This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, September 2005
Artist: CUFF THE DUKE | Label: Hardwood Records
Cuff The Duke has built a loyal following over the past few years since the release of their debut Life Stories for Minimum Wage on Three Gut Records. Since then, they have been touring with prominent acts such as Blue Rodeo, Sloan, Joel Plaskett and many others. Cuff The Duke has since left Three Gut and signed on to Hayden’s label Hardwood Records to release their follow up self-titled release. It’s an uneven album; some songs make it very easy to see why they have such a loyal fan base, while other songs will make you wonder why.
The two best tracks are addictive and fun, but they’re far from perfect. You’ll find yourself singing along with “Take My Money And Run” (the lead single) and “The Ballad Of Poor John Henry” over and over again. “Take My Money And Run” perfectly showcases what Cuff The Duke are as a band. It’s a good song overall, in spite of some sloppy songwriting. The lyrics are easy to trip over as Wayne Petti sings, “I’d spare a dollar sir but I don’t have a dime / I sit around town living off overdraft”. The lyrics don’t flow, but it’s a forgivable offence considering how catchy the song is.
The energy of a live Cuff The Duke show does not translate well to the record. The band has a great stage presence and easily wins over crowds in their usual opening act slot. Their songwriting is unsophisticated, but their live shows are still memorable. Cuff The Duke is very good at writing simplistic, catchy songs with a country-rock sound, but often they sound too one-dimensional. “Belgium or Peru” is a basic song about unrequited love, a theme that has been done to death. Worst of all, Cuff The Duke don’t bring anything new to the story.
I don’t think Cuff The Duke is a purchase people would regret, even though it’s not an incredible album. It has enough going for it to warrant multiple plays. About half the record is well worth the admission price, the other half is easy enough to avoid. The disc also includes a copy of the video for their first single, which is a nice bonus.