Russ Tolman And The Totem Polemen - Goodbye Joe (1990)

It's only a matter of time before Russ Tolman's hard-luck stories find their place on "progressive" radio playlists. Better than a boatload of Del Lords imitators, Tolman's directness, literate wordplay, and liberal populism imbue his material with a strength that transcends even the hokiest conceit or belabored point...Backed by a fairly jake band (Jon Klages, guitar; Dave Provost, bass; Dave Drewry, drums), Tolman reels and rocks through tales of children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families -- real '90s topics...If anything...often his phrasing sounds clunky, forced, and overly dramatic...It's obvious that Tolman wants to become a contemporary storyteller, a rock and roll chronicler of the disenfranchised. And while he has his moments, he occasionally gets in over his head...~Goodbye Joe Review by John Dougan