Album review by Michael McDonald:

"Too often the music media will squander much ink over the new kid on the block trying to work the Roots Rock room at the expense of the long term practitioner who can deliver with consummate ease and skill. Example- Oklahoma native Roger Tillison.

For his first album in over thirty years Tillison crafted "Mamble Jamble" in cahoots fellow Okie Walt Richmond and a crack core of Tulsa pickers with enough passion and attention to detail to impress lovers of Americana music. Mashing Country, R&b, Folk, Blues and Rockabilly into his own fetching grooves Tillison's "Mamble Jamble" is an aural journey through America's backroads and small towns.

Opening with the New Orleans type stroll of the title track and bolstered by Tillison's laconic but knowing vocals the album detours hard into the narrative sweep of "Jamaica Run" and the Swamp Rock grunt of "Sweet Little Thing". Dimming the lights for "One Night Stand" Tillison offers an after hours lament where his aching vocal is supported by his stark acoustic guitar and Richmond's Charlie Rich like piano figure. The soundtrack to a breaking heart.

No song on "Mamble Jamble" falls short- the Country twang of "Two Step Blue Step" augmented by Jimmy Byfield's bee-sting guitar licks and 'Change Change" with its muscular Bayou riffs keep the pot boiling The hypnotic travelogue of 'Calling On You" uses Cajun rhythms and some of Roger's loveliest singing whereas "South West Wind", equal parts truism and resignation, is sturdy Country Rock.'Jukebox Poet" which evokes a landscape of neon drenched roadhouses, passing trains and lost highways reaffirms Tillison as the true troubador and real songwriter. 

Tillison tears up roots on the CD's sole non-original,Son House's "Pony Blues". With his craggy vocals fused to Junior Markham's paint striipping harmoncia wail Tillison delivers Country Blues at its most unvarnished. Closing out the album is Tillison's durable "Rock N Roll Gypsies', initially covered by West Coast psychedelic/country rock trio Hearts and Flowers and later by close friend the late Jesse Ed Davis. Revisiting "Rock N Roll Gypsies" in a plangent Folk Rock setting Tillison ensures the song has lost none of its relevance. Mixing Dylanesque imagery with plainspoken philosophy Tillison sings with both soul and wisdom- "For tomorrow will too soon be yesterday". 

Like his long time friend J.J Cale Roger Tillison has been there and done that...it's easily found in his music. Music that needs to be heard and appreciated, loved and admired. Somewhere Woody Guthrie nods in approval."