CD Reviews 7/08/07
Binder, Dennis – “Hole in that Jug” (Earwig) B-Another Earwig matchup of old timer fronting a new blues band. This one has more interesting tunes, and accents the good songwriting talents of Dennis Binder, but his vocals are indistinct. He plays keyboards and tells a good story. Serviceable.
Cook, Eli – “Miss Blues’es Child” (Valley Entertainment) C+
Very interesting approach. Slide/Resonator guitarist plays acoustic blues with banjo accompaniment. Sometimes banjoist sings backup, but more often, Cook sings alone. Many songs are acoustic but with a raggedy, distorted guitar playing slide licks and overlaid with Cook’s very indiscernible vocals. Stripped down blues, obliterated by loud resonator and mumbly vocals. Weird. Can’t recommend, though I wanted to.
Drummer, Johnny – “Rockin’ in the Juke Joint” (Earwig) B-
Earwig continues its mission of putting old-time blues players in the spotlight, usually in a new role as front man of a blues band. This CD spotlights keyboard/harper Johnny Drummer (!) with a workin’ band and some lady backups to sweeten the pot. Even so, Drummer doesn’t really hit the pocket like one would hope. Serviceable blues but nothin’ to write home about.
Harper – “Day By Day” (Blind Pig) B
I must confess I don’t generally like this guy, but since this CD will NOT move out of the review stack, I’ll tackle it. It’s stadium rock, not blues. Many effects, particularly moving in and out of vocal efforts, and less of his trademark paid-by-the-note harmonica work than usual. When he slows down a bit, some of the songs are interesting (Feels Like Sunday Morning and I Must be Dreaming). If it’s your thing, it ain’t bad.
Mayall, John & Bluesbreakers – “In The Palace of the King” (Eagle Rock) A-
John Mayall has always been the king of White Boy blues camp (nah-nah-nah Rex), and this time he has hauled in a crop of majorly good blues sidemen in this tribute to Freddie King’s legacy of the blues. Buddy Whittington is incredibly good on guitar here and the combo backs Mayall with horns and tasty arrangements. Mayall’s vocals are thin and sometimes dismaying, but this crew puts the record over the top with tight arrangements and stinging attacks on guitar, with horn backup. A surprisingly good disc. I’m not a Mayall fan (did you guess?) except for the great respect I give him for his dedication to the genre, and the ability he has to recognize and foster great players. This disc is an excellent example.
Swampdawamp – “Swampdawamp” (Big Penny Entertainment) C-
Allman Brothers wannabes throwing themselves into crashy rock that sometimes approaches a Led Zepplin affront. Too bad they didn’t stay lost in the swamp. Not recommended.
posted by Cathi N @ 11:19:00 AM
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