St. Pete Times CD Review - 2003-01-19
"In Our Own Back Yard"
By Gina Vivinetto
Times Pop Music Critic

Scotty Clark is a no-nonsense kind of guy. You can tell from the cover of Big Largo Tour, an ode to his beloved city of residence. In the cover photo, Clark stands, hand on hip, decked out in plaid shirt and a baseball cap, complete with "Toro" logo, the lawn mower company. No smile. No frown. Just Clark.

The singer-guitarist's bluesy tunes are as straightforward, but filled with charm. Catchy opener Some Other World bursts with woozy squeezebox and Clark's folksy voice. His is the kind of deep voice that gulps you up like that of George Jones or Waylon Jennings. Pedal steel adds tang to Largo, which longs for days gone by, as many of his richly told stories do. Clark peppers songs with the rootsy sounds of instruments like mandolin, Hammond B-3 organ, washboard and harmonica.

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SBS Twelve Bar Rag Review by Ken - 2002-10-07
Scotty Clark

Big Largo Tour
Two Buds music

Scotty is a member of the Suncoast Blues Society and he's released his debut CD. I've got to come right out and 'fess up that this disc leans much more to country music than blues, especially when co-producer Steve Connelly gets behind his petal steel guitar. Now I'm not a big lover of what passes for country music these days but I'll defy you not to get hooked on these finely crafted tunes. Scotty has a nice way with words and many of songs have a local flavor that bring a hint of satisfaction when you can relate to his situation. His song about his home town Largo, definitely rings a bell. When I moved to Florida in '85, it was my first home.I couldn't wait untill my lease was up so I could escape. Texas Dealer Tag also deals with our locale and I believe I know the Kmart mentioned here all to well.
The last 3 songs finely get to Scotty's blues roots and they all offer a different flavor. On Innocent, he sets the acoustic guitar down to run off some electric licks while Peter Kane cuts loose on some fine Hammond B-3. On Get On Home, it's back to the acoustic with the only accompaniment being Rick Shirvis's washboard. Beale Street Boogie finishes the CD and I've got to believe Scotty was inspired when he visited Memphis for the W.C. Handy awards several years ago with the Suncoast Blues Society.
I suggest you head on over to www.scottyclark.com and order your self up a copy of this platter or catch Scotty at the Kmart on 66th St. in Largo. I hear he may be sitting out in the parking lot selling them out of his trunk. Probably right next to some scantily clad girl selling hot dogs!

Ken Torvik

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Review by George Willet - 2002-09-23
BIG LARGO TOUR
Scotty Clark
Two Buds Music

I had intended to start this piece with a big word and it's definition. I was torn between Seanachie and Verisimilitude. I have an amazing gift for b.s sometimes. The review, however, is about Scotty's CD, not about me, and he'd say, "It's a Troubadour thang"

Of all the pleasurable things about "Big Largo Tour", my favorite is the story telling. Scotty can weave a hell of a tale, in person as well as in a song. There is a lot of his real life in these songs. "Pack up my old Dodge Dart, and just drive away" as he says in "Largo?" Not a problem..I've seen it. It's green. "My feet are hurtin', I've got the Beale Street Blues?" Been there, done that, spilled beer on the T-shirt…and He really KNOWS the folks in "Texas Dealer Tag"…and "Hunter" is his friends daughter. I could go on.

About the music…..

"Some Other World" is the Eagles song they never heard. Up-tempo, up beat, it's just a fun song. This is the story that goes through every guy's head when he has a "love at first sight" moment. And the squeezebox is very cool, too.

"Largo" is the old "you can't go home again" thing…even if you never left, and it sounds likes an old country song for the 21st century. This is what happens when Yuppie Scum overruns your town, and eventually your life. I love the pedal steel, myself.

My personal favorite is STILL "Texas Dealer Tag". I can see the video in my head. It opens with a high shot of a black Corvette, from behind, screaming away from the camera down a flat, straight road. The best story/songs paint a picture in your mind. You can just close your eyes and watch the movie. I can't remember one I enjoy watch-ing more than "Texas Dealer Tag". (And this old hippy has LOTS of movies in his head).

With respect to Col. Sanders, "Bluebird" is "Finger-Pickin' Good"! A deceptively simple-sounding little tune..but it's beautiful. And every now and then we all wish we had a set of wings…we just didn't know how to express it. Thanks, Scotty.

"Hunter" is the wild child as a loving daughter, and the scoot is her legacy. Everybody has family when you come to think about it…and now I've thought about it, too. And Jack's mandolin sings…

Poor boy and rich girl ……and her car as the symbol of what she never learned. "Daddy's Car" points to the shortcomings of a privileged life. In the end, she couldn't cope because she never had to. A nice little rocker, and Johnny Porter's harp adds a wistful tone.

"Cryin' Shame" brings old-style C&W to life. This is not some slick Nashville pop; it's the real stuff. Ol' Hank Senior would be proud. Steve Connelly's pedal steel sets just the right mood.

When I first heard Scotty's three song "mini-album" last year this was the song I thought would have the broadest appeal. Its driving "kinda Rock-kinda Blues" tune grabbed me right away, and it's another story most people couldn't tell as well.

Oh, "Get On Home" is too cool!! I love the rollicking pickin', and the washboard is just right. "He's coming down Main St., puffing like a big freight train"…It's another one of those "movie-in-your-head" moments.

See, Beale Street is brick, with really high curbs, and if I had to walk it barefoot, they'd have to get a stretcher to get me home. "Beale Street Boogie" has a nice electrified

Country Blues riff, and a country Blues story, too. I find myself singing this one; it's just that catchy.

Well, folks, that brings us to the end of the "Big Largo Tour"..watch your step as you leave the vehicle; we hope you enjoyed the trip. Please join us again for further adventures with Scotty Clark & Co.

--- GEORGE Willett
Blues Music Critic
BloozeDive.com
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More Reviews avaiable at  www.Scottyclark.com