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Ohio's Billy Capuano is sure to make anyone's "greatest unheard-of guitarists" list. His inspired and rainbow-streaked soloing blurs rockabilly, blues and country into a seamless and bouyant whole. (Original instrumentals "Capice Paisano" and "Shifting Gears" seem primarily vehicles for his remarkable stylings - and remarkable, they indeed are). Also a smooth singer, handling most vocals here, Billy acquits himself admirably on the spirited retelling of Yardbirds' instrumental "Jeff's Boogie." (An impressive feat - ask any guitarist.) Drummer Bobby Capuano, singer/piano player Theresa "T" Capuano and slapbassman Kurt England add immeasurably to the fun. With their able backing, Billy has conjured an easygoing yet assertive disc that's brimming with sparks and twang. Upstart originals move with irresistable force and fit quite naturally beside covers of traditional standards. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: "Sweet Young Thing," "Belly Ring," "Jump Boogie & Bop," "Shifting Gears," "Cap ice Paisano," "Jeff's Boogie." ***** - Five Stars - Excellent David Larson / ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE September/October 2005 http://www.rockabillymagazine.com ************************************************ Incredible energy, musical skills and a true love for rock 'n' roll music. Those terms came to my mind first after listening to this fabulous debut album for the first time. Especially love for our kind of music is a necessity if you want to appeal to the in-crowd. Heck, nobody wants to hear Pat Boone anymore, we wanna hear the likes of Johnny Burnette! Billy & The Bullets got that right for sure, because their music just sparks from the silver platter with great dedication. Although all chosen cover songs sound just great, it's the self penned tracks that caught my attention. Starting off with a melodic rockabilly pounder titled "Sweet Young Thing", with aggressive guitar licks and a thumping upright bass by Kurt England, followed by the bluesy rocker "Belly Ring", the Capuano family sure knows how to rock. "Jump, Boogie & Bop" will get everybody boppin' and shakin' all over the hardwood floor, and Theresa's sexy voice will get your ears glowing. Things really get hot when "Shifting Gears" thunders through the speakers. An original instrumental that just keeps romping and stomping all the way through, while Billy hits some pretty sharp blues chords. No wonder they need to slow down a while to catch their breath with "Capice Paisano", a guitar instrumental in the tradition of "Sleep Walk". Wonderful stuff. Another mix of pure rock 'n' roll and a bit of rhythm & blues is "Dee & Jim", and Theresa vocalizes yet another jewel titled "Something Special". "Sitting On The Outside" sounds like Billy's ode to Brian Setzer, and you know what? We got the message! Marijn Raaijmakers/BLACK CAT ROCKABILLY EUROPE http://www.rockabillyeurope.com?reviews/billybullets.htm ************************************************ Billy and the Bullets kicks off with Sweet Young Thing, a rockabilly standard with the much-loved thump and shake geared at one special hottie. Jump, Boogie and Bop pops through the speakers as dance-a-long ditty for the swingers. T wails in a way that would make Wanda Jackson take notice. I'm not a big fan of putting the word "billy" after another word to describe a band, but I'm going to. I don't know how the Bullets got this formula, but somehow they took 50's inspired rockabilly and blended it with a seedy lounge act and invented Lounge-a-billy. It's as if Frank grabbed Ella Fitzgerald and hooked up with Elvis in a roadside dive for one helluva smoking, drinking, and music binge. ROCKABILLY BABE - http://www.rockabillybabe.com ************************************************ Billy & the Bullets are a bluesy roots rock / rockabilly quartet from Ohio. Their swinging blues numbers like "Sittin' On The Outside" (one of several instrumentals) are just as good as their Rockabilly renditions. With "Smoke That cigarette" they venture into Commander Cody Western Swing territory. The lively swing rocker "Jump, Boogie & Bop" is one of several songs sung by Theresa Capuano. Singer Billy Capuano's guitar licks are forceful and usually have a swinging blues feel. The 14 songs (8 originals) were recorded live in the studio within one day - something only a well rehearsed, tight band can do! Roots Rock fans with a gusto for Rockabilly and uptempo 50's style R & B will enjoy this self-released album. - GMB BLUE SUEDE NEWS - Issue #68 - Fall 2004 http://www.bluesuedenews.com ************************************************ This disc was recorded live in the studio in one day, and you can really feel the energy in the playing. This especially comes through on instrumentals like "Shifting Gears" and a cover of Jeff Beck's "Jeff's Boogie" where guitarist Billy gets to really shine. The band does a great rockabilly arrangement of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and a nice bluesy version of Ricky Nelson's "Lonesome Town". As for the originals, "Sweet Young Thing" and "Belly Ring" are pretty straight forward rockabilly, with vocals that remind me of Jerry Lee Lewis a bit. "Dee & Jim" is more of a country rock song, and a good one at that, and "Something Special" is a nice ballad that fits keyboard player 'T''s voice to, well, a 'T'. - BOB IGNIZIO http://www.uttertrash.net http://www.uttertrash.net/may04music3.htm ************************************************ Just listened to Folsom Prison Blues on my German September Show. GREAT!!! ... this music is sure timeless ... great song selection .. GREAT sound/production .. wild solos!!! ... all perfect for my *to keep forever* pile!!! .. extreme fun .. already listened several times!! .. really all *perfect*!!! - LORD LITTER http://www.LordLitter.de http://www.LordLitter.de/stations.html ************************************************ Thanks to you and the band for another great CD. Love this release and spun the kickoff track, "Sweet Young Thing", on my WVOF show this past Monday. - JOE KELLEY "Upper Room with Joe Kelley and Gi Dussault" http://www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com http://www.wvof.org ************************************************ To hear good old fashioned rock n roll emitting from the speakers is a considerable relief, especially when it's played as well as these guys do. It makes a refreshing change to hear a band that are clearly doing music for the sheer hell of it and having a ball doing so. It's noticeable how well the band's originals stand up next to the classic tunes, there's no drop in standards ensuring a smooth listening experience. The music itself is probably closer to the rockabilly/skiffle side of rock n roll than anything else....All in all it's a great rock n roll album from a band I'd wager are even more fun to see live. RUSSELL'S REVIEWS - Oxford, United Kingdom http://www.russellsreviews.co.uk/cdreviews/billyandthebullets.htm ************************************************ Check out the artist's website: http://www.billyandthebullets.com Track List: 1. Sweet Young Thing 2. Belly Ring 3. Jump, Boogie & Bop 4. Honey Don't 5. Lonesome Town 6. Shifting Gears 7. Folsom Prison Blues 8. Capice Paisano 9. Dee & Jim 10. Jeff's Boogie 11. Something Special 12. Sitting On the Outside 13. Smoke That Cigarette 14. Star Spangled Banner Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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