Dwayne Dopsie
Set Me Free
Lousiana Red Hot Records
Fasten your seat belt, its time to two step to some hot bayou zydeco. Dwayne Dopsie has two well deserved Grammy awards, a hot backing band and an excitingly, soulful voice. Set Me Free marks his 11th release, so let’s take it for a spin. We open with a toe-tapping “Take it Higher” Here he’s stuck in a bad relation and wants out, but you need several listens to decide this is a breakup song, packed with high energy fun. Track number two carries the energy forward, and after the big break up in the last track, he’s already has his eye on that “Louisiana Girl.” She’s in the same time signature, and since they just met, there no time for animosity to flower. Sure, she’s got long blonde hair and green eyes, but the breakup risk is still there. The risk is worth it, Dopsie can just save her story for the next album. After all, you can’t have a good country song with out a breakup. I have faith in Dwayne.
Later in this collection things slow down a bit. There’s an upbeat blues number “Set Me Free” with a tale of panhandling, but he’s begging from an ex-girlfriend, so you know deep down its his own dang fault. Other highlights include the “Lafayette Boogie,” an instrumental number of some skill. A downright slow dance number comes from “The Things That I Used to Do” (an old Guitar Slim tune). It’s good to let the crowd catcher their breath every now and again, but with 15 bouncy tracks here you’ll have a good time down in whatever roadhouse you can catch Mr. Dopsies plays at tonight. I love Dwayne’s energy and fun lyrics, and you won’t go wrong at this hot club.
