He performed in front of over a million people in Washington DC and shared the stage with rock legends Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and The Cars with hefty royalty cheques flying in (up to $80,000!) While this would be a dream come true for an upcoming rocker (or for any new artist for that matter), this doesn’t phase Billy Crain. He also played in front no one in a small dingy club, shovelling up horse manure to make ends meet, while receiving royalty cheques for as little as 15 cents.
This guy is an open book and he doesn’t fear displaying all the events in his rollercoaster life. Infact he has embraced them all, along with his wife and two adopted children, in a well documented release “Family Matters”.
A violin creating a charming Irish flair starts off the ten-track album through a 5-and-a-half-minute production “Dark House”. The playfulness of the fiddle is perfectly balanced with a rather go lucky and chirpy rock. “Lucky Penny” continues with the uplifting Irish theme, which presents itself gracefully at the beginning and the end of the composition. A smooth modern take on rock takes front stage with the drumming almost to ripping through the tranquillity.
Continuing of the serenic tone, the title track carries reflective lyrics of the highs and lows moments of family life and the importance of treasuring the time with the nearest and dearest. Crain celebrates the life of a close friend who died of cancer in “Glory (Jim’s Story)”. The brief presence of the fiddle brings back that rich Eire feeling, intertwining with an uplifting soulful (ish) funk/rock.
“Family Matters” takes a small detour and hones into a sweet presence of the piano in “Hurricane Helen”. The heavenly sensation is short-lived as blues/rock tone makes a bold entry, occasionally disrupting the lightness of the piano.
Determined to end the collection on a high, Crain loses the tranquillity (just a little!) in “Joe Parker” by utilising a Nirvana-style guitar riffs, almost ripping through the laid-back piece. Concluding track, “1928” displays a bang-up-to-date twist on rock-n-roll which doesn’t lose the out-of-the-seat edginess, thanks to wild plucks of the guitar.
“Family Matters” is one of those rare finds that makes you take a step back for a moment and really appreciate those little things in life that’s often taken for granted…the clue is in the title.
