Un "Sung Stories" is the first solo album by the American musician Phil Alvin, released in 1986. Alvin supported the album with a North American tour. He then returned to his graduate studies in mathematics.
Production Sun Ra's Arkestra and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band contributed to the album. The Arkestra played on three homages to Cab Calloway: "The Old Man of the Mountain", "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" and "The Ballad of Smokey Joe".
"Daddy Rollin' Stone" is the only track on the album that was composed after World War II.
Critical reception
Trouser Press called Un "Sung Stories" "a delightful solo album of blues, gospel and jazz goodies." Robert Christgau opined that Alvin "loves a good lyric, and if he can't write them or order them up, he has only to ransack his record collection for oldies that are just strange enough." The Sacramento Bee noted that "Alvin has trimmed some of the excessive stylization of some of his Blasters work, and deepened the bluesy feel in his voice."
The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "an offbeat mix of musical Americana that includes gospel, country blues and pop anthems of the 1920s and '30s." The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Alvin's forceful arrangements fuses the material with dark, funny, frightening and inspiring edges... The result is an album that suggests a heroic grappling with the struggles involved in daily living." The San Francisco Chronicle determined that "the whole enterprise has a slightly esoteric feel, but when the collaborations click, such as the funky 'The Ballad of Smokey Joe' or the rollicking 'Daddy Rollin' Stone', the results provide minor musical gems, unexpected rewards and enough high points to declare Alvin's daring worthwhile."
AllMusic wrote: "Short and sweet, Un 'Sung Stories is a true gem that's richly felt in a way a collection of 'old standards' is not expected to be." The Spin Alternative Record Guide likened Alvin to a "West-Coast Buster Poindexter," and considered the album "pleasant."
Track listing
Personnel Phil Alvin – vocals, guitar Lee Allen – tenor saxophone (1) David Carroll – drums Richard Greene – violin Gary Masi – guitar Mike Roach – guitar Gene Taylor – piano Larry Taylor – bass Jubilee Train Singers – backing vocals (4)Sun Ra and the Arkestra (3, 5, 8) Fred Adams – trumpet Marshall Allen – flute, alto sax Bruce Edwards – guitar Alvin Evans – flugelhorn, trumpet John Gilmore – clarinet, tenor sax Tyrone Hill – trombone James Jackson – bassoon Stanley Morgan – conga drums Arthur O'Neil – drums Sun Ra – piano Rollo Radford – bass Leroy Taylor – bass clarinet, alto sax Danny Thompson – alto sax, baritone sax June Tyson – vocals Ronald Wilson – tenor saxThe Dirty Dozen Brass Band' (1) Gregory Davis – trumpet Kevin Harris – tenor sax Charles Joseph – trombone Kirk Joseph – sousaphone Benny Jones Jr. – bass drum Roger Lewis – baritone sax, soprano sax Jenell Marshall – snare drum Ephram Powns – trumpet
References