King Of Echo Park by Brian Joseph

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Folk Pop | Contemporary urban

13 tracks | 51 minutes

Released Aug 2003
on FrogSongs Records

Click for a 30-second preview. All tracks are 192kbps high fidelity sound quality. Protected WMA $0.77 or unprotected MP3 $0.88.

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sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:51 God Save The King lyrics FREE 03:51 God Save The King lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:51 God Save The King

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:07 Cal's Chevy lyrics BUY MP3 04:07 Cal's Chevy lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:07 Cal's Chevy

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:28 Nobody Misses You lyrics BUY MP3 03:28 Nobody Misses You lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:28 Nobody Misses You

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:54 Walk On Alvarado lyrics BUY MP3 04:54 Walk On Alvarado lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:54 Walk On Alvarado

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:51 Louise lyrics BUY MP3 03:51 Louise lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:51 Louise

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:56 What's That Sound lyrics BUY MP3 03:56 What's That Sound lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:56 What's That Sound

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:28 King Of Echo Park lyrics BUY MP3 03:28 King Of Echo Park lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:28 King Of Echo Park

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:17 The Road To Endarkenment lyrics BUY MP3 02:17 The Road To Endarkenment lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:17 The Road To Endarkenment

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:51 Cordelia lyrics BUY MP3 04:51 Cordelia lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:51 Cordelia

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:03 No Big Deal lyrics BUY MP3 03:03 No Big Deal lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:03 No Big Deal

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:10 Ways Of The Cool lyrics BUY MP3 04:10 Ways Of The Cool lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:10 Ways Of The Cool

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:44 Hallelujah lyrics BUY MP3 03:44 Hallelujah lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:44 Hallelujah

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:25 God Bless The Storm lyrics BUY MP3 05:25 God Bless The Storm lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:25 God Bless The Storm

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East Los Angeles eclectic singer-songwriter acoustic pop. Randy Newman meets Los Lobos.

Editorial review

In 1969 Keith Barbour nicked the Top 40 with a strange bombastic ballad called "Echo Park" - and thirty five years later Brian Joseph is the de facto ruler of that world, leading off his King Of Echo Park CD with an authoritative original "God Save The King". This opening track of his third long player resembles Elvis Costello doing a soundtrack to a Laurel & Hardy film. You don't need the back cover photo of the actor/singer fully clothed in a swimming pool to hear his tongue firmly planted in cheek on this first of four co-writes between the artist and his producer, folk veteran Wendy Waldman. The elaborate package contains lyrics and photographs stretched across sixteen pages which makes the study of his quirky thoughts somewhat easy on the eyes. Where "Walk On Alvarado" brings the sound of New Orleans to Los Angeles and works as a fine musical effort, the semi-skiffle of "Hallalujah" is a complete turnaround, Comedy/Gospel bordering on blasphemy. "Hallalujah/I Believe/ Hallalujah /Just like Adam and Eve" pushes the envelope while a line like "Baptisms in the morning/and holdups in the night" just sends it right over the cliff. Waldman's production is fantastic, the jazz/folk of their closing co-write, "God Bless The Storm", some eerie paradox questioning the Creator with drawn out slow anger. That spell is also cast over the contemplative "Nobody Misses You", the first of five solo compositions. Joseph contributes to all thirteen titles, and embellishes his music with contributions from some impressive side people - Kenny Edwards who has worked with Linda Ronstadt and Don Henley, Julie Wolf from the Dar Williams/Ani Difranco camp; Bonnie Raitt and Crosby, Stills & Nash alum Freebo among others. "Ways Of The Cool" borrows a little too much from Billy Joel's "Only The Good Die Young", but the songs surrounding it have enough originality to forgive that dreadful lapse of conscience (and/or inspiration). It's an interesting blend of talents on a satisfying and clever release by an artist who is worth the time listeners seem to have so little of these days. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

Bio / Background

If Elvis was the king of rock, and Michael Jackson the king of pop, who's the king of Echo Park? The answer is a tall, slim young man by the name of Brian Joseph.

In February of 2000, he abandoned all the glamorous

trappings of life as a Los Angeles actor for the glory and

prestige of being a full-time folk singer. For a decade, his acting had been met with critical acclaim and awards, including a Shellie award in 1999 for his portrayl of Rodolpho in "A View From The Bridge." Although he had been praised for his work in many stage, television and film productions, both domestically and internationally, he was more well known for his portrayl of Cheesy the Pizza Slice in a tv commercial than for his role as Roderigo in "Othello" or Dromio in "A Comedy of Errors." Not that he wasn't a convincing slice of pizza, but something was just not right. Being an actor had simply become a day job.