Reviews, May 2012

Billy Boy Arnold, Sings Big Bill Broonzy (Electro-Fi).  Mr. Broonzy was the Granddaddy of Chicago Blues, a direct or indirect influence on all that followed. Mr. Arnold, born and raised in Chicago, has been carrying that torch for over 60 years, so it is great to hear him mining the lode of Mr. Broonzy’s songs.  The sound here is all acoustic, befitting the pre-war origin of these tunes.  And just as he did on his Sonny Boy album a few years back, Mr. Arnold makes it all sound personal and fresh.  I could happily play any cut here on my show, but my picks are Sweet Honey Bee (1),  Rider Rider Blues (6, which you will recognize as a very close cousin of CC Rider), I Want You By My Side (9), and the often-covered Just a Dream (13).  –NAD 05/12

Chris Barber, Memories of my Trip (Proper).  This is more than an anthology of performances featuring famous guests, it is a document of the history of the cross-fertilization of American Blues and British popular music, from the traditional jazz variant Skiffle, to the more familiar Rock n’ Roll.  By inviting Americans like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, and Muddy Waters to tour England in the late 50s and early 60s, Trombonist Chris Barber and his band helped to initiate that interaction.  There are songs here that will work on Jazz shows, Rock shows, and even Folk shows, but for my Blues show I am especially excited for the Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee cuts (Disc 1, 1-3), the Muddy Waters track (Disc 1, 5), the Van Morrison tracks (Disc 1, 10-12).  On the second disc, the Blues highlights include the cuts with Jools Holland (Disc 2, 10-11).  Happy 80^th birthday, Mr. Barber!  -NAD 05/12

Lisa Biales, Just Like Honey (Big Song).  A strong voice with mostly-acoustic backing that gives this a bit of a hootenanny feel.  My picks are  Call the Fire Wagon (1),  Give it Up  (11)  and a duet with E.G. Kight on the Delmore Brothers’ Blues Stay Away from Me (12).  –NAD 05/12

Rory Block,  I Belong to the Band: A Tribute to Rev. Gary Davis (Stony Plain).  Ms. Block continues her series of tributes to blues masters with this disc of gospel songs written by Rev. Gary Davis (who gave up the devil’s music well before he was rediscovered by the New York café set).  The liner notes tell the story of her accompanying Stefan Grossman to lessons from the still active Reverend when she was 14.  At the time, she may not have been up to the challenge of Rev. Davis’ intricate guitar work, but fifty years later she pulls them off beautifully, adding her impassioned vocals which give these interpretations her unique stamp.  My favorites are I Belong to the Band (4), I Feel Just Like Goin’ On (5), and Death Don’t Have No Mercy (12). –NAD 05/12

Richard Carr, Tell Everybody (Iguane).  Guitar driven blues in the tradition of T-Bone Walker,  Duke Robillard, and Ronnie Earl.  You can get a good sense of what a fine guitarist Mr. Carr is on the instrumental Blues for Ronnie  (8).  Other highlights include The Blues Came Calling (2) and Evil (7). –NAD 05/12

Warren Haynes Band, Live at the Moody Theater (Stax).  Unlike so many outfits that combine blues with rock n’ roll, Mr. Haynes and his band place a high value on emotional subtlety and nuance, and a low value on pyrotechnics and power.  This double set (plus DVD) captures a live performance in Austin, 2011.  Highlights include River’s Gonna Rise (Disc 1, 2),  Hattiesburg Hustle (Disc 1, 8), A Change is Gonna Come (Disc 2, 5), and Your Wildest Dreams (Disc 2, 9). –NAD 05/12

Rockin’ Johnny Band, Grim Reaper (Delmark).  Tough but tasteful Chicago blues.  Especially impressive are the original songs, which avoid rehashed clichés, but still manage to stay true to the tradition.  Especially recommended are Grim Reaper (1) and It’s Expensive to be Broke (7).  – NAD 05/12

Treasa Levasseur, Broad (Factor)*  This is a little different, and hard to peg, in a good way.  Ms. Lavasseur  is a Canadian singer and songwriter with an engaging voice, and apparently, an affinity for backing bands (there are four different ones on this release).  Not every cut is going to work on a blues show, but some of them, like Much Too Much (1), A Little Pride (2) and What We’re Worth (8) are like a blues band on an R&B bender.  And Feel Good Time (4) has nothing to do with the blues, but the slow soul beat makes it work anyway.  – NAD 04/12.

Chuck Leavell, Back to the Woods (Evergreen Arts).  From his days with Little Feat to his touring with the Rolling Stones, Mr. Leavell has established himself not just as a great piano player, but as something of an authority on what the blues and its many variants should sound like on the 88s.  (If you can dig up the piece he wrote for Musician Magazine in the early 80’s , you will see that he can discuss what he does almost as well as he does what he does.)  For a long time fan like me, this is a dream come true: Mr. Leavell going to his many sources, and just playing them as they were meant to be played.  I’m not as wild about the vocals, which serve more as accompaniment for the piano rather than the other way around.  My picks are Losing Hand (5),  I Got to Go Blues (8) with vocals by Col. Bruce Hampton. –NAD 05/12

The Nighthawks, Damn Good Time!  (Severn).  Still going strong after 40 years, this is pretty much what you want and expect from and Nighthawks CD – a mix of blues with rock, doo-wop, and rockabilly influences (and probably a couple I missed!).   My picks are Damn Good Time (3) and Send for Me (5). –NAD 05/12

Pinetop Perkins, Heaven (Blind Pig).  Most of these cuts are 1986 solo performances (when Mr. Perkins was 73, and still in full control of both hands).  I listen to this and hear the beauty of his piano playing even more plainly than on his many great recordings with his own bands and Muddy Waters.  There was more Charles Brown in him than I ever heard before.  Listen, in particular, to 4 O’Clock in the Morning (2) and Willow Weep for Me (11).  Newly recorded vocals from Willie ”Big Eyes” Smith were added on Sitting on Top of the World (4), probably Mr. Smith’s last recording.  And new vocals from Otis Clay were added to  Since I Fell for You (6), another highlight. – NAD 05 /12

Phantom Blues Band, Inside Out (Vizztone).  Top notch players  pooling their talents on some nicely chosen songs.  If ever there was a blues band you could dance all night to, this is it.  My picks are I Can’t Stand It  (1),  Change (8),  and Stone Survivor (13).  –NAD 05/12

Royal Southern Brotherhood, Self-titled (Ruf) It sounds like the start of a bad riddle: What do you get when you cross a Neville Brother, with the son of an Allman brother.  It turns out that if you add one blues rock vet (Mike Zito) and a rhythm section, you get the Royal Southern Brotherhood, a rock n’ roll band that plays well with blues lovers.  Not surprisingly, Ivan Neville is their best singer, and my pick reflects that:  Fire on the Mountain (5). –NAD 05/12

The Strata-Tones, Dressed Up to Fess Up (Fruition).  California funk and blues band that features  engaging vocalist Valerie Johnson, and lots of original tunes.  I do like the mellower Lovers Lost and Found (4) but my favorite is Beebop Babies (2). –NAD 05/12

Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Live: Everybody’s Talking (Sony Masterworks). This ain’t no blues band, but blues is at the core of what they do.  The title track (Disc 1, 1) is a drastic reworking of the tune form the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack, and definitely a pick.  The other picks for me are That Did It (Disc 2, 1), the bluesiest track on the set, and the Stevie Wonder classic Uptight (disc 2, 2). –NAD 05/12

Brad Vickers and his Vestopolitans, Dallas Blues (ManHatTone).  A limited release single, this song captures a blend of early blues and Texas country music that certainly sounds like it could have come right out of the 20’s or 30’2, except the recording quality is too good.  I love the blues fiddle, juxtaposed against clarinets. –NAD 05/12