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Eddie Burns
Paradise
Valley 
Bettye LaVette
Down
To Zero
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Eddie Burns: Second
Degree Burns (Blue Suit) 
Detroit
Blues doesn't have the same name appeal as
Chicago Blues but it was a vibrant blues
city in it's own right, particularly in the 1940's
and 50's, and one of the few bluesman who remain
from that era is Eddie Burns. Now closing in on
80, Burns remains in exceptional form on "2nd
Degree Burns" a welcome addition to his slim
discography.
Detroit's vibrant blues scene centered on
Hastings Street where bluesmen like John Lee Hooker,
Big Maceo Merriweather, Bobo Jenkins, Baby Boy Warren,
Calvin Frazier, Boogie Woogie Red performed at joints
like the Flame Show Bar, Three Star Bar and the
Forest Club. In the 1950's labels like Fortune,
Sensation, JVB, Staff, Big Star, Prize, Hi-Q, Von
emerged to capture the talent although only Fortune
had any distribution beyond the region. The only
blues musician to rise to national prominence was
John Lee Hooker. Hooker recruited Burns in the late
40's to play harmonica on classic sides like "Burnin'
Hell", "Sailing Blues" and teaming
up again on 1965's "Real Folk Blues" album
for Chess. For his part Burns cut some fine low
profile sides for Holiday, DeLuxe, Checker, JVB,
Chess and Harvey. It wasn't until much later that
he cut some full length albums most notably 1989's
strong "Detroit" on Blue Suit.
"2nd
Degree Burns" capture Burns in top form supported
by a superb band that includes his brother Jimmy
on guitar, pianist Joe Hunter a charter member of
Motown's legendary studio band the Funk Brothers
(Hunter also appeared on "Detroit") and
the rock solid rhythm section of bassist Frank Bryant
and drummer Bobby Welch. For his part Burns' supple,
soulful voice is heard to good effect as is his
sturdy electric and acoustic lead guitar work and
reedy harmonica blowing. The music here has a decidedly
down home feel harking back to Burns' Mississippi
roots with a strong Jimmy Reed type flavor. The
whole record has a markedly southern countrified
feel with a bit of urban blues thrown in for good
measure and filled out with plenty of snakey, interweaving
guitar lines. The band locks into a sturdy groove
kicking off with the infectious "I'll Always
Be Around" with Burns laying down some insistent
down-home harmonica. Among the numerous highlights
are the loping "Mean & Evil", the
tough ominous vibe of "Hen Pecked", the
shuffling Jimmy Reed styled "Paradise Valley"
(the name of Detroit's "Black Bottom"
where the vast majority of the African American
population of Detroit lived) and the rough edged
blues of "Fun Time" a playful variation
on the timeless "Catfish Blues." Other
notable numbers include an excellent remake of his
intense "Jingling Baby" and fine seasonal
tune "Christmas Song."
"2nd
Degree Burns" finds Burns at his engaging best
elevated by a terrific band playing a thoroughly
satisfying set of vintage sounding blues on what
may be his best outing since first Blue Suit recording
almost twenty years ago.
-Check
out these related links:
Blues
Suit Records Website
(Jeff
Harris)
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Betty LaVette: I've
Got My Own Hell To Raise (Anti)
Among
soul aficionados Bettye LaVette is held in high regard
despite having little in the way of commercial success
in a career that's spanned over forty years. LaVette's
profile is on the rise with the bold "I've Got
My Own Hell To Raise" a potent, radical departure
from her previous recordings.
Despite a strong body of work over the years
LaVette has only cracked the R&B charts six times
none of which broke into the pop Top 100. After signing
with Atlantic, she scored an R&B Top Ten hit in
1962 with her debut single "My Man--He's a Loving
Man," only to fail to reach the same commercial
heights again.
She cut her signature classic "Let Me Down Easy"
in 1965 which was her only other record to crack the
R&B Top 20. She continued recording up until the
1980's and 90's and performing live. 2003's "A
Woman Like Me" for Blues Express was a stunning
return to the studio (her first American release in
over 20 years). For "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise"
Lavette teamed up with producer Joe Henry (notable for
producing Solomon Burke's fine, if a bit overrated,
"Don't Give Up on Me") for a radical reworking
of her sound that for the most part works extremely
well.
I'm
not sure what soul traditionalists will think of this
record but I think Rob Bowman nails it when he writes
that "there are no actual soul compositions on
the record and the band certainly isn't a soul band,
and yet the record is so unremittingly soulful."
Lavette remains a wonderful singer, a master of phrasing
who can shade her vocals in countless ways. She has
an inbred soulfulness that just can't be taught and
an uncanny knack for getting to the very heart of a
song. On this album she uses that ability to interpret
ten numbers from a diverse group of woman songwriters
such as Rosanne Cash, Sinead O'Conner, Lucinda Williams
and Dolly Parton among others. The production has a
contemporary, funky feel which works best on the more
stripped down numbers like the gutsy and gorgeous Joan
Armastrading cut "Down To Zero", the simmering
funk of Rosanne Cash's "On the Surface" and
the stunning "Just Say So" with just acoustic
guitar backing LaVette's aching vocals. The other stunner
is the lead track, an a cappella reading of Sinéad
O'Connor's "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got,"
transforming the song into a mesmerizing gospel performance.
While the production may not be to everyone's taste,
producer Joe Henry has put LaVette's vocals way up top
where they should be and the result is an intimate,
vulnerable and deeply personal recording.
"I've
Got My Own Hell To Raise" is a soul record, albeit
not in the traditional sense, and serves notice that
Bettye LaVette is a singer still to be reckoned with.
LaVette is a great live performer and recent reports
have been glowing.
-Check
out these related links:
Anti
Records Website
(Jeff Harris)
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Hubert Sumlin: Hubert
Sumlin's Blues Party (Shout Factory)
Hubert Sumlin: Healing Feeling (Shout Factory)
The Black
Top label had a special place in the heart of blues
fans issuing some tremendous records during the 80's
and 90's. Black Top was launched by Brothers Hammond
and Nauman Scott in 1981 who signed some top drawer
rhythm & blues, zydeco, jazz and contemporary blues
artists while at the same time digging up long lost
recordings. Before going under in the late 90's they
released fine albums from such artists as Buckwheat
Zydeco, Solomon Burke, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets,
Grady Gaines, Robert Ward, Ronnie Earl and many others
Shout! Factory has now picked up the Black Top catalog
and has begun reissuing a number of the label's more
popular albums. Shout! Factory's latest are two late
80's recordings by Hubert Sumlin.
Sumlin,
of course, was Howlin' Wolf's guitarist for over twenty
years coming into his own at the dawn of the '60s on
classic recordings like "Wang Dang Doodle,"
"Shake for Me," "Hidden Charms",
"Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" and "Killing
Floor." "Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party"
was Sumlin's debut solo album in the U.S. The sessions
were put together by guitarist Ronnie Earl, who arranged
an all-star band, plays guitar and helped produce the
album. Backing Sumlin are a number of heavy hitters
including Jerry Portnoy, Dave Maxwell, Greg Piccolo,
Ron Levy and most notably Might Sam McClain. In a way
this session was also a coming out party for McClain
who was several years away from waxing his full length
domestic debut. With such an illustrious cast and Sumlin's
reticence about occupying center stage, the result was
really more of a jam session, although certainly a fun
one. Sumlin asserts himself best on "Hidden Charms"
with a blistering solo as Mighty Sam delivers a soulful
rendition, the smoking instrumental "West Side
Soul" and sings himself on the autobiographical
"Living The Blues."
"Healing
Feeling", was Sumlin's second album for Black Top,
and much like it's predecessor is really more of an
all-star blues jam. Recorded May 5 and 6, 1989, at studios
in Louisiana, with two additional tracks coming from
a live show at Tipitina's in New Orleans earlier in
the day on May 5, the sessions were once again organized
by guitarist Ronnie Earl, whose band the Broadcasters
is used on most of the cuts. The vocal duties were shared
by James "Thunderbird" Davis and Darrell Nulisch,
with Sumlin taking the vocals on a pair. Overall the
temperature is hotter on this one as Sumlin cooks on
the steamy instrumentals "Healing Feeling"
and the moody minor key "Blues For Henry."
Davis is in great form vocally on his too brief comeback
delivering the goods on a playful duet with Nulisch
on "I Don't Want To Hear About Yours" and
the rollicking "I Don't Want No Woman" with
waling sax from Kaz Kazanoff and some ferocious guitar
licks from Sumlin. Other highlights include the smoldering
"Come Back Little Girl" featuring Sumlin on
vocals and Nulisch delivering a great reading of Freddy
King's "Play It Cool." Let's hope Shout! Factory
reissues James "Thunderbird" Davis' great
Black Top album "Check Out Time", one of the
great comeback records of recent times.
(Jeff Harris)
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