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THE LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES REVUE
Source: West Michigan Blues Society
Date: 04/2008
Writer: Mark Smith |
Born as a by-product of many a late night on the Legendary Blues Cruise, where the professionals on the cruise drop in on each other’s performances and ultimately end up in a free for all blues jam, this all star collective has joined forces to treat land lubbers to the same scorching performances that keep their sea borne friends up all night. Recorded live both at Sea and at numerous land-based venues this disc brims with raw energy from start to finish. With Tommy Castro’s tight road band (Keith Crossan on saxophone, Tom Poole on trumpet, Scot Sutherland on bass and Chris Sandoval on drums) serving as the core, the shows are presented in a traditional Revue style with the various musicians rotating in and out of the line up. Wasting no time, the disc kicks off with Ronnie Baker Brooks who lays down some fleet fingered guitar work on Can’t You See which also has ample doses of rollicking horns. Brooks also takes the spotlight on the slow-burning, See You Hurt No More, and on the hard core blues of Muddy Water’s She’s Nineteen Years Old. Not to be outdone, Tommy Castro takes a swing through the soulful I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On which benefits from not only his guitar work but his rich vocals and a full band work up compliments of the entire LRB&R cast. On If I Had a Nickel the Revue members step aside and let Castro and his crew lay down a straight dose of guitar heavy electric blues. Stepping out of the shadows and into the spotlight suits Deanna Bogart just fine as she jumps between the blues and jazz on the self-deprecating, Still the Girl in the Band and leads a funky rave up of the Billy Preston classic, Will It Go Round in Circles. Magic Dick appears on harmonica throughout this set but really turns up the heat on his J.Geils Band chestnut, Whammer Jammer, and on Little Walter’s Tell Me More, which benefits more from his harmonica work than his occasionally thin vocals. The entire LRB&R cast shines bright on the rollicking High on the Hog and on solo after solo on Looking for a Love, which is an end of show tour de force. As if the richly talented line up of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue isn’t enough, stopping by to take the proceedings to the next level are “A” list friends such as Marcia Ball, Curtis Salgado and Elvin Bishop. Salgado’s turn on vocals and harmonica is especially potent given his well documented health issues over the past few years. In the hands of this top notch crew even the cheesy Sea Cruise hits the mark. It’s hard to imagine there will be a better live blues disc this year.
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