PHANTOM BLUES BAND "FOOTPRINTS" Source: Living Blues Date: 02/2008 Writer: Roger Gatchet

They spent 13 years backing Taj Mahal, but all it took was one solo release in the form of 2006’s Out of the Shadows (DGPCD #111) to let the blues world know that the Phantom Blues Band could more than hold its own as a singular entity. On Footprints the talented ensemble continues to demonstrate both tight musicianship and an eclectic musical vision, evident on the nine covers and four original tunes that tour soul, funk, gospel, jazz, and blues.

Any lesser band would lose its focus amidst the wide variety of musical directions here, but with these players, most of whom hail from Texas and have provided support to artists like B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, John Fogerty, the Rolling Stones, and the Wailers, keep their eyes on the prize and seem to have a great time in
the process. Aside from the oddly placed and unnecessary closing reggae number When The Music Changes, the Phantom Blues Band delivers the goods from start to finish.

Footprints opens big with a fantastic, horn-driven cover of the hilarious old Jerry Ragovoy–penned classic Look At Granny Run [Run]. Fans of this song should note this is one of the best versions since Howard Tate scored a Top 20 R&B hit with it back in 1966, knocking later efforts by Ry Cooder and Grand Funk Railroad out of the water. Mike
Finnigan’s vocals are superb, and the combo of Joe Sublett and Darrell Leonard, who handle horn duties, are sharp and on point. Equally tasty is the energetic See See Baby, which maintains the cool swing and barrelhouse piano of Freddy King’s take, the gospel original When Malindy Sings, with its brooding slide guitar and southern-inspired
vocal harmonies, and the jazzy swagger of A Very Blue Day. The band also lays down tight, in-the-pocket grooves on funky numbers like Leave Home Girl and the sexy Fried Chicken, and a sympathetic cover of Ray Charles’
A Fool For You. Footprints demonstrates why Taj Mahal has continued to employ these guys since 1993. Who can argue with that endorsement?