar Tab Blues, a great example of Brake�s excellent songwriting skills and the album finishes with Beer Gut. The fun filled lyrics obviously strike a chord with the men in the crowd and there�s some good interaction with the audience at the end, but it�s a woman�s voice that you hear most clearly. It takes a good band to pull off a live album � this is a good band.

Spin Around
By Lucky Boyd
My Texas Music, Nov. 2006

It took three years to get the sophomore release from David Brake, but it was worth the wait. "SPIN AROUND" elevates Brake and That Damn Band to another level. Brake's writing is as solid as ever, and his performances are a testament to a maturation of his entire experiential world. This is a live album with cuts recorded at three different locations, but the engineering is such that you'll get that studio feel throughout the disc. Brake was truly captured in these recordings, and you'll enjoy each cut as if you were right there at the taping. His voice is superstar quality in range and dynamic. On top of great poignant songs, he has some comic gems like "Ugly People" and the tongue-in- cheek "Ignorant Hicks." David Brake and That Damn Band are a foursome of dedicated musicians who have a real future. Jeff Duncan holds his own perfectly with fiddle, bass, and vocal work. Ronnie Dobbs and Chuck Payne round out the quartet, making as talented a group as you can find. This album is what happens when country thinking meets rock influences. Aside from being a great group of guys, Brake and the band are on their way to watching their spin count rise.

Buried Treasure
By John Morthland
Texas Monthly, Dec. 2003

Houston's David Brake & That Damn Band have a harder, post-punk slant on roots-rock with Lean Mean Texas machine (westerlandrecords.com). Though relying most on country, the music takes in blues and zydeco as well. The title song, a salute to a barroom babe that features jagged, screaming interplay between guitars and fiddle, has all the makings of an anthem.

David Brake & That Damn Band - Lean Mean Texas Machine
By David Blue
NetRhythms Roots Rock/UK, March, 2006

David Brake and his band have been described as Texas Y'Alternative and on listening to Lean Mean Texas Machine it's not hard to understand why. He covers a number of genres on these eleven self-written songs and succeeds on all of them. The opener, Even Five To Closing Time (What Do I Do Now) is a straightforward contemporary country sing-along with Billy Curtis' fiddle in top form. The eponymous title track is country rock with heavy slide guitar and is grungier than the more traditional opener. Born In A Bad Mood has blues overtones and its cagey introduction builds up into an excellent blues rocker � with fiddle!! There's a return to the heavier side of country rock on Swindler with its Eagles style vocal harmonies whereas there's a hint of Bob Dylan in the arrangement of Cowpunks, Angels and Architects which is delivered in a country/folk/rock style. The first slow song on the album is 101 tattoos and it is completely different to what has gone before. He adds saxophone and piano, the result being more like a Ben Folds song than blues or country. All Mine brings back the heavier country sound and he almost goes alternative on this. He achieves the alt. sound on El Paso Caf� but the fiddle manages to hold on to the country roots. Think Of Me is a night club piano song and nothing more but the band return to form on The Ballad of Tom Delancy (Love Kicked My Ass). This is unashamed country with the fiddle going good guns. The album finishes all too soon with Sounds Of The Sacred. This is a bit too slow for a closing track in my opinion, (I've said in the past that I like albums to finish on the upbeat) but when David and the band come up with something that is a combination of Tom Waits and Bruce Hornsby then I shouldn't be too churlish.

David Brake and That Damn Band
Lean, Mean Texas Machine (Westerland Records)
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press, Sept. 11, 2003 (Click here for Feature Story with Interview.)

Every now and then you get a very good local record that totally takes you by surprise. This is one of those albums, a well-written and performed, well-packaged 11-song country-rock effort by an obscure guy worthy of much wider tradition.

Brake was formerly one of the dueling piano players at City Streets on the Richmond Strip, and in addition to tapping the keys he also sings, plays guitar and bass, and wrote all the songs here. Brake calls it rock, but his twang would land this album most often in the country bins, but there are also classic rock, blues and adult contemporary undercurrents, not to mention a strict avoidance of lyrical clich�s. (Yes, there are some songs about places in -- as the dregs of the genre would put it -- "Tek-shus," but here they have narrative points beyond a mere recitation of towns and rivers.)

"All Mine" is reminiscent of the Beatles' swirlingly psychedelic Revolver tune "She Said, She Said," while on the title track and "Swindler," That Damn Band sounds like AC/DC with a fiddle. On the unaccompanied piano lounge number "Think of Me," Brake shows off his jazz piano chops and conjures more than a little Dr. John hoodoo, while album opener "Even Five to Closing Time (What Do I Do Now)" has a George Strait vibe. Vague echoes of John Prine and David Allan Coe can be heard elsewhere, mostly in Brake's weather-beaten voice, though also in snatches of the lyrics.

If all this sounds quite varied, that's because it is, and that's the way Brake feels it should be. On his Web site, he states his declaration of purpose thusly: "It's all about the song." He doesn't care about what you call his music, so long as his songs are good, and they are, and that's why you'll be hearing a lot more from this guy.

Lean, Mean Texas Machine
by Pam Shane, April 2004
Best in Texas Music Magazine

Texas music is always diverse and often challenging. But sometimes an artist comes along who wants to engage you in a dialogue. He wants to make you think, even if you’re having fun.

David Brake is that kind of singer-songwriter. His CD, Lean, Mean Texas Machine, challenges your assumptions about all kinds of music from country to blues to pop love songs. Lyrically and in terms of instrumentation, David seeks to shake things up.

There’s another unusual thing about David Brake’s songs. As I re-listen to the CD, having lived in Houston a long time, I find that many of his songs reflect Houston, a city that’s very diverse but also stands on bedrock created by the pioneers and rascals who made this improbable place happen. Since that’s the experience of Texas as a whole, David Brake writes real songs about Texas.

While there’s something to attract your interest at every turn, certain titles stand out:

“Even Five to Closing Time” sounds like a standard honky tonk song at first. Keep listening and enjoy the contrast between David’s rock & roll voice with Billy Curtis’ all-Texas fiddle.

If you’re a fan of British blues, you’re bound to like “Born in a Bad Mood.” This song rocks and Scott Mcgill plays a mean acoustic slide.

Among the more challenging titles, there’s “Swindler,” which is country alt rock to my ears, and it’s a protest song that resonates in the land of Enron . “All Mine” satirizes pop love songs, and still manages to make you feel good.

The centerpiece of this CD is “Cowpunks, Angels and Architects.” It challenges common assumptions about country, although in the end the underdog comes out ahead. The lyric is right out of your life. David uses a Bob Dylan-style delivery, telling you the story rather than simply singing it. It’s involving, it’s funny, and it’s a good story. What more could you want?

Brake Full Speed Ahead
By Sara Cress
Houston Chronicle, Feb. 3, 2005

Listening to his 2003 release Lean Mean Texas Machine is like listening to two or three bands. "Even Five to Closing Time (What Do I Do Now)" is a twangy country song that ought to be reverberating throughout Texas' dance halls. "101 Tattoos" is a thoughtful piano ballad reminiscent of good Billy Joel or mature Ben Folds. "Cowpunks, Angels, and Architects" is a fine Americana story song. Brake's songwriting heroes are as diverse as his tunes: late Beatles; early Billy Joel, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen; Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle; Tom Waits.

LEAN MEAN TEXAS MACHINE
David Brake & That Damn Band (Westerland Records)
By Jim Shortt
The Clear Lake Scene Magazine, April 2004

This forty-four and a half minute CD has eleven songs, all written by Brake. The sound is good and the CD is well produced. The best part is that this album is loaded with good songs. Brake is an accomplished pianist, acoustic guitarist and acoustic slide guitarist. He writes true-to-life lyrics with an emphasis on originality. You won't find any clichés. Brake's first-rate band is fattened up a bit by guest guitar masters Scott McGill and Kirk McKim. The music doesn't fit any convenient genre classification. Several songs reflect a Bob Dylan influence. Others are reminiscent of George Strait, Leon Russell, Billy Joel, and David Allen Coe. The summation is: this is David Brake, and he's good enough to deserve high recognition. Because of the range of songs, it's not possible to pick a centerpiece. The first two tracks, "Even Five To Closing Time (What Do I Do Now?)" and the title track have the makings of country honky-tonk anthems. "Cowpunks, Angels and Architects" is an almost country song - a bar story that many will recognize. "101 Tattoos" is a slice-of-life song filled with keen insight. "Sounds of the Sacred" features Brake on piano and is an excellent artistic achievement. My favorite is "Born In A Bad Mood." This get-down-and-play blues tune features Scott McGill on acoustic slide and Brake's Dylanesque delivery. Highest recommendation.

Lean Mean Texas Machine
By Heather Bourne
Roots Music Report, Dec. 2004

David Brake delivers an amazing package that is anything but fragile. Each song has it's own personality that is sure to impress any rock or country fan. Just try not to tap your foot to this "something for everyone" mix.

David Brake and That Damn Band
Lean, Mean Texas Machine (Westerland Records)
By Sean Claes
Insite Austin Magazine, Feb. 2004
San Marcos Scene, Feb. 2004

Out of Houston, Texas, come the straight-laced Texas country-rockers — David Brake and That Damn Band. Lean, Mean, Texas Machine is an album full of songs that could be barroom favorites. The title song is a Georgia Satellites-like rocker that is a nod to a lovely Texas lady. "She’s a lean, mean, Texas machine / Get out the way, she’s got a right to be seen / Cause she’s bad, good, and in between / Stand back people, she’s a lean, mean, Texas Machine." They show a little of their slide-blues-selves with "Born in a Bad Mood." They take roll call at a bar within "Cowpunks, Angels, and Architects. "The Ballad of Tom Delancy (Love Kicked My Ass)" is a fun barroom sing-along, showcasing the band’s sense of humor. The Billy Joel-sounding "101 Tattoos" features Brake on the piano. The story he tells is of an angry brawling man who struggles with the same things as everyone else, despite his outward appearance. David Brake and That Damn Band, who incidentally got their name due to a neighbor complaining about them during a garage session, have released a damn good barroom band album. It makes sense that many of the songs are set within the confines of the neon beer-signed walls. I hope to catch these guys live, or at least find Lean Mean Texas Machine on a jukebox someday.

David Brake and That Damn Band
Lean, Mean Texas Machine (Westerland Records)
By Dave Miller
North Of The Border Magazine, Sept. 2003

With all the same country albums I get to review, it's a fresh breeze to get an album that catches your attention right away and keeps it for the whole album. Well, I have to admit, the first track "Even Five to Closing" struck me as just another country song, but by the second track, the title cut, I was hooked. With fresh, catchy lyrics, some high humor, and great vocals and some damn good guitar, this eclectic mix blew me away. The Houston band, with a little help from guitar gurus Scott McGill and Kirk McKim, cranks out David's originals that range from the bluesy, slide guitar driven "Born in a Bad Mood" (probably my favorite cut), to a Billy Joel sounding "101 Tattoos" about how non-conformists are "more like you than you ever knew" with sexy sax by Rick Weideman. The great story line of "Cowpunks, Angels, and Architects" makes most country songs seem bland, and the screaming guitar-driven "All Mine" is butt-kickin' rock at it's best. The piano bar ballad "Think of Me" adds a nice touch, and the tender love song (Not!) "The Ballad of Tom Delancy" bemoans the fact that "it only took one girl to kick my ass." The final, soulful cut, "Sounds of the Sacred" leaves us with a longing for much, much more. The eleven tunes wander across the musical spectrum and touch your heart. This one tops the chart for new local music.

This Year's Cajun Catfish Festival May Have Been The Best Ever
By Jay Ross Martin III
Conroe Courier, Friday 10-17-03

Late Saturday afternoon even I was in for a surprise as one of the more obscure acts at the festival took the Texas Arts Venue Stage and blew me and the modest crowd out of our seats. David Brake & That Damn Band proved there are always diamonds in the rough, you just have to be lucky enough to find them. Brake, a local Houston singer/songwriter, was backed up by a great band led by the popular Beaumont guitar slinger, Scott Mcgill. His set comprised of about 90 percent his original compositions and 10 percent covers. Brake plays both piano and guitar, sings well, has wonderful stage presence, and showed he may be one of the most eclectic songwriters in all of Texas. He obviously refuses to be pigeon-holed in one genre of music as one song will have a country feel, the next a jazzy lounge feel, the next a southern rock sound and he even has a delta blues sounding composition titled, "Born in a Bad Mood," featuring Brake himself on acoustic bottleneck slide guitar. His songs all have superb arrangements and great lyrics. He definitely has this Billy Joel meets John Lennon meets Hank Williams Jr. meets Keb Mo thing going.

David Brake & That Damn Band
By Ed King
Country Western Corner, April 2004

"Lean Mean Texas Machine" is a CD album with 11-cuts of rock and Texas alternative stylings. Perhaps I should say rock with a fiddle beat! Another Houston, TX regular that tours the country, David was born in Michigan. Here you'll hear blends of country, and blues as well. "Even Five to Closing Time" is gaining airplay on radio across Texas, and "Lean Mean Texas Machine" was featured as New Artist Track on Texas Music Countdown. Watch this group and their music grow.

David Brake and That Damn Band
By Lucky Boyd
My Texas Music, Oct. 2003

David Brake and That Damn Band can liven up any dance hall, saloon, or grand stage. The great country sounds are tempered by a rock influence that make for a true Texas combination. At times, it�s the other way around, Brake sneaks a country flair into a rock tune or two. Either way, Texas music fans embrace this multiple-influence connection and David Brake has captured it superbly. Surrounded by great pickers like Scott McGill, Terry Westbrook, and a host of regulars, the 2003 release �LEAN, MEAN TEXAS MACHINE� (Westerland) is a real gem. If you�ve read many of my reviews, and as of this writing there are over 250 of them, you know I don�t like to say that an artist �sounds like� another artist. This time I couldn�t resist. If you mixed the Georgia Satellites with The Boss and threw in a Dylan who had never smoked, you would get close to David Brake and That Damn Band. What a fantastic sound! Artistically, the best cut is �Sounds Of The Sacred� on which Brake pulls out all the stops in an epic ballad that will make you a David Brake fan all by itself. David Brake makes my top ten list of songwriters, if for no other reason, using the phrase ��trouble�s never boring.� He�ll make your list too.

BRAKE CHECK
By Jim Shortt
Scene Magazine (Clear Lake), April, 2003

Nope, your local auto repair shop isn't hiring bands. I'm talking about checking out David Brake (westerlandrecords.com) at Clear Lake's Oasis. He's just fine – no repairs required. The multi-talented Brake has a smoky, honky-tonk voice with good tone and range. He uses his falsetto to good effect. He's an accomplished pianist, fingerpicking guitarist, slide guitarist and plays the harmonica. He also composes good, highly varied songs and is an outstanding lyricist. This night first-rate fiddle player Jeff Duncan accompanied him. They did covers across the spectrum of pop music – the Eagles, Billy Joel, Jackson Browne, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens – and did them all well. Brake's vocals on "Unchained Melody" were notably impressive. Brake's originals – both from his CD, Lean Mean Texas Machine and others - ranged from countrified Americana to bluesy to rock to pop tunes, some serious and some very funny. Just a few of many highlights, all from the CD, were "101 Tattoos," a slice-of-life ballad with a message; "Even Five To Closing Time (What Do I Do Now?)," a honky-tonk country rocker; and "The Ballad of Tom Delancy (Love Kicked My Ass)," a medium tempo, high humor takeoff on cowboy tearjerkers. Also from Brake's CD, song of the show was "Born In A Bad Mood." This blues tune and Brake's presentation were Dylanesque. Instrumentally, the bottleneck slide and fiddle combination worked to surprisingly good effect. Bravo! Bravo! Speaking of Brake's CD…you can get it at www.davidbrake.com.

Lean Mean Texas Machine - David Brake & That Damn Band
By Francois Braeken
Rootstime (Belgium), Dec. 2004

De muziek van David Brake & That Damn Band op hun nieuwe cd is moeilijk te categoriseren. Als je zegt dat het blues is heb je voor een klein deel gelijk, want zijn muziek heeft duidelijk zijn wortels in de blues. Toch ontstijgt hij het genre met gemak. Je kunt het folkblues noemen, of countryblues, en dan kom je al wat dichter in de buurt. In de Austin Chronicle las ik : " David Brake & That Damn Band have been described as "Texas y'alternative" ... an explosive combination of Americana, country, rock, and blues. The songs are piano- or guitar-based, and change stylistically, like the Beatles' White Album.", en daarmee is natuurlijk al veel gezegd. Brake die gedurende acht jaar in een nachtclub "City Streets" te Houston iedere avond zijn ding mocht doen, had het daar voor bekeken en starte twee jaar terug zijn eigen band om dan nu met zijn nieuw album "Lean Mean Texas Machine" op de proppen te komen. David Drake moet het niet hebben van volume of ruigheid. Zijn muziek maakt een zeer ontspannen indruk, maar toch merk je dat je toch steeds op het puntje van je stoel zit te luisteren, omdat de muziek weliswaar relaxed overkomt, maar ondertussen ook ongehoord spannend is. Blake schreef voor deze plaat vrijwel alle elf nummers zelf en zijn stuk voor stuk goed. Dat betekent dat je hem ook een erg goede singer/songwriter zou kunnen noemen.Voor deze opnames kon hij rekenen op een geweldige band bestaande uit Scott Mc gill op slide gitaar, Terry Westbrook op drums, Scott Johnson op viool, Rankin Peyters op bas en gastoptredens van enkele anderen geven aan dit album een behoorlijke meerwaarde. Niemand hoeft zo nodig nadrukkelijk op de voorgrond, je kunt eigenlijk steeds horen dat hier een club mensen aan het werk is die de muziek steeds vooropstelt. Er wordt zeer goed naar elkaar geluisterd en zeer inventief en subtiel samengespeeld. Sommige nummers lijken op het eerste gehoor rustig door te kabbelen, maar juist doordat iedereen zeer gespitst zit te spelen blijft de boog het hele nummer lang precies goed gespannen. Voor mij hadden ze die spanning nog best wat langer vol mogen houden want het is jammer als de plaat is afgelopen. "Texas y'alternative" Americana (= Texas alternatieve country, rock en blues) is misschien dan wel een goede typering. "Lean Mean Texas Machine" is een absolute aanrader, die als elke echt goede plaat, bij iedere draaibeurt beter wordt.

Lean Mean Texas Machine - David Brake & That Damn Band
By Remo Ricaldone
Lonestar Time Magazine (Italy), Jan. 2005

David Brake e la sua band, denominata con ironia That Damn Band dall'espressione usata da un loro vicino di casa che evidentemente non gradiva molto la loro musica, sono tra i protagonisti delle notti di Houston, Texas ormai da una decina di anni. La loro è una miscela di country, rock, folk e blues che riflette le influenze musicali del leader, da Steve Earle a Townes Van Zandt, da Bruce Springsteen a Bob Dylan. E' comunque da tantissimo tempo che David Brake, nato nel Michigan e trasferitosi in Texas dopo un lungo pellegrinaggio attraverso tutti gli States, si esibisce con gruppi e nelle vesti di solista ma questo "Lean, Mean Texas Machine" è il suo esordio dopo che da un paio di anni a questa parte ha cominciato a scrivere canzoni. Ad accompagnarlo in questo suo debutto discografico ci sono alcuni musicisti che hanno ottenuto una discreta fama nei clubs di Houston: Scott McGill alla chitarra slide, Terry Westbrook alla batteria, Scott Johnson al fiddle e Rankin Peters al basso. Il risultato di queste session è interessante e dimostra in pieno l'eclettismo e la versatilità di David Brake, acquisita in tutti questi anni di musica live.

Si passa dalla country music 'outlaw style' in puro stile texano al classico rock americano, da delicate ballate dal sapore folkie a canzoni in cui il pianismo di David Brake affascina per atmosfere intense e profonde. "Even Five To Closing Time" ci trasporta nel più tipico honky tonk texano e proseguendo nella segnalazione dei brani più country possiamo citare la robusta "El Paso Cafè" e "The Ballad Of Tom Delancy", divertente e particolarmente brillante. Tra le composizioni più ispirate di questo album cè poi la dylaniana "Cowpunks, Angels And Architets" con violino e piano in grande risalto, la title-track che non dispiacerebbe agli ZZ Top o ai Lynyrd Skynyrd per il suo chiaro feeling rock sudista e "Swindler", un altro rock che vede protagonista il fiddle di Scott Johnson. Su tutt'altro piano si pongono "Think Of Me", sorprendente ballata a metà tra Randy Newman e Dr. John, tra blues e jazz, le delicate e pianistiche "101 Tattoo" e "Sounds Of The Sacred" e il blues di "Born In A Bad Mood" con tanto di slide acustica (Scott McGill) e immancabile fiddle. "Lean, Mean Texas Machine" è un lavoro che mostra le molte facce di un musicista che merita di essere conosciuto per la passione e l'impegno profusi e per le indubbie (anche se talvolta derivative) capacità.

Lean Mean Texas Machine - David Brake & That Damn Band
By Max W. Achatz
Country Jukebox (Germany), Dec. 2004

Seit mehr als zehn Jahren unterh�lt David Brake nun bereits das Publikum im texanischen Houston und etwa doppelt so lange tourte er zuvor mit den unterschiedlichsten Gruppen durch den amerikanischen Kontinent. Sein erstes Solo sang er im Alter von sieben Jahren in einer Kirche in Kansas und das Spielen auf Piano und Gitarre, mit dem er bis zum heutigen Tag seinen Lebensunterhalt verdient, brachte er sich im Alleingang bei. Mit Lean, Mean, Texas Machine gibt Brake zusammen mit der von ihm ins Leben gerufenen That Damn Band sein l�ngst �berf�lliges Albumdeb�t. F�r die gewagte Kombination aus Rock, Texas Country, Folk, Blues, Americana und einer Prise Zydeco gibt es Extralob von allen Seiten. Was nicht zuletzt seiner Vorliebe f�r eine gewisse Musikgattung geschuldet ist. Der lebendig-rockende Mix trifft den Zuh�rer ohne Vorwarnung. David Brake (acoustic guitar/piano), Scott McGil (lead/slide guitar), Jeff Duncan (fiddle), Bobby Bridges (bass) und Geronimo Calderon (drums) kommen schnell zur Sache und das ist ein von Steve Earle-, Bruce Springsteen-, Townes Van Zandt-, Bob Dylan- und Bruce Hornsby-Einfl�ssen getr�nkter Sound. Brake und seine Truppe haben ein dampfendes, vor Kraft und Energie nur so strotzendes Album produziert � und das im erzkonservativen Texas. Doch die Menschen dort sind bodenst�ndig und verlieren nie den Kontakt zur Realit�t. Zu diesem Szenario liefert David Brake & That Damn Band den passenden Soundtrack � voll mit Songs, wie man sie in einem Honky Tonk oder Roadhouse am liebsten mag.