Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Marlon McClain – TBC

This CD review was originally published in the December 25, 2014 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Marlon McClain – TBC

Mac Man Music

9 tracks / 37:06

There are a few folks in the music industry that seem to always be busy and plugged into many diverse projects, and Marlon L. McClain is a shining example of this. After cutting his teeth in Portland, Oregon’s favorite funk band of the 1970s’, Pleasure, he had a stint with the Dazz Band before demand for his writing and producing sent him behind the stage. After many successes with artists as diverse as George Clinton, Tower of Power, George Benson, Kenny G and Joan Baez, he is finally back to making his own music for us to enjoy.

Over the past four decades, McClain has only had time to record three solo discs: Changes in 1981, TBD in 2010, and this year’s release, TBC. Marlon wrote all nine songs on this latest self-produced album, and he also took care of the guitars and keyboards. Al Turner laid down the bass lines, Thomas McElroy played the keyboards, and the drum parts were all handled electronically, with programming by McClain, McElroy, Soulpersona, and Ken Sato. Do not get the impression that this is some sort of 1980s beat box album, though – the drums sound real and are spot on throughout.

The tracks are mostly instrumentals with vocals added here and there as needed to accentuate the action, including the opener, “Me & You.” This is a super-funky tune with jazz influences that shows what a masterful guitarist Marlon is, and his playing is as smooth as silk. Guest artist Curtis Salgado brought his harmonica in for this song, and he does a fabulous job of mimicking McClain’s lines, so that at times it sounds like there are two guitars playing.

After listening to the rest of the tracks, it would be difficult to categorize this record into any one genre, as there is a little bit of everything, but if you dig deep enough there a foundation of funk for all of them. The most divergent song from the blues would be “Positivity,” a bouncy dance track with a disco groove and tightly intertwined guitar/vocal lines. You will also find that “Step into the Light:” is quite danceable, though at a slower and sultrier pace.

Blues-rock is represented in the mix, too, with the harder-hitting “Radiation Blues” which has minimal vocals, round bass, tons of high hat, and smoking guitar from McClain. This is a marked contrast from “That Ain’t Right,” which is more of a loose funky jam session, with a cool give and take between Marlon and Turner’s killer bass lines – it is almost like the whole song was built over a bass solo, which is not something you will find on your average blues album.

There are fairly drastic changes of pace and feel from track to track. For example, “Tokyo Time“ is smooth and jazzy with a laid-back vibe, and then the listener is hit with “GWUWGWUN.” This song has a lot plenty going on, besides a lot of consonants and an unpronounceable title. Marlon’s guitars are up front in this fast-paced tune, but there is also a lot of synthesizer work with simulated flute and trumpet patches, and all of this is playing all over a popping and funky bass line. Both of these instrumentals are catchy and could get stuck in your head for days, which is not a bad thing in this case.

The last song in the set is “You Know,” which is notable for its simple lyrics and complex guitar lines. It is a healthy dose of funky rhythm and blues with more layers of guitar than you can count, and all of them are soaked with distortion and wah pedal galore. After only 37 minutes the album ends, and it definitely leaves the listener wanting more – a few more tracks would have been welcome. We can only hope that Marlon heads back to the studio again soon, as his songs are well written and are a pleasure to listen to.

There is a lot to like about Marlon McClain’s TBC – it has catchy songs that cross genres and hypnotizing grooves that would make it an awesome party soundtrack or even a nice pick-me-up for the morning drive to work to brighten up an otherwise gloomy day. If you like your blues on the jazzier side with a healthy helping of funk, this might be just what you are looking for!

Mahalo!

The Knickerbocker All-Stars – Open Mic at the Knick |Album Review

The Knickerbocker All-Stars – Open Mic at the Knick

JP Cadillac Records

http://www.jpcadillacrecords.com

13 tracks / 47:36

Back in the 1970s and early 1980s there was a killer Sunday night jam at the Knickerbocker Café in Westerly, Rhode Island. Duke Robillard, the founder of Roomful of Blues, would share the stage with unknowns and major league players to crank out a righteous blues show. Unless you were local you probably never chance to experience it, but thankfully Westerly natives Bobby Christina and John Paul Gauthier recently gathered a troupe of killer musicians in the studio to recreate some of what you missed. The result is the Knickerbocker All-Stars new CD, Open Mic at the Knick on JP Cadillac Records.

The heart of this project is Bobby and Fran Christina on the drums, Ricky King Russell on guitar, Bob Worthington on the bass, Al Copley and Dave Maxwell on piano, and a horn section of Doc Chanonhouse, Bobby “Breeze” Holfelden, Rich Lataille, and Dennis Cook. The soul is the eight singers that split up the 13 tracks amongst themselves. They include Willie J. Laws, Malford Milligan, Johnny Nicholas, Sugar Ray Norcia, Mike O’Connell, Curtis Salgado, J. P. Sheerar, and Brian Templeton. All of these folks have been in the business for decades.

Obviously there are no originals in the playlist, and it ends up being a 45 minute set with most of the songs around three minutes long. That means there are no 5-minute solos, so the songs are all about the singers; it is a good thing they are all so talented! There is not enough space here to give a blow-by-blow account of every track, but here are a few of the high points:

-- The CD starts off with B.B King’s “You Upset Me Baby” with Sugar Ray Norcia behind the microphone and Ricky King Russell killing it on the guitar. Right away it is obvious that this is a band full of pros and the horns are really well arranged. Sugar Ray comes back later on with “It’s Later Than You Think,” a Roy Milton jump track that features amazing piano work from Al Copley.

-- Austin, Texas soulman Malford Milligan also takes on two songs: Bobby Bland’s “Turn On Your Love Light” and Gene Dinwiddie’s “Love Disease.” Milligan does Bland proud, showing great range and tone as the band sets up a slick Chicago rhythm and blues accompaniment.

-- Johnny Nicholas appears of three tracks: “Jelly Jelly”, “Reconsider Baby” and “Along About Midnight.” This Texas bluesman used to sit in with Roomful of Blues when he was in town, and he has not lost anything over the past four decades.

-- The set finished up with Mike O’Connell taking the lead on Freddie King’s “Going Down,” and they ended strong with David Maxwell hammering out the piano part and the horns gloriously accompanying O’Connell’s distinctive howl.

If you love jump blues and horns, you need to pick up a copy of the Knickerbocker All-Stars Open Mic at the Knick. The aim of this disc was to hearken back to a time where there were great frontmen on stage every week, backed by a high-octane piano and horn-fueled band, and they succeeded in this task. They ended up with nothing but good songs that are performed well and recorded with care. What more could you ask for?