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LATEST CD: THE CROWN & THE CROW'S CONFESSION
MAURICE TANI,
JENN COURTNEY
& 77 EL DEORA:

THE CROWN &
THE CROW'S CONFESSION
Western Independent Recordings WIR 0110
1. (I Just Dodged A) Bullit
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2. Push Me Away
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3. Radio City
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4. Rain
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5. Get Up
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6. Dancing With Devils
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7. Shattered
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8. Fire On The Mountain (Rev)
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9. Green or Brown
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10. County Fair  
11. The Outside To The In
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X. Bonus Track -Cowboy  

Maurice Tani pulls no punches. The songs on CROWN utilize every tool in the 77 El Deora toolbox from the finest scalpel to the big hammer. From serious tales of broken hearts and tortured souls to the band’s trademark “Trailer Park Operettas” filled with bad break-up lines and smart mouth rejoinders. On this, their third album, singer-songwriter Tani spars with his long-time musical partner and muse Jenn Courtney, a larger than life presence whose luxurious voice can plant a kiss on the lips and a punch in the guts in the same breath.

Supported by a cast of over a dozen other musicians, Tani & Courtney crash out the gate fast with the perky “I Just Dodged a Bullet”, a tongue in cheek soon-to-be-ex-lovers duet, and then makes a hard left to showcase powerhouse Courtney's pleading, soulful wailing on “Push Me Away”.

Next up is a 2-song suite. Cruising “Radio City” Tani's sweet tenor plaintively describes the loneliness of a heart broken radio DJ. Driving weather worsens as we're deluged by the heart soaked strains of “Rain”; Courtney's feminine response to the whispered DJ plea of the previous track.

The pace picks up rapidly in the heavily twanged “Get Up!”, an upbeat paen to bar brawlers from the perspective of a retired boxer. Inspired by a true story from the desert “Dancing with Devils” slows the pace with Jenn Courtney's aching, haunting vocals evoking dry, swirling images of love forlorn.

“Shattered” is a counterpoint duet full of images of a fragile, broken soul. El Deora drifts quickly up the mountain pass with a dark reprise of “Fire on the Mountain” from the group's first album, "Sirens". Where the original was a hyper-kinetic bluegrass-inspired blast of secular gospel, this updated version is a hard thumpin', old-time mountain tune highlighting Tani’s genius lyrics.

If Steely Dan’s Fagen & Becker had been in The Eagles, they might have written “Green or Brown”, an examination of the challenges of small business and the strain to romantic relationships from working out of the home. In this particular case, the business happens to be illegal.

The only cover on Crown is a romantic duet version of Bruce Springsteen's poignant “County Fair”, combining the artful blending of Courtney's lilting, clear vocals and Tani's buoyant, controlled tonalities.

Powering down to the finish line “The Outside to the In” is a fun, toe-tapping musical romp punctuated by sophisticated lyrics about the vagaries of the war between the sexes.

“Crown's" engine purrs down to a stop with an encore track -an instrumental surprise; “Cowboy”. Guests David Phillips on steel and pianist Jim Pugh (Robert Cray Band) artfully mix elements of rock, jazz, and classical music with subtly added colors to create cinematic results.

The new for 2011 “The Crown & The Crow’s Confession,” from Maurice Tani, Jenn Courtney & 77 El Deora –luxurious, ironic, haunting. In showrooms January 1.

The Crown & The Crow's Confession is available online at

CDBaby.com

or directly from us below!


Digital Stereo Compact Disc Recording $12 (+$3 shipping & handling)
Maurice Tani / Jenn Courtney & 77 El Deora: The Crown & The Crow's Confession purchased securely through PayPal
ALSO AVAILABLE:
1
MAURICE TANI,
JENN COURTNEY
& 77 EL DEORA:

HAMMER & TONGS
Western Independent Recordings WIR 0108 1 1
1. High on Life-Short on Cash 1
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2. Something to Hide 1
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3. The Lovers Card 1
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4. Evidently 1
5. Poison 1
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6. Three Times 1
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7. New Car Smell 1
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8. Javalina 1
9. Everybody Knows  
10. Out with the Old 1
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11. Bring it On 1
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X. Bonus Track  

77 EL DEORA jangles some familiar nerves and scuffs up some new ground on their new studio recording, HAMMER & TONGS. Jenn Courtney, Maurice Tani, along with a dozen other musicians lay out the second installment of their unapologetically literate vision of country.

10 new songs from Tani, written specifically for Courtney's rich vocals and vivid persona. Dark, hyper-romantic ballads and bright, shiny, trailer-park operettas. Plus a pair of retooled masterworks, including an assertive redo of Leonard Cohen’s brooding Everybody Knows

Features performances from Jenn Courtney on vocal, Maurice Tani on guitar and vocals, Keith Bahjat on bass, Christopher Fisher on drums, Steve Kallai on fiddle, with extra support from Katie Guthorn and Kathy Kennedy (Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Raitt) on backing vocals, David Phillips (Tom Waits, Johnny Paycheck, Charlie Hunter) on steel guitars, Jim Pugh (Robert Cray, Chris Isaak) on piano, Trey Sabatelli (Tubes, Todd Rundgren) on drums, Steve Stanley and Armen Boyd on trumpet and baritone sax, Belle Monroe & her Brewglass Boys (Pam Brandon, Jordan Klein and Diana Greenberg) on vocals, banjo and fiddle, Catherine Foreman (Starlene), and Katy Rexford (Burning Embers) on fiddle.

Hammer & Tongs is available online at

CDBaby.com

or directly from us below!


Digital Stereo Compact Disc Recording $12 (+$3 shipping & handling)
1
77 El Deora: Hammer & Tongs purchased securely through PayPal
ALSO AVAILABLE:
cd
MAURICE TANI,
JENN COURTNEY
& 77 EL DEORA:

SIRENS
Western Independent Recordings WIR 0105 lyric sample
1. (Ain't I a) Handsome Fool? lyric sample
2. This Record Sucks lyric sample
3. My Old Address Book lyric sample
4. Bad Boy lyric  
5. Is This Gonna Hurt? lyric sample
6. The Devil in My Ear lyric  
7. 3:30 in the Afternoon    
8. Lucky Tonight lyric sample
9. The Same lyric  
10. Color Me Gone lyric sample
11. Fire on the Mountain lyric sample
12. Cryn' Over You    
13. Orange Jumpsuit lyric  
14. Wash Your Hands lyric sample
15. Workin' lyric  

On this debut release, Jenn Courtney displays her full repertoire of emotional punches. Alone or sparring in duets with songwriter Maurice Tani, she's alternately strong, vulnerable, sexy and funny. Her full and sensual vocals break hearts she'll never meet, and will be forever associated with the words 'restraining order'.

SIRENS, features 13 original tracks from Tani, tailored specifically for Courtney's vivid persona,and comes with a 12 page booklet with lyrics and photos. Features appearances from friends Dave Gleason (Dave Gleason's Wasted Days) on his B-bender Telecaster, Katie Guthorn & Kathy Kennedy (Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Raitt) on backing vocals, David Phillips (Tom Waits, Johnny Paycheck, Charlie Hunter) on steel guitars, Jim Pugh (Robert Cray, Chris Isaak) on piano and organ, Trey Sabatelli (Tubes, Todd Rundgren) on drums

Sirens is available online at

CDBaby.com

or directly from us below!


Digital Stereo Compact Disc Recording $12 (+$3 shipping & handling)
77 El Deora: Sirens purchased securely through PayPal
ALSO AVAILABLE:
CALAMITY & MAIN:
HONKY TONK HEAVEN
Western Independent Recordings WIR 0103
1. Calamity & Main
2. Daddy Drank his Vodka
3. Doin' My Part
4. Empty Whiskey Bottles  
5. Evidently
6. Fallin'  
7. Flat Black
8. Honky Tonk Heaven  
9. Judge & Jury  
10. She Don't Care
11. Silver
12. There Stands the Glass    
13. Twisted    
14. What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round?  
Calamity & Main was the precursor to 77 El Deora, and was based around the songs of Maurice Tani and "Misisipi" Mike Wolf with "Goat Piss Willie" Hendricks on bass and vocals and Christopher Fisher on drums. The 4 piece band featured bright 3 part harmony and a bashy, guitar-driven, testosterone fueled, Bakersfield style. These are the roots of 77 El Deora and if you have seen the band live you will recognize many of these songs still living in the repertoire

HONKY TONK HEAVEN, features 12 original songs from Tani and Wolf, plus a raucous version of the classic There Stands the Glass and the unexpected take on the Monkees gem, "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round?". Features appearances from friends Scott Hay and David Phillips on steel guitars, Jim Pugh on piano and organ, and Scott Young (Red Meat) on fiddle.

Digital Stereo Compact Disc Recording $12 (+$3 shipping & handling)

Calamity & Main: Honky Tonk Heaven purchased securely through PayPal
 

Hillbilly Noir. Bashy. Original. Intelligent. California Country. Electric. Honky Tonk. Twangy. Oblique Americana.