Doyle Bramhall Mixes Guitar Songs And Ballads On Dgc's "jellycream'

NEW YORK-Doyle Bramhall II's RCA debut, "Jellycream," synthesizes the strengths of his 1992 DGC recording debut "Arc Angels"-a band effort that also featured fellow Texas guitar ace Charlie Sexton-and the eponymous solo debut that Geffen issued in 1996.
"This record has a bit of everything I've ever done," says Bramhall of the "more focused" "Jellycream," due Aug. 24 under the shortened artist name Bramhall. "I wanted to make a rock record but keep what I did with the last album-which was darker and with a lot of layered vocals. I was doing more with my voice than the guitar then, and this time I wanted a balance between my voice and guitar playing-and both are equally prevalent."
The new album should appeal to both Arc Angels fans as well as those who liked the first solo disc, adds Bramhall, who grew up watching his father Doyle Bramhall drum behind Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan and joined Jimmie Vaughan's Fabulous Thunderbirds when he was 18.
"It's like everything came together for this record, as opposed to the last one, when I wanted to get as far away from what I did with Arc Angels as possible," says Bramhall.
"I was really proud of my songs and sick of them not coming through because people wanted to hear so much guitar," he continues. "So, I went in the complete opposite direction with more song-oriented vocal stuff. Since then, I've come to embrace every aspect of what I do and tried to get all of it down on tape."
Bramhall had actually reached the point where he felt that "the guitar was my enemy," he says. "I was really angry for a long time because I was told I can't be anything but a guitar player, which made me want to rebel. But then I started playing guitar gigs again in Texas and fell in love with it again, and I rethought everything in order to pull all the pieces together."
Assisting in this regard was Tchad Blake, who produced "Jellycream" after being suggested by Wendy Melvoin-one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa and the sister of Bramhall's wife, Susannah Melvoin. Blake had previously produced Wendy & Lisa and is credited by Bramhall for his new album's title.
"I wish it had a deep meaning, but we were just throwing titles around, and finally I said, "Jellycream' and Tchad said, "That's it!' " says Bramhall, whose songs are published by Bug Music (BMI). "Some people think there's a sexual innuendo to it, but I was thinking of a jelly cream donut with all the stuff inside that's really great."
"Jellycream" contains songs that Bramhall co-wrote with Sexton, Wendy & Lisa, and Susannah Melvoin, all of whom also contribute instrumentally. "There's a lot of straight-ahead, hard-driving, rip-snorting guitar songs but also soulful, mournful ballads-with a couple of things with the potential to move into different formats," says RCA marketing VP Hugh Surratt.
The first radio single, "I Wanna Be," has just shipped to mainstream rock and triple-A stations. Other likely focus track candidates are "Marry You," "Snake Charmer," and "Day Come Down."
Surratt points to "imaging" as a primary thrust of the Bramhall marketing effort.
"He's a young, good-looking guy who grew up on Stevie Ray Vaughan's knee learning to play guitar and will attract a lot of interest from all mid-20s demos," says Surratt. "The guitar magazines are already champing at the bit, and he'll be out there performing with his own band and doing other things to reacquaint him with his core formats and Arc Angels fans."
In May, Bramhall showcased in New York before radio programmers and retailers and at Catalina Island in California as part of a promotional association with Fender guitars. Also that month, he rejoined Arc Angels for six reunion dates in Texas.
In July and August, Bramhall-who is managed by W. Management's Scooter Weintraub and Pam Wertheimer and booked by Chip Hooper at Monterey Peninsula-will tour as Roger Waters' guitarist before heading out for his own dates.
"If it was anybody else, I
wouldn't do it, because I want to tour behind my own music," says Bramhall. "But you only get one chance to go out with someone like Roger Waters, and when I listen to Pink Floyd songs on the radio I hear an affinity in the way we both construct ballads."
During the Waters tour, RCA will still send Bramhall to local radio stations and retail to promote the project. Surratt says Bramhall's work ethic demands it.
"Doyle's a guy who turns the tables on the promotional field staff," says Surratt, who previously worked with Bramhall and the Arc Angels while at DGC. "He's in the lobby at 6 a.m., waiting for the promo guy."
Folks who encounter Bramhall appreciate his energy. "He's an accessible guy, and that makes him highly attractive to everyone-inside the industry and out," says Maggie Thornton, manager of Maxi Music, an indie outlet in Durham, N.C. "That'll help as he's promoting this record."