Cathi's Reviews -- 11/3/09
Armstrong, Vanessa Bell – “Good News” (EMI Gospel) ASmooth gospel – one promo cut CD from powerful vocalist Armstrong—tasty gospel choir backup. You can hear approval shouts from live crowd. She’s got the chops to cover a huge female choir. YES…been waiting for someone like this – heavily reminiscent of Aretha….can’t wait for the album.
Arnold, Mac & Plate Full of Blues – “Country Man” (VizzTone) B+
Old-timer Mac Arnold, former Muddy Waters bass player, cooks barbecue and takes in all comers down south on his South Carolina farm. But he also sings and plays a mean “gas can guitar” which eventually drew some blues-lovin’ players his way and last year they put out a very popular debut disc (produced by Bob Margolin who is back producing this one too). Rough vocals over songs he’s written about being a plain, tractor-drivin’ country man “way over 65.” But just when you think he’s fadin’ he comes back chargin’ with a rocker (#6). The band is good and they all CLEARLY love Mac and his barbecue. A good feelin’ disc.
Golub, Jeff – “Blues for You” (E-1 Music) A-
Tasty guitarist Golub is all over this disc. What a player. He’s got a combo that includes Shawn Pelton (former Bloomingtonian and Saturday Night live drummer) and other NY stalwarts, with a minimalist approach to instrumentation which allows the talents of everyone to shine. Guest vocalists Peter Wolf, Billy Squier, Marc Cohn and John Waite break things up with a variety of vocals, but Golub’s guitar clearly is the lead on this campaign…very nicely done. No needlessly over-the-top finger work and backed by great horn work that doesn’t overpower the guitar or vocals. Golub seems to always be there with support licks that actually support, and then slides into ear-pleasing solos that slip so easily into the groove and leave your ear with a smile that you can hardly tell how really GOOD this guy is. But when you check out those instrumentals, wow. Rare.
James, Samuel – “For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen” (Northern Blues) B
Acoustic guitarist James is a skillful piedmont-style guitar player, sadly overlooked by mainstream blues fans. However, he has an original style and a storytelling talent that keeps him slowly-but-surely carving his name into the best rosters of country blues. At ease as a resonator slide playing, banjo, harp and piano, James pulls you down off the fast track for some front porch storytellin’ and sweet guitar to back it up. Talk-sings the lyrics. A young cat, this is his second disc on Northern Blues and he seems fairly placed to be around and better as time passes. Good for all mixes.
Lovell Sisters – “Time to Grow” (2DefPig Publishing) A
Three Young Women who play mandolin, fiddle and dobro and sing like angels in harmony. What’s not to like? They lean toward country music, but they kick booty on everything. Bringing in fans like Viktor Krauss on bass doesn’t hurt either. Just a little more band like than acoustic, but sweet and sassy with harmonies that can only be found in the family. Super fine.
Maxwell, David & Louisiana Red – “You Got to Move” (BlueMax Records) A-
Piano wizard Dave Maxwell, veteran of a great many blues bands, has known Louisiana Red (Iverson Minter) for 30 years and one day when Red was in town, they went into a studio to see what they could come up with. This is the result – a great collection of real blues, supported in grand style by Maxwell’s bluesy backup…and how. Red, who lost his mom as a baby to pneumonia and his dad at age five – hung by the KKK – played for years on the road, perhaps most notably with John Lee Hooker. He “re-emerged” again when the blues craze hit these last 15 years. Both Red and Maxwell are among the rare breed who can keep a reeeeeeeal slow beat going with full feel. They kick off this disc just that way. Bob Margolin jumps in from time to time for fun. Very bluesy…very nice.
Murphy, Shaun – “Livin’ the Blues” (Vision Wall Records) B+
Backup singer for Eric Clapton and Bob Seger, not to mention a 15-year stint with Little Feat, Murphy steps out in front with her own band. Her original love of Etta James and Koko Taylor’s blues, melds with her rock backup history. She can belt ‘em as you might imagine she’d have to, to back up the big rock names, and with a crew of older/veteran musicians, Murphy rolls a big Etta-and-Janis combination voice out there with ease, (“It Takes a Lot to Laugh…”). It clearly reflects her backup rep, but I wonder if she needs to push so hard. Most tunes are medium tempo and lean on the rock side of things. Great vocals, in my view, are not just about the shoutin’ and hollarin’ (although they’re useful skills). When Murphy puts some of that great phrasing and inflection on the slow tunes, her true artistry breaks out (#9, 10).
Setzer, Brian (Orchestra) – “Songs from Lonely Avenue” (Surfdog) A+
Setzer has been digging a complete band/orchestra backup on a variety of genres…all mixed with his rockabilly sensibilities. All that horn and jazz-cat backup makes an interesting soup, salted with his wacky guitar leads and distinctive vocals. He’s clearly havin’ fun…accessing styles as dated as his suits, cruisin’ down film-noir lane in Sinatra shoes with Peter Gunn sensibilities. A huge collection of L.A. film-ready cuts. Musicians, of course, are superlative, with arrangements slick as a banister. What this guy must be doing in his spare time..scary!
Zito, Mike – “Pearl River” (Electro Groove) B
Electro Groove is pushing this guy as the next SRV – with blazing guitar gym and tattoos. Zito writes most of the tunes, and delivers to those hungry for fast licks and brangy power chords over shouted vocals. I am less enthralled as time goes on with this style– must be old age. Still, there are more and more of these power-chord, paid-by-the-note players out there these days and it takes a special something to be heard over the din. That something special appears more when he backs off his initial charge and offers songs like the N’awlin’s feel of “Eyesight to the Blind,” or the plaintive but gritty “39 days.” Songs here are a little less road warrior-oriented than usual.
posted by Cathi N @ 1:36:00 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home