“Colorado blues/folk musician Kevin Dooley calls his particular brand of music "American Celtic". You'd guess the Irish heritage isn't very far away at all with a name like that, though Kevin sings with an American accent that sounds thick with tobacco juice - he could be one of those familiar faces (and voices) that pops up in endless 1950s westerns. Moonlight Highway has thirteen songs that are a pretty inspired mix of Kevin Dooley originals (four of them) and a wide selection from some of the finest modern writers. There's a couple from the ever-anonymous folk tradition, too, and in all these choices he has managed to find wonderful songs that are far from being overfamiliar. Obviously the trad material (Ferryman and Old man at the Mill) will be pretty old, but there's a fair age range in the rest of the songs. Tom Waits' Shiver MeTimbers dates from the 70s but The Big Easy was a recent hit for its writer, bluesman Ray Bonneville. There's some really cracking songs in this selection”
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John Davy, Flyinshoes Review UK
“Moonlight Highway climbs to #8 on Colorado Roots Charts....Dec 15,2011... as of today...Moonlight Highway remains in the Top 10 on these charts now for four months!!! Thanks Chris at The Colorado Sound and all the Colorado Radio Stations that continue to play it !!!”
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Roots Charts Colorado
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A seasoned veteran of open road nostalgia and soulful serenades, troubadour Kevin Dooley comes with it again via his fifth studio album, Moonlight Highway.
The Longmont resident has pulled together a superb band, with the likes of Eric Thorin, Gurf Morlix, John Magnie and Steve Amedee helping to create the country/Americana/Celtic vibe of the album.
“Love’s Been Linked To The Blues,” a David Olney joint, opens with the Subdudes’ John Magnie sending ripples off his Hammond B-3, leading into a deep and dirty rhythm right in tune with Dooley’s barbed-wire vocal delivery. Mid-song finds a guitar trading licks with bubbly pops of organ.
The title track to the album, “Moonlight Highway,” bounces along with vivid musical imagery of open-road travel along the highways of the western U.S. – Bret Billings’ pedal steel acts as the car, and Jessie Burns and his Celtic fiddle ride shotgun.the guitar work and rhythms really make the album stand out.
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Charlie Engler, The Fort Collins Scene
“Kevin is one of America's Great Music Artists from the Heart of Middle America. His talent reflect's all that makes this land great.
David Land
GoToRecords”
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David Land, GoToJam Records
“Dooley’s music is at times vaguely reminiscent of Van Morrison or even—at his best—James Taylor. His vocals are expressive and the music is produced in such a way as to not take away from the guts of the songs. Polishing up anything here would take away the personality. While a few critics might point out that Dooley is more American than Celtic on this album it seems a moot point. The truth of the matter is Dooley seems to have put together a disc that tells us something about him regardless of toward which country the music often leans.
Indeed, while the idea of a guy with a guitar traveling from tavern to tavern and singing for his supper and then going on to be recorded on albums may date back to at least the early days of Woody Guthrie’s career, Kevin Dooley holds claim to his own interesting take on the experience and successfully shares it with others on his CDs.”
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Will Phoenix, LA Examiner
“Kansas Public Radio plays a song from Moonlight Highway during it's long running Trail Mix Show with Bob McWilliams Oct 8,2011”
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Bob McWilliams, Facebook
“KRFC playlist has Moonlight Highway as #2 in plays by a Colorado Artist,all categorys !! Sept 2011”
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Chris Kresge, The Colorado Sound
“Moonlight Highway #1 in Colorado on the Americana charts and #17 Nationally...Sept. 21 2011
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Reverb Nation Charts
“kevin sucessfully marrys the soul of acoustic with the range of rock"”
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Tim O'Brien, Tim O'Brien
“The new CD,..."moonlight highway" featured on KBCO Local Edition and No Depression The Americana and Roots Authority.Rocky Mountain Music Network,KGNU....”
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reverb nation
“on the cutting edge of new acoustic music....exciting performer and a masterful guitar player”
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David Oberman, KUT Folkways
“we yearn to hear more of the acoustic dooley”
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Dirty Linen
“i am impressed with both songs and performance”
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Bob McWilliams, KANU Radio
“probably the only colorado performer i have been hearingmore about lately than john magnie of the subdudes (kevin's good friend) is...Kevin Dooley”
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Eric Reiner , KBOL"Diversions"
“enjoying listening to kevins songs very much!!”
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Raymond Sweenen, Atlantis Bree Belgium
“one of boulders very best (blues/folk/americana)”
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Scott Arbough, KBCO Radio
“one of the boulder locals we may lose to Nashville”
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Meredith Carson, On-Stage
Song Plays
3,823
Comments
kevin, your the best.
Great sound! Enjoyed listening! Wish you much success! --Slam Horse
Love your music and sound!! You're Awesome!! ~Tera~ All my best to you!
Really cool songs, vox and sound!
Rock the Blues out of Longmont, CO - Liked your video - love your Blues - Keep it rolling <3 kellie
Lovin' "love's been linked to the blues" real COOL! great setlist Kevin like what we hear. All the very best for 2013 TF