CADILLAC KINGS

Trouble in Store

33 Records

After what seems far too long the Cadillac Kings release their second CD on 33 Records and prove that the wait was well worth it! 15 solid gold originals from this great outfit which encapsulate just what this band is about! Very much to the fore is singer and slide guitarist Mike Thomas’ wicked way with words and wry wit with songs such as ‘(I’m in love with the) Chief of Police’, ‘Fries with That’, ‘Mr Nip & Tuck’ or "She’s my Sugar Rush" which sees him likening his lady friend to Belgian chocolate and French patisserie! Yum! Gary Potts contributes several numbers including ‘Hot Rod V8 Ford’ about his passion for American hotrods whilst the keyboard maestro Mike Adcock, sadly no longer with the band, co-writes a couple of numbers with Mike. No Cadillac Kings CD would be complete without some of their trademark instrumentals of which there are three great examples here including ‘Blue Cap Bounce’ from guitarist Mal Barclay and a great boogie woogie cut featuring Mike Adcock, ‘North Sea Jump’. Impossible to pick a favourite as a different track catches my fancy each time I play the CD. One thing is certain though, this is an absolute cracker of a CD from a band that is deservedly right up there at the top of the premier league when it comes to blues jump & swing and a band whose live performances are an experience not to be missed. Even though it is only July, this is, without a doubt, the CD of 2008 for me!

LIVING ON CREDIT

Guy Tortora

Turtledove

What a way to start 2008! A new CD from the excellent Guy Tortora that shines out in the January gloom. Guy is a very individual singer/songwriter/guitarist and can always be relied upon to produce a varied and interesting collection and this CD is no exception. The title track, although written more than a year ago, strikes a very current note and there will be many that identify with the lyrics. It also features the excellent Giles King guesting on harp and he also contributes to the swampy and steaming ‘Cotton Was King’. This 12 tracker has an almost equal mix of originals and fine covers including a super-chilled take on JJ Cale’s ‘Super Blue’ and a passionate version of Curtis Mayfield’s classic ‘People Get Ready’ featuring some gorgeous slide guitar plus shimmering Hammond from the unique Janos Bajtala and Guy’s daughters on bvs. Delicious strings, including a beautiful cello solo, make ‘Mama’s Tired’ a dreamy treat that washes over sensuously and seductively like warmed baby oil! ’White Boy Blues’ is a wonderfully wry song which cannot fail to strike a chord with many. The beautiful ‘Falling’ features Richard Studholme on mandolin and accordion which brings another texture to this fine CD. There simply is not a weak track here. Every song stands out and this collection is a tribute to all involved but especially to the creativity, artistry, talent and poeticism of Guy himself. Make a resolution to buy this CD, it is more than worth the price, even if you put it on credit!

PAUL ROBESON

On My Journey – Independent Recordings

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

I imagine that, like me, many people’s overriding memory of Paul Robeson is of an impossibly rich bass singing the classic ‘Ol Man River’ from Hammerstein and Kern’s 1927 musical ‘Showboat’. This CD which features no less than 32 tracks, 74 minutes of music and a superb 36 page booklet – congratulations to Robert Cataliotti for background and track notes – covers a phase in Robeson’s life when he was under assault by both the US government and media – he was blacklisted in the McCarthy era. With no access to commercial recording facilities or distribution, he set about making his own recordings and marketing them on his own label – Othello Records. As a result the tracks are, in the main, recorded at Carnegie Recital Hall or in private apartments with only two recordings credited to proper studios. One of these is perhaps the one of most interest to blues fans featuring Robeson with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee on ‘Hammer Song’. In the main, the tracks feature Robeson’s vocals and the pianists Alan Booth or Lawrence Brown, both his long time accompanists. The CD features spirituals, worksongs, hymns and folksongs from around the world including songs in Yiddish, French and  Czech, songs from his classical repertoire and more. Duke Ellington once said of Robeson “It is certainly an honour to be working with Mr. Robeson but theman certainly can’t sing the blues.” Be that as it may, Robeson was blessed with a phenomenal voice as is amply displayed on this CD. It will, perhaps, be for dedicated fans only but is a fine record of his talent.

SANTANA

Ultimate Santana

Sony BMG

Carlos Santana seems to have been part of my musical life for as long as I can remember and his output  has tended to defy classification. And so it is appropriate that a CD called ‘Ultimate Santana’ reflects this variety spanning five decades of records but, inexplicably, omitting anything, bar one track, ‘Europa’ from 1976’s “Amigos”, from almost thirty years of his illustrious career. Whilst six tracks on this collection are from the band’s classic first three albums, more than half of this collection come from Santana’s ‘comeback’ period and the three CDs which featured many big-name collaborations including 1999’s triple Grammy winning ‘Smooth’ performed with & co-written by former Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas. Four tracks on the CD are previously unreleased including an intriguing version of ‘The Game of Love’ featuring Tina Turner. (The original version of this number with Michelle Branch is one of a number of highlights on this CD). Other new numbers include ‘Into The Night’ with Nickleback’s Chad Kroeger and ‘This Boy’s Fire’ with Jenifer Lopez and rapper Baby Bash. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler features on 2005’s ‘Just Feel Better’ whilst former rapper, Everlast, appears on 1999’s ‘Put Your Lights On’. For me, the real pleasure though is in classics such as the gorgeous ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Samba Pa Ti’, ‘Oye Como Va’ and ‘She’s Not There’. An enjoyable collection to listen to, but the Ultimate Santana? Not by my book I am afraid. 

DON ‘SUGAR CANE’ HARRIS

Fiddler on the Rock

Body Heat

This CD is a reissue of what has become a rare 1971 album from the man who is hailed in many circles as the finest blues-rock violinist in history. Reviewing a UK gig, Melody Maker described him as “as near to a genius as we’ll hear in a long while.” Don Harris died in 1999 and this CD was recorded in Germany with guitarist Harvey Mandel, bassist Larry Taylor and drummer Paul Lagos whilst they were all touring with the John Mayall Band. Harris was given his nickname by Johnny Otis with whom he toured as part of the duo, Don & Dewey in the 1950s, allegedly because of  his reputation as a ladies' man. This release also includes five bonus tracks from the band, The Pure Food & Drug Act, a quintet formed by Harris and Mandel which included Lagos. The tracks appeared on the short-lived band’s one and only 1972 album. For lovers of rock blues violin, I am sure this CD will be a gem but not for this reviewer. Sure there is some funky stuff but the two versions of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ that appear on the CD as opening and closing tracks are overlong and self-indulgent and, frankly, put me off the rest of the tracks which, for me, showed their age! Suffice it to say I listened to the CD once which was enough!