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PHANTOM
BLUES BAND "OUT OF THE SHADOWS"
Source: Newman
University
Date: 11/2006
Writer: B.
Lee Cooper |
This
razor-sharp ensemble manufactures multiple musical
styles with authority and verve. The fingerprints
of virtuoso keyboardist Mike Finnigan appear on
instrumental arrangements, vocal approaches, and
piano stylings throughout this disc. But Out of
the Shadows is still a team effort. Guitarist
Denny Freeman flashes fire on the soulful Little
Johnny Taylor tune “Part-time Love.”
Saxophone wizard Joe Sublett echoes a honking
King Curtis sound on the humorous gerontological
lament “My Aching Back.” Percussionist
Tony Bravnagel, bassist Larry Fulcher, guitarist
Johnny Lee Schell, and trumpeter Darrell Leonard
fill out the rest of the magnificent Phantom Blues
Band. Taj Mahal, the beneficiary of the band’s
backing in years past, makes a cameo harmonica
appearance on the powerful Sam and Dave-style
rendition of “I Only Have Love.”
The
Phantom Blues Band deserves blues acclaim. Yet
such recognition is far too narrow. Not unlike
the gifted Ray Charles, the breadth of this
group’s repertoire warrants much broader
stylistic acclaim. In the 1990s Johnny Otis
assembled many talented players to showcase
a variety of great R & B songs. The self-appointed
role of Finnigan and his friends is to select
classic tunes, craft creative arrangements,
and light the revival fire through performing
brilliance. From the gospel-tinged “I’m
Looking for a Miracle” to the blues ballad
“Let Them Talk,” informed listeners
will appreciate this 2006 gift of 20th Century
musical art.
This 15-song disc is peppered with cover songs.
The remarkable range and astounding authenticity
of these pyrotechnic phantoms produces funk,
soul, R & B, gospel, and jazz in a sensitive,
seamless manner. Cheating themes dominate the
lyrics – “Yield Not to Temptation,”
“Think,” “Rain Down Tears,”
and “Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed.”
But the music reigns supreme. Polyrhythmic patterns
reverberate throughout “Mary Ann.”
“Do the Dirt” is a funky dance number
that rekindles memories of Memphis comedian
Rufus Thomas and New Orleans bluesman Walter
“Wolfman” Washington. Finnigan and
Freeman combine to blister a version of “Part-Time
Love” that would make Albert King cry
for mercy.
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