Joey Ramone

Don’t Worry About Me (Sanctuary)
by Scott Hefflon

Joey Ramone always had the ability to take pretty simple melodies and lyrics and make them transcend the mundane. Even when they were silly or flat out dumb (not Britney dumb, but a cross between Beatles’ bubblegum simplicity and stoner philosophizing about clouds, Twizzlers, and what snail slime is), there’s just something about Joey’s voice that makes it special. These songs were written and recorded with Daniel Rey after the Ramones broke up in ’96 and mostly completed before Joey’s tragic death in April, 2001. Some of the songs (the title track and “I Got Knocked Down (But I’ll Get Up)”) take on a new, kinda eerie feel now that he’s gone, but a new favorite, “Stop Thinking About It,” offers good advice. The cover of the Louis Armstrong-popularized song “What a Wonderful World” alone is worth the price of the CD, which plays well from end to end. Cuz, honestly, even a not-so-good tune by Joey is a pleasant listen, ya know?
(www.joeyramone.com)