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Roosevelt Dean: Touch
Somebody's Hand
(Independent) 
Go
to any small or mid-size city and you'll no doubt find
an active blues scene with usually one blues veteran
that the whole scene revolves around. As is often the
case most of these guys aren't all that well known outside
their respective cities; Cleveland has the incredible
Guitar Slim, Rochester has Joe Beard and Syracuse has
Roosevelt Dean. Dean has quietly released a number of
strong records but "Touch Somebody's Hand"
is his best and most ambitious to date.
Like
his contemporaries, Guitar Slim and Joe Beard, Dean
came from the South but did not start playing blues
until he came to Syracuse, New York, in the sixties.
Dean has been flooring audiences in Syracuse for years
and has been well honored in his hometown. Despite the
honors, some good reviews in blues magazines like Living
Blues and some out of state touring Dean is flying under
the radar when it come to national recognition. He's
still issuing his own CD's including notable ones such
as 2000's "Blue Heaven" and 2003's excellent
"Somewhere 'Round Georgia." "Touch Somebody's
Hand" is Dean's finest yet and will hopefully garner
the kind of national exposure Dean deserves.
"Touch
Somebody's Hand" is Dean's most polished effort
filled out with some punchy horns, female backup singers
and a wide variety of styles. Rosie, as his friends
call him, tackles straight up blues shuffles, soulful
R&B and even goes to the pulpit for some inspired
gospel. Backed by a rock solid band who really know
how to lay down a groove, Rosie sings his tunes (he
wrote all but four of the fifteen tracks) in a rich,
heavy yet soulful voice and steps out occasionally for
some tasty, understated guitar solos. This is a well
produced outing, more polished than his prior records
but not overproduced and provides a nice contrast to
Rosie's more down home, earthy delivery. Rosie really
knows how to tell a story in his songs, putting them
across like he's singing them directly to you whether
on the cautionary "Whiskey & Gin" an intense
blues shuffle with ominous horns and stinging guitar
or warning about those "Big Fat Woman" on
this infectious, loping blues number. There's plenty
of diversity as Rosie and the band deliver some thumping
funk on "I Been Watching You" driven by those
fine riffing horns, croons some aching R&B on "Step
Into My Heart" or goes to church on the moving,
intimate "God" with just Rosie on piano and
his band amening in the background as he sings about
Iraq, 9/11 and drugs among a few other things on his
mind. Also worth noting are fine covers of Muddy's "Honey
Bee" featuring some blistering fret work from Nicklas
Humez who's a real standout throughout plus first rate
originals like "Blues Man" and the shuffling
R&B of "Stay Away." The disc wraps up
on another spiritual note with the uplifting "Touch
Somebody's Hand" that brings things to a rousing
finish.
Like
many fine, veteran bluesmen Roosevelt Dean has been
issuing his own CD's and hustling local gigs for years.
With the blues industry in poor shape there's fewer
labels willing to take chances on lesser known artists,
even one of Dean's caliber. It comes down to the fans
to support blues like this and you could no better than
grabbing a copy of "Touch Somebody's Hand",
one of the first great blues records of 2006.
(Jeff Harris)
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Harrison Kennedy:
Voice + Story (Black & Tan)
Billy Jones: tha'
Bluez (Black & Tan)
The
Black & Tan label is a small blues label based
out of the Netherlands, of all places, who have issued
some terrific blues records over the past seven years.
Fine American artists such as Byther Smith, Boo Boo
Davis, Big George Jackson, Doug MacLeod have all issued
top drawer records for the label. While most of Black
& Tan's releases fall into a traditional blues
vein, new records by Harrison Kennedy and Billy Jones
find them pushing the boundaries in new and interesting
ways. Kennedy's mesmerizing "Voice + Story"
is a soulful stew that blends blues, R&B and roots
music into a potent mix while Billy Jones' "tha'
Bluez" blends funk, R&B and soul into a decidedly
contemporary style.
Harrison Kennedy was a member and sometime lead
singer of the 70's-era R&B aggregation Chairmen
of the Board, one of the smoothest and most popular
soul acts to emerge from Detroit in the early '70s.
After a string of million selling singles in the early
70's, Harrison has reinvented himself as a blues troubadour.
"Voice + Story" is not an easy record to
categorize as Kennedy deftly mixes blues, R&B,
soul and roots on this mostly acoustic outing. The
title is an apt one as Kennedy's soulful, supple voice
is the real drawing card wedded to some lyrical imaginative
songs streaked with a strong social consciousness.
Kennedy can seemingly do anything with that remarkable
voice as he sings, scats, hums, shouts and dips into
a falsetto backed by propulsive percussion whether
beating or strumming his guitar or backed by imaginative
percussion by Nico Heilijgers who also plays bass.
The blues provides a strong foundation on cuts like
the chugging "Bad Luck And Trouble", the
rollicking "Bad Attitude" with accordion
and kazoo and some tough slide on the traditional
"Hummin’ Blues." The haunting "40 Acres
And A Mule" is "about the broken Promise
to the freed slaves, and trust in God", while
"Bob Lo Island" is a gorgeously sung tour-de-force
with just percussive backing as Kennedy sings about
escaping the pressures and misery of the big city.
The record closes with the stunning "Make A Difference",
a soaring gospel number backed by just organ that
has a strong similarity to the soul classic "You
Can Make It If You Try." From start to finish
"Voice + Story" is mesmerizing, deeply affecting
experience delivered by a true original.
Billy
Jones draws deeply from both blues and soul, throws
a little funk and R&B into the mix for a engaging
brand of contemporary blues, or "tha' bluez"
as Jones calls it. Jones grew up in North Little Rock,
Arkansas where his family owned a blues café
that was often host to blues legends such as Howlin'
Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Bobby 'Blue' Bland and
many other greats. Jones formed his own group in his
early twenties and toured professionally since his
teen years and has worked with Vernon Garrett, Willie
Clayton, J Blackfoot, Chick Willis, Willie Cobb, Denise
LaSalle, Marvin Sease, Mel Waiters and many others.
Jones has created unique style that incorporates Chitlin
circuit soul and a contemporary, funky brand of blues
that sounds like a cross between Lucky Peterson and
Johnny "Guitar" Watson. "Come Back
Tonight" and "Breakin' Away" are slinky,
sultry slabs of R&B as Jones croons seductively
while "Make Love Tonight" is another aching
soul number with just Jones on guitar. Jones is no
slouch with the blues as he proves on the tough as
nails "Deal Wit' Da' Devil" ("I made
a deal with the devil/And his name is crack cocaine"),
the steamy funk of "Da' Crossroads" with
an ominous hoodoo vibe and the straight ahead blues
of "Barnyard Bluez" featuring some awesome
ringing guitar work. "tha' Bluez is a passionate
and soulful outing that has a vibrant contemporary
feel but yet still grounded in tradition.
-Check
out these related links:
Black
& Tan Website
Harrison
Kennedy Website
(Jeff Harris)
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Barbara Morrison: Live
At The Dakota (DL)
There's
certain singers that have the whole package; a great
voice, impeccable phrasing and an innate ability to
put across a song and really make it your own. Barbara
Morrison has all that in spades as she prove on "Live
At The Dakota" a spellbinding live date that demands
repeated listening.
Barbara Morrison has long been a familiar figure
in the Los Angeles area, singing blues, standards and
jazz material. Morrison
has been in the business for some thirty years working
with a "who's who" of the jazz and blues greats
like Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Johnny Otis, Dr.
John, Kenny Burrell as well as guest starring with the
Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra
and Doc Severinsen's Big Band. It's only since the 1990's
that's she's been cutting her own records. "Live
At The Dakota" is a masterful performance as Morrison
delivers a dazzling blend of blues and jazz classics
all with her own unique stamp.
Morrison
is equally at home singing jazz or blues standards and
in this respect reminds me of the great Dinah Washington.
Like Washington, everything Morrison sings has plenty
of grit and a strong blues undercurrent. Her jazz singing
is in the great tradition of Ella, particularly when
she scats, Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McCrae and her sassy
style also brings to mind the tough swagger of Esther
Phillips and Etta james. Morrison receives tremendous
support from pianist Junior Mance who at 76 sounds better
than ever, big toned bluesy blowing from tenor ace Houston
person and the veteran rhythm section of bassist Earl
May and drummer Jackie Williams. Mance and Person share
that same strong blues feel that Morrison has and make
a potent team on soulful, seductive numbers like "Please
Send Me Someone To Love" and "At Last."
Morrison picks up the pace on a rocking, gritty version
of "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" as Mance
lays down some stomping piano and gives a knockout reading
of "Chains Of Love" as she stops to reminisce
about Big Joe Turner and Eddie "Cleanhead"
Vinson while giving spot on impersonations of both.
The highlight is the ribald, sultry "They Call
Me Sundown" ("I do my best work after dark")
a wailing show stopper that gets roaring approval from
the audience.
Barbara
Morrison and her all-star cast simply cook, clearly
inspiring one another on this tour-de-force recording
thankfully captured here for posterity. Hands down an
early pick for one of the year's best records.
-Check
out these related links:
Barbara
Morrison Website
(Jeff Harris)
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