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Past Issues
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In This Issue
We welcome a new writer and photographer, Chris Armold.
Chris has our feature interview with Kenny Wayne Shepherd this week.
We have six CD reviews for you this week!
Jim Kanavy reviews a new CD from Mark T. Small. Gary
Weeks reviews a new CD from Mary Flower. John Mitchell reviews a new CD from
Josh Smith and also one from Mighty Sam McClain and Knut Reiersrud.
Eric Steiner reviews a new compilation CD from Oregon's Cascade Blues
Association. Mark Thompson reviews a new CD from
Alberta Hunter. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
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Featured Blues Interview -
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
 Blues Blast:
Welcome to Cincinnati Kenny, it must be fun playing here
since your singer Noah Hunt is a native and has a large cadre of friends
and fans in and around the city.
KWS: Yeah absolutely, it's like when I got back to my home town. He's
like an adopted member of my family down in Louisiana, so coming to
Cincinnati is like coming home for me too.
Blues Blast: Well you're into tonight headlining with Joe Walsh on the
bill. How did this pairing happen?
KWS: Well Joe and I have been friends since I've was17. My first album
came out and I was doing the “Hell Freezes Over” tour with the Eagles in
Europe plus a few shows in the states. We became friends on the tour and
have stayed in touch. We've jammed a few times in Los Angeles with other
musicians. Since we've both got new albums out we thought it would be a
good chance to go on the road together especially since we get along.
Blues Blast: Okay, you've jammed with Joe Walsh, who would you like to
perform with that you haven't yet?
KWS: Hmmm, I don't know, I've played with just about everyone but
Clapton and I would really like the opportunity to do that.
Unfortunately every time they have done the Crossroads thing we've had
prior commitments.
 Blues Blast: The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band has a new album called “How I
Go” so the logical question is how's it going for that disc?
KWS: It's going well and a lot of people believe its our best album to
date and I'm really happy. I think it's certainly one of our best
records. I'm very proud of the album, everyones performance shows a lot
of growth and maturity and that comes from having done this for 20
years.
Blues Blast: I understand that your approach to this record was to
really focus on crafting the song rather than try to put on a blues
guitar shredding clinic.
KWS: I've just learned over the years after listening to my guitar
heroes, Albert King, B.B. King, Albert Collins and even Stevie Ray, that
a lot of the times it's the guys with the “less is more” approach that
really resonated with me. I felt their music so much. I would hear a
lick that I would like and I would want to learn it. It wasn't normally
a flurry of notes, it was usually just a collection of powerful notes
combined into a lick. I just didn't want to overdo it on this record I
wanted to make sure that what I played for the songs was appropriate. I
want the music to penetrate people in their soul with those notes.
Blues Blast: Do you think it takes a level of experience and maturity as
a guitarist to get to be able to capitalize musically on that “less is
more” approach?
 KWS: I think everyone who is young when they pick up a guitar wants to
be fast. A lot of that is youth and a lot of what I am doing does come
with maturity but there are a lot of guys out there who play fast like
Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or even Joe Bonnamassa.
Those guys aren't kids
and they still play fast a lot of the time and they are really good at
it, really technically talented. For me, it's like Albert King. Nothing
that guy does is fast. He never plays anything fast, it's all just
straight from the gut feeling. You know Hendrix is about as fast as a
player, or Stevie Ray in his later days when his speed was picking up,
that's about as fast as it gets for me. It's cool and it's fun to play
fast but I feel like when I play with B.B. King he can play just one
note and it says everything for him. That's more inspirational to me
than seeing how many notes you can cram into a phrase.
Blues Blast: You built your chops on the blues and in that genre you're
well respected. Do you think you'll continue to explore more rock or
alternative styles or stick primarily with the blues?
KWS: Well blues will be in everything I do and no matter how many times
I branch out in different directions, I'll always return to the blues
It's the foundation of what I do. In my heart, I love the blues and I
could just play blues guitar all day long and be happy.
As a musician,
songwriter, composer and producer, taking the blues in different
directions keeps things interesting to me. To throw a progression in
that isn't typical of the blues to see what direction it takes the music
and to see what ideas it generates, I find that interesting. Now, I
could sit around and play a slow blues or a 1-4-5 blues shuffle all day
long and it would be a lot of fun but as a writer I like to try
different things. I also like to incorporate my rock influences because
you know blues and rock were cut from the same mold.
 Blues Blast: You often are compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan but from a
guitar playing and song writing perspective, what sets you apart from SRV?
KWS: If I had to place myself on a chart, I'd say I'm musically
somewhere between Stevie Ray and Jimi Hendrix. I think my music has more
of an edge to it that Stevie Ray Vaughan's music but it isn't quite as
out there or not as psychedelic as Hendrix. But there are plenty of
songs I've performed and recorded over the years that I don't think
Steve Ray Vaughan would have recorded. “Blue on Black” is a perfect
example, I can't say that I could see Stevie Ray doing that song, that's
not to say he wouldn't like it but I don't know, as an artist I just
don't think that is a song he would have done. My fourth album, “The
Place You're In”, the album I sung on, is a straight ahead rock record
and I don't think it's a record that Stevie Ray would have done. So, you
know, I feel like I'm in the middle ground between those two guys. I
have a pretty significant rock background growing up listening to ZZ
Top, Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd ,Almond Brothers, lots of southern
rock bands and all of that stuff finds its way into your music,
intentional or not simply because you absorb it.
Blues Blast: Do you think people who describe you as an “SRV clone” have
actually listened to your musical catalog?
KWS: You know man, it seems like everyone tries to fit you in to a box.
Look at Stevie Ray, when he was around people were calling him a Hendrix
clone. Listen to B.B. King's early stuff, it's all T. Bone Walker stuff
because T. Bone was B.B.'s hero at the time. Everyone has their heroes
and influences and that's not something I'm going to disregard. If it
wasn't for Stevie Ray Vaughan I would probably not be doing what I'm
doing. Kenny Wayne Shepherd might not even exist as a guitar player
that's how significant he was to me on a personal level and on a musical
level. So I have no problem, he's one of the greatest guitar players to
pick up the instrument, so if people want to compare me to him or throw
me in that category that's okay. There's a lot of people who would love
to be mentioned in the same breath with him.
Blues Blast: Today the tables are somewhat turned and now you're
influencing a host of younger guitarist. Guys like up and coming
blues/rock guitarist Scotty Bratcher. He's 23, plays a KWS signature
Strat and lists you as one of his influences. How's that feel?
 KWS: I think its great. It's hard for me to look at myself like that, I
still revert back to that little kid with the guitar looking up at my
heroes and just being a music and guitar enthusiast. It's hard for me to
see myself on a pedestal but it's very complimentary and it has a big
impact on me when people tell me my music influences them. You have a
big responsibility when you are successful (in music). Music is a
powerful thing and I try to take that responsibility and turn it into a
positive thing.
Blues Blast: Let me ask you about your rig, I understand you're using
some gear from Pennsylvania based effects maker Pigntroix. How did you
get hooked up with them and what's your impression of their gear?
KWS: Yes, I'm using one of their effects pedals in the studio, one of
the guys at Pigtronix sent me one of their EP2 Envelope Phasers, it's a
big unit and it gets these really crazy sounds. You can go like way far
out there and get really trippy with it or you can get some very subtle
effects. I used it on a song called “Anywhere The Wind Blows” with a
couple chorus pedals and was able to get this great big monstrous sound.
It's a really cool sounding pedal, it's the only pedal I have from
Pigtronix but I am very impressed with it, impressed enough to use it on
an album!
 Blues Blast: You've got a nice arsenal of gigging guitars. Are there any
routine modifications you make to your guitars to make them your own?
KWS: Look, that's why my Kenny Wayne Shepherd Fender Strat signature
model guitar is so ideal because the guitars are built the way I want.
Now, if I bought a new guitar off the shelf I would to do it what have
been done to the signature model. I would immediately put 6100 jumbo
frets on it. I would put Graph Tech guitar labs saddles on it, I would
probably put my signature series pickups in it because we worked a year
and a half on them to get the right sound and I think they sound really
good! Feeling and sound is most important in a guitar, if the frets
aren't big enough you can always re-fret it and the graphite saddles are
so important to reduce string breakage. Since I've been using those
saddles if a string has broken it's because of a flaw in the string,
they make a big difference.
Blues Blast: Well hey Kenny, thank you very much for your time this
evening, have a great show and enjoy Cincinnati. Any final thoughts for
our readers?
KWS: It was good meeting you and yes, I hope they will pick up a copy of
my new record “How I Go” I think they'll like it.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is currently on tour with Joe Walsh. For more
information on Kenny Wayne Shepherd, visit his official website at
http://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/
Interviewer Chris Armold is a writer and photographer in Ohio. Much
about him and his work is at:
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 1 of 6
 Mark
T. Small - Blacks, Whites & The Blues
Lead Foot Music
14 Tracks, 44:30
Solo acoustic blues is making a comeback recently. It's never really
gone away and probably never will as long as hard times and guitars
cross paths. Maybe this intimate style of blues is surging in popularity
now due to over-blown excesses of pop music, pop culture, government,
and banking institutions. History is repeating itself as the United
States and other countries feel the oppression of economic distress just
as it did in the depression when musicians carried guitars on their
backs from town to town, entertaining people, empathizing through their
lyrics, and generating smiles with good time boogies and occasionally
bawdy lyrics. There is no shortage of artists keeping this tradition
alive and Mark T. Small has thrown his hat into the ring.
Armed with a 1947 Martin, a 1958 Martin D-18, a trusty Fender Telecaster
and a handful of other rustic guitars, Small takes a look back at the
by-gone era of roaming musicians, dusty roads, sharecropping, and
soul-crushing debt to the company store. Small's vocals aren't exactly
steeped in cigarettes and whiskey, but his voice is filled with
character. He inhabits the world of each song, singing it like he's
lived it and though many of the songs are half a century old or more, he
has probably seen similar situations in his years on the road. His
guitar playing is impeccable and like musical alchemists of blues' early
days, me mixes melodies and lyrics from various sources, creating
something fresh and yet familiar. Small does this to great effect on the
album opener, mixing the signature lick from "Smokestack Lightning" into
Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More." If only Muddy and the Wolf had done
this together, who knows what music may have followed.
Some of the song choices on Blacks, Whites & The Blues look like
re-treads at first glance, but Small makes even the most over-done
songs, like “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Catfish Blues,” sound relevant and
neoteric. Small masterfully re-imagines "The Thrill Is Gone," making it
sound like it's always been played by folkies and acoustic blues
troubadours. Gone are the horns and overblown production and in place
are minor chords and lonesome guitar lines guaranteed to move paupers
and kings alike. Mark T. Small closes the album with a delicate, finger
picked rendition of Scott Joplin’s “Solace.” As on many songs here, his
guitar playing is precise and nuanced as he weaves a tapestry of notes
around the melody, cradling the song with care and respect. He reveres
the music but not to a point of simply duplicating it. He makes it his
own in subtle ways that will keep listeners entertained over and over
again; that is the point isn’t it?
Like the traveling bluesmen of yesteryear who, long before cassettes,
CDs, iPods or streaming music, brought popular songs, regional hits,
show tunes, and the latest Tin Pan Alley creations to the rural masses,
Mark T. Small blends the best elements to create enjoyable music for not
only blues fans but music fans in general.
Reviewer Jim Kanavy is the greatest guitar player in his house. He
has been reviewing albums in his head for 30 years and in print since
2008, and is deeply committed to keeping the blues alive and thriving.
For more information visit
http://jimkanavy.com.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 2 of 6
 Mary
Flower – Misery Loves Company
12 tracks: Time: 47:08
Fans of acoustic blues players John Hammond, Rory Block and Fiona Boyes
will probably get the same sort of satisfaction when they listen to
Misery Loves Company by Mary Flower.
Bouncing back and forth between covers and originals, Flower shines as
an example of being a torchbearer of bringing traditional music into the
public light. Residing in Portland, Oregon doesn’t seem to deter her
from presenting songs enriched in the cultures of the Deep South.
This journalist remembers catching her set at the Blind Willie McTell
Blues Festival a couple of years ago. It was the kind of stuff that went
down well with some audience members, particularly those who closely
aligned with a purist background.
As she has done with other releases, Flower continues to explore the
finger-picking style of folk, Piedmont, ragtime and Delta blues. While
no new ground may be broken here, it is a welcome sojourn into a rural
America that we forgot existed.
While the greatest strengths are wrapping her guitar and lap slide
guitar lines around this material, the collaborations with various
guests gives the tracks an extra boost.
Harmonica player Curtis Salgado drops in to add his buttery harmonica
lines to Muddy Waters’ “Hard Day Blues.” Guest singer LaRhonda Steele
applies a sweet background vocal to the Gary Davis gospel churched “Goin
to Sit Down On The Banks Of The River.” Her rendition of Son House’
“Death Letter Blues” personifies more of a Piedmont air then Delta
menace.
While tackling the other acoustic treasures of players, Flower displays
strong prowess in her own material. If you want a shot of ragtime,
there’s the duet with Brian Oberlin in “Recession Rag” which can’t get
any more authentic. And delving deep into the Piedmont rudiments of
guitar seems to suit Mary best when she neatly picks her way through the
instrumental “Jitters.”
Handling the production chores herself can be considered a great move.
There is no over-production and the songs seem to be done in one or two
takes.
Perhaps the best union is with Colin Linden who adds his haunting
electric Dobro to Flower original “Way Down In The Bottom.” It’s as dark
and depressing as the title implies and perhaps the most melancholic
number on the CD.
But depression isn’t something Flower chooses to wallow in. It’s back to
the Piedmont business as usual with snaky lap slide playing in Tampa
Red’s “Boogie Woogie Dance” that ends too quickly before you begin to
appreciate the tune in full. The weirdly titled “I’m Dreaming Of Your
Demise” shows a humorous side of Flowers and Dave Frishberg’s piano is a
nice added touch.
What you’re looking at is an easy and relaxed cd to listen too. James Mason’s violin lazily plays along to Mary’s gentle finger-picking in the slow lull of “Miss Delta.”
Listeners of acoustic-based blues will want to seek this record out. If
you want a traditionalist take on things that doesn’t scream of
electricity, then Mary Flower can be one of the best sources to turn
too. If you check out her website, not only is she playing the normal
club circuit in the Portland area, but she serves as an instructor for
various music camps such as Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peach Ranch. It doesn’t
come as a surprise as she is one of the best choices to look to when
wanting to pursue a career in music that reeks of Americana and not
coming out formulated in an attempt to being accepted by the mainstream.
Thankfully Flower recognizes true traditions can save the day.
Reviewer Gary Weeks is a contributing writer. He resides in
Marietta, GA.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 3 of 6
 Josh
Smith – I’m Gonna Be Ready
12 tracks; 58.54 minutes + Bonus CD 4 tracks; 17.02
Josh Smith was born in Connecticut, started playing guitar when a
teenager growing up in Florida and later moved to LA where he is an
in-demand session player. In recent years he has held down the guitar
slot in Taylor Hicks’ and Raphael Saadiq’s bands and toured extensively
with both singers. He has released albums before, but the most recent
was in 1999 (with Jim Gaines producing), so he clearly feels that the
time is now right to get back to a solo career.
The CD covers a lot of ground and at times I can hear references to an
array of great guitarists – BB King, T-Bone Walker, Robben Ford, Albert
Collins - but Josh always remains his own man. All the material on the
album is original and Josh has been able to call on a lot of LA-based
players, including Kirk Fletcher, rhythm guitar on two tracks, Lynwood
Slim, harp on one track and Fred Kaplan, piano on three tracks. James
Gadson and Mike Clarke share the drum stool, Mike Mennell on bass and
Jeff Young on keys are constants throughout; horns appear on three
tracks courtesy of Lee Thornburg on trumpet and Lon Price on sax. Josh
also produced the CD which was recorded in California.
A four track bonus CD of instrumentals is being given away with the
first 3000 copies, so I’ll start with that. With titles “Penance”,
“Fulfillment”, “Propulsion” and “Inception” you might imagine some sort
of concept album, but that is not the case. In fact the four cuts are
clearly designed to show Josh’s ability to work in widely different
styles. “Penance” is a slow burning, atmospheric piece, the guitar
reminiscent of Jeff Beck’s playing, well supported by the organ.
“Fulfillment” is a jaunty piece with a touch of jazz rock; Josh gets
some great tone on his guitar here and made me think of Robben Ford in
the fluency of the playing. I loved the horns in their support role
here, their only appearance on the EP. “Propulsion” takes us into
bluegrass/country territory, the drums really setting a frenetic pace on
the shortest of these instrumentals. “Inception” is more of a
straightforward rock tune with a catchy refrain, the organ again playing
a vital support role to allow Josh to weave his magic on the guitar.
Overall a good introduction to Josh’s abilities.
Things get even better on the main CD however as Josh shows us that not
only is he a good guitarist but also sings convincingly, again covering
a number of styles within the blues idiom. First up “Fine Young Thing”
is a shuffle with the added gloss of Lynwood Slim’s harp and Fred
Kaplan’s piano. Josh is clearly enamored of his love – “You’re a fine
young thing, and I can’t help but get along with you. When my eyes met
you, knew that those other girls were through” and delivers an
outstanding solo to support his lyrical statement. “Only You” brings the
horns into play on a soulful piece that could be a missing Van Morrison
piece from the 70s while Josh channels BB King in “Goin’ Out Tonight”.
“The Way You Do” is a slow blues with more fine piano from Fred Kaplan
and organ from Jeff Young.
“You And Me (Don’t Belong Together)” starts with an insistent drum beat
that made me think initially of “Keep On Running”, but once the horns
arrive to add their weight to the tune we get a lot more soulful and end
up with a tune that sounds a lot like Southside Johnny And The Asbury
Jukes – not blues, but absolutely up my street as The Jukes are one of
my favorite bands, so this one hit the spot for me, with its rousing
chorus and great horn arrangement. “I’m Gonna Be Ready” is the longest
track on the CD, a mid-paced boogie with some tough guitar. The lyrics
sound like a very personal statement from Josh: “People talk about me,
they don’t know what I’ve got inside. I don’t even hear them, never
going to turn to run and hide. But I’m going to stand my ground, stick
with what I believe. People don’t know about all the tricks I’ve got up
my sleeve. My time’s coming. I’m gonna hold on still; I’m gonna be
ready.”
“Newtie” is an instrumental, not dissimilar from the tracks on the bonus
CD. “Sober Up Baby” returns to a slower blues. Lyrically we are in the
area of failing relationships due to the evils of drink, this time it’s
the girl who has the ‘problem’ and Josh is the victim. I particularly
enjoyed Josh’s extended solo here. “Where’s My Baby” is more of a
shuffle, the organ again giving excellent support to the solid guitar
playing. “Ain’t Enough” is another slowish boogie but “Already Found” is
a departure, a light piece with a hint of gospel in the playing,
particularly the organ. This is a clear statement of love: “From the
moment I saw you I knew you were the one. Already found everything I was
looking for, everything I was looking for I found it in you”. Josh’s
solo skips along over the beat and the song is quite a nice contrast to
the previous boogie piece. The final track is “Dead Wrong”, a mid-paced
piece of blues rock with ringing guitar and a fine solo to close the CD
on a high note.
It is always good to discover a new talent and that is what Josh Smith
is to me. A name for us to watch out for if he continues to follow his
blues muse. Meanwhile this CD comes with a ‘recommended’ tag.
Reviewer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK. He also
travels to the States most years to see live blues music.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Blues Society News
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Send your Blues Society's BIG news or Press Release
about your
not-for-profit event with
the subject line "Blues Society News" to:
Submissions must be a maximum of 175 words or less in a Text or MS Word document
format.
Prairie Crossroads
Blues Society – Champaign-Urbana, IL
Prairie Crossroads Blues Society shows: Tuesday November 29th,
Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Release Party for their fourth CD with
Blue Bella Records, Four, at 8 pm at the Iron Post, Urbana; Friday
December 2nd, Matt Hill, winner of the 2011 Blues Music Award for
Best New Artist Debut from the Blues Foundation, 10pm, Memphis on
Main, Champaign. $5 non-members, $3 members. For more info:
prairiecrossroadsblues.org.
River City Blues Society
- Pekin, IL
River City Blues Society presents: Bringing The Blues To You with
the following shows - Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Wednesday November 30th, Victor
Wainwright & The Wildroots - Saturday December 17th, Jan 11th at
7PM • Brandon Santini. Location Goodfellas 1414 S. 8th St, Pekin, Illinois 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm $5.00
non-members $3.00 members. For more info visit:
www.rivercityblues.com
Illinois Central Blues Club -
Springfield, IL
The Illinois Central Blues Club presents "Blue Monday" every Monday
night for the last 25 years - BLUE MONDAY SHOWS - Held at the Alamo
115 N 5th St, Springfield, IL (217) 523-1455 every Monday 8:30pm $3
cover. 11/21 Big Jeff Chapman, 11/28 Deak Harp
Blues Band, 12/5 Kilborn Alley Blues Band, 12/12 Nick Moss and the
Flip Tops, 12/19 Jason Elmore Blues Band, 12/26 Brooke Thomas and
the Blue Suns. icbluesclub.org
The Friends Of The Blues - Watseka, IL
2011 Friends of the Blues shows - December 1, Dave Herrero, 7 pm,
Kankakee Valley Boat Club. For more info see:
http://www.wazfest.com/JW.html
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Featured Blues Review 4 of 6
 Various
Artists - Puddletown Blues, Vol. 1
Portland,
Oregon's Cascade Blues Association has released a compilation of a dozen
songs by the some of the Rose City’s most notable bluesmen and
blueswomen. Smoldering slow blues from Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes
open the CD with “Moving Day Blues” and Lisa Mann and Her Really Good
Band follow with a jaunty (horns and all!) send-up of “Stack-O-Lee.” I
enjoyed the CD’s balance of up-tempo and softer blues, and Hawkeye
Herman’s “Give Me A Grandma Every Time,” Terry Robb’s mournful “Idle
Moments,” and Fiona Boyes’ “Love Changing Blues” are three of the many
bright spots on this first volume of Puddletown Blues. The frantic pace
of “Got It Made” from Boogie Bone is sure to fill any dance floor, while
Robbie Laws’ “Texas Crude” reminds me why he’s won Muddy Awards from the
Cascade Blues Association and “BB Awards” from the Washington Blues
Society. Billy D and the Hoodoos explore a lover’s intuition in
“Somethin’s Wrong,” and The Strangetones lament that they were
“Overdrawn,” from an independent film of the same name. While the
production is generally crisp and even throughout the CD, I wish Ty
Curtis’ vocals were turned up just a little bit more on “Do I Love You
Too Much.” Woodbrain (formerly the Joe McMurrian quartet) offer up a
banjo-infused slow blues on “Scrap Iron Pete,” and the set’s closer
recalls Paul delay and Duffy Bishop at the 2004 Safeway Waterfront Blues
Festival with “I’ve Got You.” Puddletown Blues, Volume One, is an
outstanding document of Oregon’s blues talent captured at clubs,
festivals and in the studio. I am especially awed by Blues Foundation
affiliates that release compilations like this one, because I know that
it’s hard work to produce a CD of this caliber. Some of the songs are
new, and some have been on the shelf for some time. While I appreciated
the Billy D and the Hoodoos’ performance captured live at the UnTapped
Blues and Brews Festival in Washington state this year, I was equally
impressed with the older cuts from Hawkeye Herman (2003) and Fiona Boyes
(2004). A portion of the proceeds of this CD will go to the Cascade
Blues Association’s Musicians’ Relief Fund, and I encourage readers to
pick up this CD to learn more about Oregon's vibrant and diverse blues
community.
Reviewer Eric Steiner is President of the Washington Blues Society in
Seattle, Washington. The Society was the recipient of the 2009 Keeping
the Blues Alive Award in the blues organization category. Please visit
www.wablues.org for more
information on the Washington Blues Society
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 5 of
6
 Mighty
Sam McClain/Knut Reiersrud – One Drop Is Plenty
Valley
Entertainment 2011
11
tracks; 54.04 minutes
Mighty Sam
McClain has been recording for many years and has an impressive back
catalogue across a number of labels. In 2010 he recorded with Iranian
singer Mahsa Vahdat and that is where he met Norwegian guitarist Knut
Reiersrud. Knut has recorded in a very wide variety of contexts,
including the blues and the two obviously hit it off, deciding to record
an old-style soul album together. The recording was made in Oslo with an
all Norwegian cast of musicians. The CD contains a mix of covers and
original material written by Sam, Knut and his regular lyricist Jeffrey
Wasserman.
The
recording is of high quality, the sound of the instruments and Sam’s
voice being crystal clear. The material is definitely soul/gospel rather
than blues, with several songs about religious rather than secular love;
title track “One Drop Is Plenty” is probably the best example, a stately
hymn expressing Sam’s faith. On the secular side of the divide “Can You
Stand The Test Of Love” is a smooth soul ballad with some classy guitar
playing.
Most of the
songs are gentle ballads and I’m afraid that I did not find the material
sufficiently memorable to sustain my interest and full attention. For
example Jerry Ragavoy’s “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love” has some
strong, pleading vocals from Sam but plods along for almost 6 minutes.
“Learn How To Love You Again” has a touch of country ballad about it and
some resemblance in the chorus to Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” – personally I
would have preferred BB King’s Lucille. The Reverend James Cleveland’s
“I Don’t Feel Noways Tired” also has a country feel, even down to the
spoken intro, though once the song proper starts it is clearly a gospel
piece, emphasized by the churchy organ which also is a feature of the
closing track “Open Up Heaven’s Door”. The most upbeat track here is
“Love One Another” which has a far more active drum beat behind it but a
dull and repetitive lyric.
Overall I
was disappointed in this CD, as I am a big fan of what is usually dubbed
“soul blues”. Mighty Sam McClain has a strong, soulful voice and Knut
Reiersrud is a decent guitar player, but, for me, the material here is
simply not strong enough. I would class this CD as gospel/soul, with
very little blues content.
Reviewer John Mitchell
is a blues enthusiast based in the UK. He also travels to the States
most years to see live blues music.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 6 of
6
 Alberta
Hunter - Downhearted Blues – Live at the Cookery
RockBeat Records
18 tracks/71:31
Originally released ten years ago, this title features the seemingly
ageless Alberta Hunter at the start of her career resurrection. A famed
singer who recorded for a variety of labels in the 1920's, including
Paramount Records, Hunter had an impressive voice that earned her the
backing of legendary musicians like Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson,
Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. She later moved to Europe, where she
starred in musicals and was the darling of the cabaret set. By the 50's,
she was no longer in demand and so she retired from music, starting a
twenty year stint as a licensed nurse at a hospital in New York City.
When the hospital finally forced her to retire, Hunter begin to sing
again to relieve the boredom of retirement.
The owner of the Cookery, Barney Josephson, hired Hunter in 1977 for a
six week run at his Greenwich Village cabaret, which sparked Hunter's
remarkable comeback that included a series of albums for Columbia.
Backed by Gerald Cook on piano and Jimmy Lewis on bass, the singer
enthusiastically digs into one of her old hits, “My Castle's Rockin'”,
proving that she can still swing at the age of eighty-two. Hunter easily
navigates the furious tempo on “I Got Rhythm”, then does an inspired
version of a tune she wrote, “Downhearted Blues”, that was a huge hit
for Bessie Smith. Cook's forceful piano work keeps pushing Hunter
throughout the track. At times his playing is a bit too busy, drawing
attention away from Hunter's singing. But his barrelhouse playing on
“Two Fisted Double-Jointed Rough & Ready Man” is the perfect compliment
to Hunter's saucy vocal.
Some of the songs hark back to Hunter's theatrical career. She delivers
all of these Tin Pan Alley tunes with gusto and the skill developed over
six decades. While her voice may not be as limber as it once was, Hunter
injects plenty of emotion into a poignant rendition of “Time Waits For
No One”. She gets the audience involved on “I'm Havin' a Good Time”, a
swinging statement about her view on life. Her voice wavers a bit on the
opening to “Georgia on My Mind” but she recovers with some unique
phrasing that follows Lewis's plunging bass lines.
Hunter is really in her element on the bluesier material, turning “I've
Got a Mind to Ramble” from a ballad into a bawdy romp that has the
audience roaring in delight. Her ode to a good loving “Handy Man” is
another highlight with a salacious performance that might cause some
listeners to blush. Finishing with “You're Welcome to Come Back Home”,
Hunter exhorts the audience to write their parents and ease their
misery.
One of America's musical treasures, Alberta Hunter was fortunate to get
a second chance late in life to do what she loved. Once you hear this
recording, it will be readily apparent that Hunter embraced the
opportunity, her efforts making it clear that she relished being able to
once again sing in front of an audience. This entertaining summary of
her lengthy career is certainly worth a listen.
Reviewer Mark
Thompson is president of the
Crossroads Blues
Society in Rockford. IL. He has been listening to music of all kinds
for fifty years. The first concert he attended was in Chicago with The
Mothers of Invention and Cream. Life has never been the same.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
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