JACKIE PAYNE STEVE EDMONSON BAND "MASTER OF THE GAME" Source: Hittin' The Note Date: 01/2007 Writer: Tom Clarke

The old school soul of veteran singer Jackie Payne matches up like there’s no tomorrow with the all-around versatile, dazzling blues guitar of Steve Edmonson on Master of the Game.  Their Band lends dynamic support throughout via surging R&B rhythms and electrifying brass.  The nonstop fabulous and nearly all-original program cuts back and forth between being reminiscent of an uptown nightclub and a loud Texas roadhouse.  The lowdown heat discharged from a song like “Wake Me Up in San Francisco” actually blurs the lines between the two.  Payne growls and testifies with class while Edmonson fires off notes in his solos that seem to both absorb into and ricochet off of plank floors and cavernous rafters.  For evidence of a truly gilded set of pipes, cue up “Warm Rain Fallin’.”  Payne is quite simply legendary on this gorgeous ballad.  This is one soul/blues powerhouse to delve into and keep a sharp eye on.