By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
AUTUMNAL EQUINOX BLUES
n August, according to the Chicago
Tribune, the killers of slain bluesman
Eric "Guitar" Davis have been jailed and
charged with murder. Two men, Devin
Aldridge and Mark Hall, both 23, were
charged with shooting and killing Eric and
74-year-old church deacon Willie Cooper,
after they approached both separately in
parked cars and asked for money. When
Eric tried to drive away, they shot him multiple times. Eric was pronounced dead on
December 19, 2013. The news has offered
I
sound.
Highlights include the smooth tones of
"Voodoo Queen," an ode to a Louisiana
heartbreaker co-written by Johnny and
"Living On Borrowed Time", which has
both singers digging deep for a funky, gritty turn. Most surprising is that the duo
could take Johnny Taylor's classic, much
covered soul-blues hit, "Turn Back The
Hands of Time" and somehow make it
sound fresh. Between Johnny's melancholy
vocals and Otis' shouts and raw belting, it's
some relief for the blues community who
pondered why the police could not find the
killers after nearly a year. Eric's memory
and music lives on.
The soul-blues subcategory of the blues
genre attracts a fair amount of contention
from blues fans. There's no question that
it's not blues but just like blues-rock, soulblues connects well to its blues foundation.
The blending can produce music so evocative that it deserves to be counted in both
categories. Such is the case with soul-blues
masters Johnny Rawls and Otis Clay's
new release, Soul Brothers (Catfood
Records). Last year's blockbuster ( Living
Blues Award winner for best soul blues
album 2013) Remembering O.V. (Catfood
Records,) featuring Otis Clay as a special
guest, delivered such flawless soul-blues
that fans and critics clamored for more of
the pairing. It's easy to understand why;
Rawls and Clay are among the last classic
soul singers still living and their mastery of
the special mix of blues, soul and gospel is
unparalleled.
Soul Brothers doesn't play around with
the kitschy stereotype that popular culture
bestows on soul singers, all 10 tracks are
unapologetically soul-blues, with no raps,
riffs or jokes thrown in to make it more
appealing to a crossover audience. What
that means is that the CD sounds like the
soundtrack to a sweaty, '60s house party
that you never want to leave. The opening
tune, "Only You Know I Know" lays the
groundwork for the Southern soul rhythm
and the blues delivery, with Johnny dropping his melodious vocals first, followed
by Otis' raspy belting. The backing band,
The Rays, offer tight, in-the–pocket
grooves and background vocals by The
Iveys flesh it out into a true old-school soul
as if the 44-year-old song was given a reworking. Firmly honoring the soul tradition but still rooted in urban blues, both
blues and soul fans need to hear this
album.
Mississippi Heat is a blues band that's
always managed to stay true to the blues
tradition while still exploring new influences and arrangements. Their 11th recording, Warning Shot (Delmark) continues that
path, delivering impeccable blues with
Latin, R&B and jazz undertones. An
expansive 16 tracks, the album journeys
from Delta and Chicago blues, through 50s
early jump blues and R&B, with a little pit
stop to the Caribbean.
Blasting off with a driving blues beat
on, "Sweet Poison," the opening tune, the
stage is set for the party that is the
Mississippi Heat experience. Lead vocalist
Inetta Visor always supplies powerful
blues woman vocals and she spares no
emotion belting out "your love is that
sweet poison/and I don't like the way it
feels." From there, things speed up with
"Alley Cat Boogie," a hip shaking, horn
studded blues treatment. Founder Pierre
Lacocque wrote all but six of the tracks,
revealing according to the liner notes, his
early challenges with isolation and melancholy. The songs cover the traditional blues
territory of heartbreak, economic struggle
and romantic adventures but Pierre's emotional expression really comes through his
harp playing. The CD cover design of a
smoking harp lying on a microphone illustrates the intensity of his playing on the
album. The title track displays hot, urgent
harp lines and on the standout Ruth Brown
cover, "I Don't Know," which has Inetta
pouring out a smoky blues ballad around
mournful harmonica blasts. Other high-
Austin "Walkin' Cane" Charanghat
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illinoisentertainer.com october
2014