Smoky Greenwell – South Louisiana Blues | Album Review

Smoky Greenwell – South Louisiana Blues

Self Release

www.smokygreenwell.com

12 tracks / 51:00

Smoky Greenwell has certainly earned the distinction of being a fixture of the New Orleans Blues scene, and in his career he has played with War, Johnny Neel of the Allman Brothers, Warren Haynes, and many more, as well as fronting his own band. He has not been shy about recording his own work either, with eleven CDs in his catalog, with his the most recent releases being last year’s amazing Live at the Old U.S. Mint and his solid new release, South Louisiana Blues.

For South Louisiana Blues, Greenwell has collaborated with some of the best musicians that the Crescent City has to offer, including co-producer, songwriting collaborator and guitarist Jack Kolb, bassist David Hyde, and Doug Belote on the skins. Guest artists include none other than keyboard master Johnny Neel, Joe Krown (also on the keys), drummers Willie Pankar and Pete Bradish, and back-up singers Lynn Drury and Dana Abbott. Smoky brings the lead vocals, his harp and a tenor saxophone to the mix for this project.

This disc was cut by David Stocker at NOLAs Audiophile Recording Studios, and it includes a dozen tracks, with five songs that were written by Smoky and/or Jack. Many of the other tunes were written by folks with connections to the Deep South, which is where the album title came from. First up in the band’s set is an original boogie, “Animal Angels” with a cool 1960s groove and sinister vocals plus plenty of sweet harp from Greenwell. You can tell he has been playing the harp for four decades! This is followed up by a swamp rockish rendition of Wilbert Harrison’s classic “Let’s Work Together” with Johnny Neel behind the piano, heavily processed guitar from Kolb, and lovely backing vocals from Drury and Abbott.

Smoky must be a fan of Cornelius Greene, a native of the Sportsman’s Paradise who you may know better as Lonesome Sundown. There are three songs from this master of swamp music: “Lonesome Lonely Blues,” “I Had a Dream Last Night,” and “I’m Glad She’s Mine.” The latter is a slick bit of rhythm and blues with Smoky’s mellow vocals and sweet saxophone, a tight guitar solo from Kolb, along with the added bonus of thumping drums from Pete Bradish and a consistent 12-bar blues riff from Neel and Hyde. This is one of the standout tracks from the disc, in my opinion – it has it all! Other interesting covers include countrified versions of Wilie Dixon’s “Two Headed Woman” and Bob Dylan’s “Dirt Road Blues.”

There is also a passel of neat instrumentals to choose from, including Cal Valentine and Wally Cox’s “Boogie Twist,” featuring cool B3 from Neel, the funky “Pick It Up,” and Jack Kolb’s “The Hunch,” which has (not surprisingly) all kinds of cool guitar stuff going on and a raunchy harmonica solo from Greenwell. The last of these is the closer, “Walking with Mr. Lee” which allows Smoky to cut loose one last time on his sax to the accompaniment of clanking beer bottles and the reverie of bar patrons.

South Louisiana Blues is a really cool release from Smoky Greenwell and his friends, and it has a lot going for it. For starters, there are the pure talent and decades of experience that make Smoky the real deal, his band mates are all consummate professionals with great chemistry, and the disc is very well produce and recorded. It has a warm and full sound, and the material is enjoyable to listen to time and again. Check it out for yourself and make sure you head over to Smoky’s website to check out his calendar; it would be awesome to catch one of his Monday night blues jams the next time you are in New Orleans!

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Niecie -- Wanted Woman

Hello!

This CD review was originally published in the December 5, 2013 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Niecie – Wanted Woman

Self-release through Ride the Tiger Records

www.niecie.net

10 tracks / 42:55

If you are an entertainer that is going to go by one name (like Sting, Cher or Bono), you had better have the talent to back it up, and Niecie passes this test easily. Niecie has moved all over the United States in search of the blues, and has done a marvelous job of honing her chops along the way. Originally from Detroit, she left the Motor City for Chicago, where the blues found a home in her heart. From there she tried Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Boston (home of the Berklee College of Music!), but finally settled in Nashville, arguably the songwriting capital of the US. Nashville also has the distinction of being home to some of the finest musicians and producers around, and since moving there Niecie has taken advantage of this and cut three well-received albums, the latest of which is Wanted Woman.

Wanted Woman is a slick piece of work thanks in part to producer Johnny Neel, who you may know from his work with the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, and Dickey Betts. Johnny also contributed on the keyboards and Hammond B-3, as well as with his songwriting skills. Other musicians on this project include Dennis Gully on bass, Chris Anderson on guitar, and Daryl Burgess on the skins. Also chipping were Danny Hamelin and Jon Conley on the extra guitar parts and Kim Morrison on backing vocals. Oh, and Niecie on lead vocals, of course!

Not being familiar with Niecie’s previous work, I did not know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised by how hard she can rock. There are eight original tracks on Wanted Woman, with Neel getting writing credit on all of them, and Niecie on three. The content is huge sounding blues/rock, and things get up to speed quickly as ”Traffic Light” kicks the album off on an upbeat note. This song is more rock than blues, with a classic driving bass line and heavy drums that are perfectly executed by her stellar backline. The lyrics are quite funny, and she delivers each punch line right on cue with her distinctively throaty voice.

Niecie pitched in on the writing for the title track, and it is always cool to hear people sing their own stuff because it just clicks a little better. Johnny Neel helps make the mood on the intro with subtle organ and piano, and later on the catchy chorus with its vocal harmonics makes this an easy tune to get stuck in your head. She also wrote “Typical Chick,” a fun roadhouse song with thundering drums, honkytonk piano and very tasty guitar solos.

The two cover tunes are really neat. “Crying for My Baby” is a number that was penned by Harold Burrage in 1960 for Vee-Jay Records. The simple lyrics are timeless, and Niecie belts them out with a soulful wail that does them justice. “Mother Nature” is her take on Little Milton’s often-copied song, though this one clocks in at over nine minutes thanks to some amazing work on the keys from Johnny Neel and plenty of Zeppelin-esque guitars throughout. Both of these songs work in well with the other tracks on the album, and it was wise to include them in the mix. By the way, I have added “Mother Nature” works so well that I added it into the mix of music that I listen to while I write.

Wanted Woman ends up with a testimonial, “God’s Got This,” which I have to assume is autobiographical because Niecie got writing credit for it. It has a 1970s funk feel with heavy synths, organ, popping bass and syncopated guitars galore. It is not preachy by any stretch of the imagination, but it lets you know where this lady stands, and it is always good to finish an album on a positive note.

Niecie has put in a lot of hard work since she first arrived on the Chicago scene three decades ago, and it has all paid off with her latest album, Wanted Woman. This is a great collection of well-written songs that were recorded by the best in the business, and she should be proud of what she has accomplished. I hope you get a chance to give it a listen!

Mahalo!

Fo’ Reel – Heavy Water | Album Review

Fo’ Reel – Heavy Water

Self Release

www.foreelband.com

11 tracks / 53:06

Fo’ Reel bills themselves as a “New Orleans All Star Blues Funk” band, and though it sounds like hyperbole, there might just be something to their boast. Just looking over the list of personnel for their new album, Heavy Water, proves that they have a lot of powerful musicians in the line-up.

For starters, C.P. Love, the legendary Crescent City soul singer is their frontman, and a couple of Grammy winners are on the bill too: Jonny Neel behind the keyboards (Allman Brother, Gov’t Mule, and Dicky Betts) and Jon Smith on tenor sax. David Hyde takes on the bass chores, and the drums were played by Daryl Burgess or Allyn Robinson, depending on which city the recording session was in that day (New Orleans or Nashville). This ensemble is rounded out by Ward Smith on baritone saxophone, Barney Floyd on trumpet, and songwriter Rick Lawson, who provided the lead vocals on four of the tracks.

But do not forget guitarist and executive producer Mark Domizio, who is their leader and the brainchild that turned this group of journeyman musicians into a cohesive whole. David played with Dr. John’s band for 40 years, and has been a first-call guitarist on the New Orleans scene for just as long. Now that this disc is cut, he will be taking some of these guys on the road to spread their brand of blues to the hungry masses.

For a “New Orleans All Star Blues Funk” band, their selection of music is not what you would think it would be – what they play is not exactly the New Orleans Blues. Though there is an undercurrent of the NOLA vibe, their music has a smooth and soulful modern blues sound that is not loaded up with accordion, washboards, or raw production values. It is a fresh blues-based sound that incorporates elements of jazz, soul, funk, rhythm and blues, Latin beats, and even a little Texas swing. This album is as slick as hell with high-quality and seamless production, and the band cranks out eight original songs and three clever covers in just under an hour.

Heavy Water kicks off with “Breaking up Somebody’s Home,” the first of the three cover tunes. This Albert King standard differs from other versions that came before as it is more soul-based, with some incredible Hammond work from Neel, and killer horn arrangements from Smith. Love’s vocals are strong and suitably harsh and emotional for the theme of this song.

Love also takes the lead vocals on the other two covers: “Shake N Bake” and ”Just as I Am,” both of which were recorded by the late Luther Allison. The former is a slow-rolling funk masterpiece, and the latter borders on gospel. The common ground between the two is the rock-solid backline, Domizio’s stellar lead breaks, and the incredible keys of Neel.

Rick Lawson’s smooth voice brings more of a 1970s funk style to “Shake N Bake” which is an explosion of raw horns, retro synthesizer sound, and hammering snare and hi-hat. But otherwise, his vocals are used for slow-rolling blues tunes, including “Leave Your Love Alone,” “Blues,” and “Outside Love.” These latter two also feature some sublime slide work from Domizio.

As cool as all of this is, there are a few instrumentals that will really knock your socks off too. “Gate” is a jazzed-up Texas swing tribute to Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, with some trick fingering on the guitar and razor sharp horns, including a fabulous tenor sax solo from Smith. They chose to end the set with “Tater,” a jazzy horn fest with a funky beat.

Fo’ Reel’s Heavy Water is a very good album with first-rate writing, arranging, performance and production. If you like contemporary blues or soul, this disc is a must-buy, but also consider their live show if you are looking for a fun evening of righteous music. For details of how to purchase the CD or to see their gig schedule check out their website at www.foreelband.com

Thanks for checking in!