PHANTOM BLUES BAND "FOOTPRINTS" Source: Walla Walla Date: 04/2008 Writer: ‘Tired Puppy’ Patty Keyes

Ok, this is my new favorite CD. I absolutely love it. I'm playing it every day. The Phantom Blues Band is the band that has backed Taj Mahal for 13 years. Their first CD, “Out of the Shadows” told the world they could not only survive on their own but shine like the professional musicians they are. These guys are all award winning musicians. Handy and Grammy award winners. The Phantom Blues Band are: Johnny Lee Schell (vocals, guitar, slide guitar); Mike Finnigan (vocals, piano, organ, Hammond b-3 organ); Larry Fulcher (vocals, bass guitar); Darrell Leonard (pennywhistle, trumpet); Joe Sublett (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); and Tony Braunagel (drums). Footprints is an energetic collection of everything from gospel and reggae to funk and straight forward blues.
"Footprints" is, by far, their best offering so far (I also have their “Out of the Shadows” CD too.) “Footprints” grooves, it’s soulful, it's sexy, it's classy, it's funky, it's powerful, and it's playful. It has nine covers and four originals. It opens with the horn-driven classic “Look at Granny Run Run” which is one of the best versions of this song I’ve ever heard. Mike Finnigan’s vocals absolutely amaze on the sad ballad, “Cottage for Sale”. There’s a hint of southern gospel in “Your Heartaches Are Over,” a song that promises a new beginning to a lover betrayed. The bluest song is the band’s cover of the Ray Charles classic, “A Fool For You,” on which Finnigan pours his heart out for a lover who found pleasure in the arms of another. The last song on Footprints is an original, “When the Music Changes,” an upbeat, danceable song. When the music changes, you change the dance, when the music stops, the dance is over.
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I highly recommend both of these CDs but Footprints is my favorite and I can’t wait until the next one comes out.