Artist: Rob Thorworth Title: Dig It up
Label: Self Issued Web: thorworth.com By Michael Macey (CMG 2006)

Dig It Up from Rob Thorworth is a rock0solid effort that makes for a very satisfying listen. With a variety of songwriting styles that include rock, blues and pop, Thorworth approaches each one with equal aplomb and delivers it all with a nice textured sound that has broad appeal written all over it. What I liked about Dig It Up was the fact that while the album has a very commercial sound; it's not a slickly produced affair and there's diversity to the songwriting that keeps the whole thing fresh from song to song. Tunes like Drink Me Up, I Think I Can Make It and The Lucky One would sound right at home on the Triple-A format, which isn't a bad thing, but little gems like Cheryl Charlemagne with its accordion and clarinet interplay from Brian Simms and the bluesy guitar boogie woogie of The Devils Confusion, give the record a nice intimate feeling and showcases the range of Thorworth's musical abilities. I'm not sure if it's influence, imitation, both of those or none of the above, but Under Our Nose sounds an awful lot like Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis, in both vocal and melody. Mystic Book has a Beatle-esque sound that's one of a few times he shows his fab influence. Every Now and Then is a midtempo walking blues that's reminiscent of a certain singer-songwriter from Texas. Boy and Girl offers up some gnarly slide guitar work, and is one of many songs that shows off Thorworth's prowess on that instrument. He also plays keyboards and provides all the vocals, including harmonies. The rhythm section of Christian Grizzard on bass, Mike Talbot on drums and Tony Correlli keyboards, provide the drive that make Thorworth's songs take off. The outfit as a whole has a lot of punch.
Produced by Thorworth and engineered, mixed and mastered by Tony Correlli, the sound is excellent, with a nice warm tone, and a live presence to the instruments that make for a sound field that envelops the room. Listening to it at maximum volume enhanced the experience for me. It lends itself to loud.
I found Dig It Up from Rob Thorworth to be a totally enjoyable record. The songs are very well played and written, and the album has a nice flow from beginning to end. I think when he rocks he rocks hard enough for most people's taste and there are enough different sounds to keep it all very lively and interesting. I think this one is definitely worth digging up.