CD Reviews-August 2002

Tab Benoit: Wetlands - Telarc

One of a handful of bright rising stars in contemporary blues, Tab Benoit has drawn resemblance to guitar legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Albert Collins, and Albert King. While the modest guitarist scoffs at the comparisons, his playing is remarkable and versatile. His latest offering, Wetlands, is varied: Benoit mixes up styles from swamp blues and East Texas guitar-driven blues, to Delta blues and Soul. Wetlands is Tab Benoit's first release since 1999. While the recording is long overdue, it is, nevertheless, worth the wait and a worthy successor to These Blues Are All Mine. Tab gets his mojo working from the first track with a couple of Delbert-esque tunes "Fast and Free" and "I Got Loaded". With only an acoustic guitar, harmonica, and maracas Benoit takes the listener back to the Delta with "Stackolina". The blues singer ventures into the world of soul with a cover of Otis Redding's "These Arms Of Mine". Fusing a funk beat with bluesy guitar riffs and solos on "Let Love Take Control" creates a union of two distinct genres, which mesh together for a unique sound. Diversity is a strategic element of Tab Benoit's success and after only five solo recordings, Benoit seems to have grown as an artist quickly. The varied musical styles on Wetlands are evidence that this guitar player has just begun to come into his own. - Tony Engelhart

Blues Orbiters: Blast Off - BOM 001 - NW

The title certainly fits the CD. The Blues Orbiters debut release Blast Off will definitely take you on an unforgettable ride. By now most NW Blues fans who have remained on earth recently have heard of the Blues Orbiters. Now it's time to take a good hard listen and check out what these talented musicians really have to say. Blast Off has 11 great tunes on it and all but 3 are originals. The quality of the sound on this CD is top-notch thanks in part to the expertise of engineer Steve Smith and his recording facility at Seattle Drum School Studios. The CD is produced by the Blues Orbiters. So as not to turn this into a long-winded review, I'll spare you the song-by-song review and just give you an overview of the entire project and how it made me feel. After all, the Blues is a feeling. The Blues Orbiters hit you right off the launch pad with some facts about life (for some of us) told through original compositions like "Love makes you fat", "Just a mistake", "Straight from the jar", and "You don't know my love". Then there is the laid-back eerie story told by Jeff Hayes on "Don't be afraid of the Thunder" followed by "A test of time", "Rhumba Boogie Blues", and "Big Moon Rising". Mix in 3 great cover tunes, ("Somedays", "Phone Booth", and "T-bone shuffle") and what we have here is a world-class recording put together in a way that will make you want to listen to it from beginning to end without a pause.This recording covers many different tempos and grooves and it feels like you are taking a ride with the band in their Rocket. The Blues Orbiters consist of Jeff Hayes on vocals and drums; Peter Norris on vocals and a fat-toned Gibson guitar; and Brian Lee on a slide guitar that he made himself (amongst other guitars), as well as a real tasteful big-toned harp. Then there is Roger Smith, originally a drummer and now a truly great bass player, as you will soon find out. The horn duties on this recording were very well done by Jim Walls on the saxophone. He has a nasty, raspy tone that fits the Blues perfectly. All members of the Blues Orbiters are accomplished musicians and are able to reach your soul. The song writing by Jeff Hayes, Brian Lee, and Peter Norris is superb and is evenly distributed throughout the CD, as are their vocal duties. Their clever writing and genuine vocals combine to make the stories that they tell very believable. After hearing this very entertaining CD I can't wait to "Blast Off" to one of their live shows and spend some time in their space. Take a ride. - Randy Oxford

Isaac "Dicky" Freeman & The Bluebloods: Beautiful Stars - Lost Highway

Isaac Freeman is, without question, the best of the "old school" bass singers living today. Dicky started with The Fairfield Four in 1950 and enjoyed great success. After a stint with the "4", he formed another dynamite group called The Skylarks, that also had great success with Nashboro Records-their big hits were "The Baptism of Jesus" and "Crying In The Chapel," the old R&B hit for The Orioles. In this set, "Lord I Want You To Help Me" and "Don't Take Everybody For..." are stand outs. Quartets from the '40s are enjoying long overdue recognition. If you enjoy traditional old-time gospel quartets, this CD would make a wonderful addition along side Clarence Fountain and The Hi Way Q-C's. - Jim "Early" Byrd

Bonnie Raitt: Silver Lining - Capitol Records

If there is a better performer in America today than Bonnie Raitt, I can't think of one. Her newest album, Silver Lining, shows off not only her astounding prowess on slide guitar and vocals, but also shows that there's almost no one in popular music as versatile as she is. First, this is a slide-guitarist's dream CD. No surprise there, since Bonnie has been playing slide since the late '60s and is one of the few people alive who learned slide from masters such as Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Her slide work on this album is simply spectacular. On "Walking Through the Valley of Pain," "No Getting' Over You," and the funky, funny "Gnawin' on It" (accompanied by another great slide player, Roy Rogers), she proves that that she's the reigning queen of voice-like slide microtone control-and that the best blues doesn't stray far from the human voice. Bonnie's also one hell of an R&B singer. "Can't Help You Now" could be classic Stax: soulful enough to make Al green with envy. "Time of Our Lives" sounds like an early '70s Staples Singers cut, full of subtle drumming, slinky guitar, honey-sweet choruses, and Bonnie's incandescent voice. Pops would be proud. "Fool's Game," with its nursery rhyme/jump-rope opening, syncopated piano, and powerhouse drumming, might as well be an old field holler updated with modern instrumentation. Bonnie has spent time in Africa in the last few years, and it shows. The ecstatic "Hear Me Lord," co-written with Zimbabwean artist Oliver Mtukudzi, is full of infectious talking drums, moaning fretless bass, and hyper-rhythmic single-string guitar runs. "Back Around," which she co-wrote with Malian guitarist Habib Koité, sounds like it just got off a plane from West Africa. Then Bonnie can turn around and do powerful, heartfelt ballads such as the piano-drenched "No Getting Over You," "Wherever You May Be," "Wounded Heart," and the title tune, "Silver Lining." It's amazing what this woman can do with her voice on a slow tune. This album demonstrates something that people often forget, since Bonnie's such a knockout performer herself: her band. And this band-consisting of guitarist George Marinelli, bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson, drummer Ricky Fataar, and new keyboard guy Jon Cleary-is HOT. These guys can seemingly play anything. The title track says it all: Bonnie and her band just get better with age. I wouldn't be surprised to see Silver Lining winning a lot of Grammies next year. Get it or regret it. - Mark Hoffman