eMusic Review 0
Chances are that Chuck Prophet is either one of your favorite musicians, or you don’t know him at all. Through the 1980s, he was member of the edgy West Coast roots band Green on Red. A solo artist since 1990, he’s a musical omnivore who may remind you of iconoclasts from Alex Chilton to Delbert McClinton, with an internal jukebox, a panoramic passion for pop culture, and a gift for storytelling who creates his own alternative musical universe.
Temple Beautiful is a tribute to longtime hometownSan Francisco. The title song, rich in power chords and handclaps, draws on both ’70s Mott the Hoople and ’80s Kinks, and remembers what it can about days of excess at a dive bar and club. “The Left Hand and the Right” is about the fratricidal Mitchell Brothers, who built aSan Francisco porn empire, while also tossing in a casual allusion to musical brothers-at-arms from the Everlys to the Davies. “Castro Halloween” laments the passing of an annual bacchanal that ended when the celebration was marred by fatal shootings.
Like Springsteen and Paul Simon, Prophet is drawn to early rock motifs. “White Night, Big City” has a compelling doo-wop call-and-response section that… read more »
