Gene Vincent
Sounds Like - Capitol 1959 Comments:This was my first album with Gene Vincent so I have always has a soft for this particular album, which really isn’t stronger than his other early albums. That it was his fifth, I did not know anything about at the time, when I was just looking for music reminiscent of Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. I had previously found a compilation album with i.a. "Greenback Dollar" and was quite excited about this and several of the other tracks.
"Sounds Like Gene Vincent" dates from 1959 and a lot has happened with his musical expression since the first Blue Caps albums from 1956-57. It's still rock'n roll mixed with ballads, a genre which was perhaps in fact Vincent's greatest strength as an interpreter. There is less wildness and not the characteristic shouting from The Blue Caps, and overall you feel a solo album more than a group effort.
Among the rockers you find the standards "Ready Teddy" and "Maybelline", both of which are quite solid, but not very remarkable. Then there is more going in Johnny Burnette's "I Got to Get to You Yet", which is less traditional and more melodic. Another Burnette song is "My Heart", which is almost a Buddy Holly pastiche - quite nice nonetheless.
None of the ballads that really reach his usual heights; best is the Fats Domino-like "I Can't Believe You Want to Leave" - and it's not really a ballad; this song along with the two Burnette songs are my favorites.
Vincent is credited as writer of three songs. They're solid enough, but Vincent was never a particular good or original songwriter.
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