Savvy - Made In Texas

geovian · September 2020

ARTIST: Savvy
ALBUM: Made In Texas
LABEL: Made In Texas
SERIAL: MIT 8201
YEAR: 1982

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

LINEUP: Ricky Lynn - vocals, guitars * Steve Jones - vocals, guitars * Rich Mauch - guitars * Dan Kostura - keyboards, vocals * Richard Jones - bass * Rick Miller - drums, vocals

TRACK LISTING: 01 I Can Only Break Your Heart * 02 Hold Me Tight * 03 I'll Come Alive Tonight * 04 (When The Lights Go Out) At Midnight * 05 Does She Seem Like She's A Lady? * 06 Love Lite * 07 I've Got A Pistol * 08 Long Way From Home

RATING:

Background

It sure might read Texas on the can, but Savvy sound geographically challenged when it comes to their music. You see, these boys sound like they come out of the Midwest, such is their leaning toward all things emanating from St Louis and Kansas City all the way through to Indianapolis.

Which means there's less reference to the likes of ZZ Top and Point Blank are more toward Roadmaster and Rathskeller instead. This wasn't Savvy's first run at a record. Nope, this lot go all the way back to 1977, and their debut 'Get On Down The Road' for CLW Productions.

That album featured a slightly different line-up and was a typical Texan southern rock record, nothing like this one.

The Songs

After stints touring and supporting Three Dog Night, Gary U.S Bonds, Humble Pie, Glory Daze favourites New England and the Allman Brothers, Savvy found themselves as the first (and possibly only) band signed to the Made In Texas record label, an entity formed by former ABC Records exec Charles Stewart.

The opener 'I Can Only Break Your Heart' is an encouraging opener, which defies their Texan heritage no end, a bright and breezxy pop-rocker.

'Hold Me Tight' changes direction, an acoustic ballad with an organ background. This sound works for me immeasurably. Sort of acoustic progressive, like early REO Speedwagon or Gulliver perhaps.

Savvy switch the electrics on for 'I'll Come Alive Tonight', and by now, these guys are makine inroads into my aural space. It might have a Starcastle flavoured songtitle, but '(When The Lights Go Out) At Midnight' is a fluid pop rocker with good guitar and synth interplay.

'Does She Seem Like She's A Lady?' certainly has a Roadmaster feel to it, check out those multi-tracked guitars at the start.

'Love Life' rocks out a bit tougher, plus the synth dabble is straight out of the Donnie Iris camp.

'I've Got A Pistol' is a bar-room boogie workout, perhaps an indication of the band in a live environment. Savvy impress right to the end with 'Long Way From Home', another mid-west dominated tune. Gotta love it.

In Summary

This would be the last we would hear from these Texans unfortunately, and as expected, this LP never officially made its way into the digital realm, though there are rips of this out there on the Net if you look hard enough. Check them out, I'm sure you'll be impressed.

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