got an email from Murali Coryell with a review of his latest release from Blueswax.
A BluesWax Reprint
This review ran in BluesWax issue #372 on 11/29/2007
Murali Coryell
Don't Blame It On Me
Self-Produced
BluesWax Rating: 8 out of 10
The Future of Popular Blues
As a young man, Marshall Chess worked for his father and his uncle at
the famed Chess Records. In 1970, when the Rolling Stones left the
less-than-scrupulous Allen B. Klein to start up their own label, they
called Chess to front the effort for them. After a substance
abuse-induced break with the Stones, Chess would try again with his
new label, CZYZ, and in 1999 released the album 2120 by the artist
Murali Coryell. Blues fans will immediately recognize the name of the
album as the address of Chess Records in Chicago (also commemorated in
the early Rolling Stones song "2120 South Michigan Avenue"). It is
purported that "Czcy" is the Polish spelling for the Americanized
version of his family name Chess.
And so in 2007 Coryell, a determined road dog, would release an
acoustic album, Don't Blame It On Me. As you might expect, being the
son of legendary Jazz guitarist Larry Coryell, Murali is blisteringly
competent on the guitar, however it's his vocals that immediately draw
you in. If Marvin Gaye were to grow up listening to the sugary
Euro-Pop of the 1970's BBC, one can get a hint of Coryeli's vocals --
soulful, yet vulnerable, yet still more Motown than Michael Bolton.
The opening title track, "Don't Blame It On Me," is a wonderful song
that sets a tone for emotion-steeped lyric lines and earnest grit. On
"Way Too Expensive" Coryeli's vocals lead a crisp acoustic guitar
through your traditional twelve-bar Blues format as he sings, "We got
the Iraq War/And Sisters are dying too/But the Administration tells us
its good for me and you/But its way too expensive/Way too expensive
for me and you." On the third track, "Standing The Test Of Time,"
Coryeli uses a powerful Blues-Rock structure to push through a
well-written song that is at once funky, Blues, and the best of Rock,
including a chorus that the listener quickly picks up.
Several of the tracks on Don't Blame It On Me appeared on previous
albums in an electric form, including the emotion-tugging,
father-to-son track "Hi Charlie" and the radio-friendly "Stop," where
he sings "Stop, Baby, wait a minute/I had my whole life planned before
you came in it."
Murali Coryell is the future of the popular Blues, albeit not the
only course in front of us. He is an exceptional songwriter who can
sing better than he plays and, brother, he can play! This album
contains the necessary 12-bars that old-schoolers want, but seeps with
a soulful Pop sensibility that should capture a wider audience. On
"Sea Legs" Coryeli incorporates the names of today's Blues icons in a
silly, yet adoring, format that appropriately recognizes those that
came before him. So he honors the art rather than simply quaffing from
that loving cup. What more could you ask for? Perhaps major
distribution?
Rick Galusha is a contributing editor at BluesWax
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Saturday, December 8th, 2007
Keltic House -
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=150657793
10:00pm
1004 Main St. Plaza
Fishkill, NY
845 896-1110
Friday, December 14th, 2007
Bull's Head Inn - http://www.bullsheadinn.com/
solo acoustic - 9:00pm
120 Sarah Wells Trail
Campell Hall, NY
845 496-6758
Saturday, December 15th, 2007
Bearsville Theater - http://www.bearsvilletheater.com/
solo acoustic - 8:00pm
291 Tinker St.
Woodstock, NY 12498
USA
(845) 679-4406
Price: $40 and $30
opening for Leon Russell
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Buddy Guys Legends - http://buddyguys.com
9:30pm
754 S. Wabash
CHICAGO, IL 60605
USA
312-427-0333
Price: $10
Friday, December 21st, 2007
Manhattan's - http://www.manhattanstoledo.com/
9:00pm
1516 Adams St.
Toledo, OH 43624
USA
419 243-6675
an evening of blues/soul/rock w/special guests!
Saturday, December 22nd, 2007
Manhattan's - http://www.manhattanstoledo.com/
9:00pm
1516 Adams St.
Toledo, OH 43624
USA
419 243-6675
Price: TBA
an evening of blues/soul/rock w/special guests!
Friday, December 28th, 2007
Benji and Jakes - http://myspace.com/benjiandjakes
10:00pm
5 Horseshoe Lake Rd
Kauneonga Lake, NY
USA
Saturday, December 29th, 2007
Scully's
solo acoustic - 8:00pm
Rock Tavern, NY
USA
Friday, January 11th, 2008
Fat Fish Blue - http://www.fatfishblue.com/
9:00pm
21 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, OH
USA
216-875-6000
Cleveland's best live music bar & restaurant
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Fat Fish Blue - http://www.fatfishblue.com/
9:00pm
21 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, OH
USA
216-875-6000
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Your Place Lounge - http://www.myspace.com/yourplacelounge
10:00pm
17326 East Warren Ave.
Detroit, MI 48224
USA
(313) 881-4850
with special guests
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
JJ's Blues - http://www.jjsblues.net/
7:00pm
3439 Stevens Creek Blvd
San Jose, CA 95117
USA
408-243-6441
Price: TBA
Friday, April 18th, 2008
Columbia-Greene Community College - http://www.sunycgcc.edu/
The Coryell's featuring Larry Coryell & Murali Coryell - 7:00pm
4400 Route 23
Hudson, NY 12534
USA
518 828-4181
Price: TBA
an evening of jazz/blues/rock & soul
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