Armchair Boogie

iTunes Review

Armchair Boogie is an absolute masterpiece. From the first song (a stunning version of his signature "Werewolf") to the album's closer (the lovely and strange instrumental "Penguins," which features fake trumpet playing at its best), Hurley was at an artistic peak on these 1970 bedroom recordings. The album sounds a bit like the Grateful Dead's classic American Beauty if it had been recorded at 4AM in a barn somewhere and if it guest-starred Willie Nelson, Dock Boggs and Leonard Cohen. Hurley has the vocal ease of Nelson as well as the ragged edge of pre-revival folkies like Boggs. And he's capable of writing lyrics as deep as anything Cohen ever wrote (though they're often a bit crude). The songs tend to alternate between folk crooners played solo or with minimal accompaniment and mid-paced rockers backed by a full band. The big question is why these basement tapes don't regularly show up on those lists of the best 100 albums of the rock era, or even the 50 best records you've never heard. It's partly because the artist himself is so reclusive and wary of the spotlight, while the fact that the material's been unavailable for years can't help. Regardless, Armchair Boogie simply reeks of homespun beauty.