PHANTOM BLUES BAND "FOOTPRINTS" Source: Blues Wax Date: 03/2008 Writer: Richard Ludmerer

BluesWax Rating: 9
 
Dancing Feet, Happy Feet
On their last CD, Out of The Shadows, the Phantom Blues Band approached their music like it was a joyous R&B experiment. This time around we have a much more disciplined effort as the band strives for perfection. Denny Freeman (guitar), although featured on four tracks, has left the band to tour with Bob Dylan, while the other six remain. They are Mike Finnegan on piano and organ, Darrell Leonard on trumpet, Joe Sublett on tenor sax, Johnny Lee Schell on guitar, Larry Fulcher on bass, and Tony Braunagel on drums. The horn arrangements are by Leonard and Sublett, while the vocalists include Finnegan, Schell, and Fulcher.

Footprints opens with “Look At Granny Run Run” and Phantom immediately defines their audience; this is old school R&B for us older, “refined” individuals. Finnegan sings lead on this Jerry Ragovoy/Mort Shuman song, first recorded by Howard Tate in 1966. The line “…and grandpa running close behind” was written before there was Viagra and if grandpa felt rejuvenated it was because the music made him want to get up and dance. The Phantom Blues Band makes us want to get up and dance.

Mike Finnegan sings “A Cottage For Sale,” originally recorded by Mel Tormé in 1939, and it is one of the album’s highlights. He also sings on “Chills and Fever,” which was a hit for Tom Jones in 1964, and on Ray Charles’ “A Fool For You.” Finnegan, Schell, and Fulcher collaborated to write “Barnyard Blues,” and once again Finnegan’s strong vocal makes this track another highlight on this outstanding album.

Johnny Lee Schell sings on Freddie King’s “See See Baby,” on Rufus Thomas‘ “Fried Chicken,” on Lonnie Russ’ “My Wife Can’t Cook,” and on “A Very Blue Day,” which he co-authored with Darrell Leonard. Larry Fulcher sings lead on Earl Randle’s “Leave Home Girl,” Thomas C. Klemperer’s “Your Heartaches Are Over,” and on two he co-wrote: “When The Music Changes” and “When Malindy Sings,” the later being the only real Blues on this album. Schell’s slide guitar accentuates the song, but it’s the chorus with the additional backup singers that makes this one.

Count on this band if you’re looking for something exciting; while one foot is in the old R&B school, the other is dangling in something new. They manage to always pull it off without tripping themselves up. The Phantom Blues Band has produced another strong album and Footprints firmly establishes them as a band to watch.