PHANTOM BLUES BAND "FOOTPRINTS" Source: Blues In Britain Date: 05/2008 Writer: Mick Rainsford

“When you don’t hear what you love on the radio, you have to take it to the people. So, as the man said, put on your black slacks and cool shoes and get to work. In the footprints of the sleeping giants …”.

This quote taken from the insert on the PBB’s new CD is a blueprint for keeping the music (blues, gospel, R&B et al) alive – and one the band live on a “day to day” basis - either touring and recording with Taj, in their own right, or, individually with a plethora of other great artists.

The PBB are an amalgam of supremely talented musicians, comprising Tony Braunagel (drums), Larry Fulcher (bass/vocals), Mike Finnigan (piano/B3/vocals), Darrell Leonard (trumpet/trombonium/penny whistle, Joe Sublett tenor/baritone sax) and Johnny Lee Schell (guitar/vocals) … and “Footprints” is their outstanding follow up to critically acclaimed “Out Of The Shadows”.

The PBB mine an eclectic vein of blues related music – but do so without losing the cohesion that makes their live shows such a fulfilling experience.

From the opening funky, horn fuelled rendition of “Look At Granny Run” fired by Finnigan’s fiery soul vocals and the band’s fervent harmonies – to the Reggae inspired “When The Music Changes”, the PBB lay down an irresistible groove that defies you to ignore it.

Freddie King’s “See See Baby” is a swinging slab of 50’s/60’s R&B with rasping sax, fat-toned guitar and rattling piano (Jon Cleary) underpinning Schell’s melancholy vocals. “Leave Home Girl” with it’s funky “popping” rhythm is led by Fulcher’s plaintive vocals – “Cottage For Sale” finds Finnigan sliding into Rat-Pack territory delivering a jazz inflected ballad replete with “smoochy” horns – whilst “When Malindy Sings” is a Delta/Eastern fusion enhanced by Schell’s slide guitar, permeated with Gospel/spiritual/African overtones courtesy of Julie Delgado and Kevin Bell’s haunting harmonies.

The Crescent City is visited on Rufus Thomas’s funky “Fried Chicken” and “My Wife Can’t Cook” which melds elements of Fats Domino and Ernie Kador – “Barnyard Blues” is a seriously funky R&B hoedown – whilst the impassioned “A Fool For You” more than does justice to the Ray Charles original.

Add in the Horace Silver inspired “A Very Blue Day” – the Sam Cooke influenced “Your Heartaches Are Over” – and the churning R&B (with spiritual overtones) of “Chills And Fever” with it’s grumbling sax and lowdown piano and bass – and you have a set that can only come highly recommended.

(www.wienerworld.com or www.deltagroovemusic.com)

Words 397

Rating 9

Mick Rainsford