Title: "Music to Beach About" Label: Houseboat Records
Format: 10 song CD

When it's cold outside, it sure is nice to take a nice trip to the beach, even if by way of a daydream. The soothing sounds of Tropical Denny can put you in the mood for a margarita and lounge chair, whether or not the sun is shining in your neighborhood.

Every song on the album features Tropical Denny singing solo along with his acoustic guitar, much like a musician you would find at an island resort. The songs are blues/country inspired, and the thought of Jimmy Buffett enters the mind quickly.

Denny has a storytelling style of songwriting that keeps your interest and is highly entertaining. The song "Suppertime" is a country-flavored number that is written from the viewpoint of a man who's visiting his ex, just because he's hungry for her cooking. He promises not to outstay his welcome; he just wants to eat and run.

So put on your flip-flops, turn up the heat, and fire up the blender. I'm ready for some fun in the sun.

MISH MASH Mandate: Welcome to the endless summer

Tropical Denny is one of those guys with an affection for the water who really seem to enjoy life. He has no qualms about admitting that in many ways his lifestyle is patterned after that of Jimmy Buffett - he lives on a houseboat in Austin, Texas and sings songs about the tropics, sailing, and drinking tequila. His music is somewhat like that Buffett, or perhaps Steve Goodman. Folk-based acoustic guitar strumming and picking, with a little caribbean influence and story-telling lyrics. Most of the songs on the CD "Music to Beach About" are very positive and fun-loving; some a little romantic like the ballad "Sailing at Midnight". Some of his tunes, such as "See You Soon" get into a rhythmic groove, and if you close your eyes and listen to Denny sing 'city life ain't no life for a tropical man' you can almost slip away to a white sand beach, if only for 3 or 4 minutes. All of the songs are simply arranged, and with an acoustic rhythm guitar and an occasional acoustic lead lending the perfect self-accompaniment to the stories. I'd love to hear some of them done by a reggae band though. It just seems right.On 'Tequila Talking' Denny gives one of his more Buffett-like performances, as he talks about how "it was the tequila talking...Jose Cuervo you took a bite out of me". Some nice lead breaks between lines throughout the song. These are the kind of songs that you want to listen to when you're in a good mood; relaxed but ready for a fun time. No wonder Denny is so popular around the waterholes in Texas! Recommended for fans of Jimmy Buffett, John Prine, Steve Goodman, and anyone who likes the fun side of folk...

                 Fred Wheeler
                 Indie Journal
                 Location, Austin, Tx - USA

If you happen to see a white houseboat chugging around on the lake with a commode planter on the bow, holler “Hi” to Tropical Denny.

Denny, whose lifestyle seems patterned after that of Jimmy Buffet, lives on his houseboat and steams into the Port of Vincent to play a gig now and then. Denny admits his affection for the Jimmy Buffet philosophy of life, and says, “this ain’t the Caribbean but you can’t get any closer.”

I’m jealous. I only live on the shore of the lake. It must be nice to take your house with you on gigs. Catch Denny at Vincent’s Check the marquee for the next time he’ll chug in.

                John McAshan
                620 Live