Terrell - Beautiful Side of Madness (featuring Joan Osborne) 1996.

Gritty, brash, soulful roots rock -- that's one possible tag that would help define Terrell and his Pointblank/Virgin Records debut. Although it's hard to know if Terrell himself is indeed an Angry Southern Gentleman, it certainly makes a bewitching album title. And since his songs tell stories of God-fearing men in New Orleans, voodoo, Sunday shirts, liquor stores, redneck gigolos, whiskey, and lots of driving around, which everyone knows is the quintessential Southern activity, he seems to have a strong argument for his case. Terrell is a playful, creative songwriter, painting images and moods with phrases and melodies that work well together even when they are both battling for center stage.
On Beautiful Side of Madness, Terrell cranks it up to get down and dirty. This is sloppy, raw, bluesy roots rock with lyrics that tend to be smarter than you might expect from this genre. Heck, he mentions Faulkner, Jesus, and Buddha, going so far as to even title a song for "Georgia O'Keeffe." But it's the way Terrell plays with words and twists phrases that makes his music compelling, as long as you don't mind the occasional profanity that is part and parcel to the dark themes of which he often writes, including portraits of drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. Jim Doyle, Rich Meyer, and J. Swanson form the band, which brings a certain backstreet energy and gritty sound refined during a long stint of touring in support of Angry Southern Gentleman. On one of those tours, Terrell opened for Joan Osborne who, in turn, contributes vocals to the title track, which is the quietest and one of the finest moments of the offering. Overall, the second half of the record hits a nice stride somewhere around "Black and White Blues," and is an easier set to listen to than the first handful of tunes.Song "Beautiful Side of Madness" Charlie Terrell writes with the grit of Tom Waits, the intuitiveness of Bukowski, the tenderness of a woman and the passion of a madman.

Beautiful Side of Madness

Tonight is dying.
I need some company.
Let’s go to your place and call it serenity.
I won’t talk about your drinking.
And I won’t tell you to comb your hair.
We won’t say nothing.
We’ll just sit there and stare into the beautiful side of madness.
Into the beautiful side of madness.
Won’t you take me back again.

We lost a lot of laughter.
We lost a lot of nights.
But, I ain’t seen nobody that could always get it right.
I like your eyes.
Oh, there’s a little madness in the blue.
And I know I’m going crazy but, at least I’m going there with you.
Into the beautiful side of madness.
Into the beautiful side of madness.
Won’t you take me back again.

You’re such a languid lover.
Oh, it’s a long slow ride.
But, nobody knows, nobody knows how beautiful it is on the other side.
Into the beautiful side of madness.
Oh, yes, into the beautiful side of madness.
Won’t you take me back again.
Won’t you take me back again.
Won’t you take me back again.