Mason Casey, Sofa King Badass (Northern Blues, 2007)
Debbie Davies, Debbie Davies' Blues Blast (Telarc Blues, 2007)
Mem Shannon, Live: a night at Tipitina's (Northern Blues, 2007)
Here we go again, three more recent blues CDs that will get your feet movin', your toes tappin', and might even send some shivers up and down your spine. I filled my six-disc changer in the car with these three albums (plus a couple older classics from people named Muddy, BB and Wolf) and I am here to tell you...they flowed beautifully from one to the other. Almost a month I left 'em in there. I managed to avoid getting a speeding ticket, too. Even though cranked up and rockin', I was moving out.
First off, we had Mason Casey's Sofa King Badass (say it out loud; I think they did a sketch about 'sofa king' on SNL). Casey has released three albums in France, and lived in the Netherlands for a while, but this is his first US album (albeit released by a record company based in Canada). Recorded in Nashville, Chicago and Rockville, Maryland, this sounds like a classic blues album. Jon Tiven produced and plays guitar, organ, saxes, piano and bells; Chester Thompson plays drums; Sally Tiven adds bass; Mark T. Jordan sits in on piano and Wayne Jackson plays trumpet. The basic band is complemented by guests including Felix Cavaliere, Jimmy Johnson, Big D, Steve Cropper and Anton Fig. The legendary Don Covay appears as 'vocal MC' on one cut. Oh, and Casey sings his lungs out and blows harmonica.
This is a solid set of original blues. Jimmy Johnson's guitar solo on "Chesterfield County Jail" is playing right now, as he trades licks with John Randolph. Sizzling stuff. Steve Cropper adds his signature tones to "Let Me In" and "Done Cryin'". But it's Mason Casey who's the star. His voice is just rough enough, and always true. And his harp playing doesn't depend only on overblowing...he can be subtle too. A nice American debut.
Debbie Davies has been reviewed in GMR before in a blues omni from 2005. I called it "a slice of raw blues, all fundamental and seductive" and the new one, Debbie Davies' Blues Blast just picks up from where that one left off. Her band consists of Bruce Katz (B3 organ), Rod Carey (bass) and Per Hanson (drums), plus a handful of special guests. This time it's Tab Benoit, Coco Montoya and Charlie Musselwhite. The album kicks off with a fiery guitar showdown between Montoya and Davies on "A.C. Strut". I call it a draw...the real winner is the listener 'cause these two can pick! "My Time After Awhile" is a slower blues that allows more space for Davies to show off her powerful voice. "Sittin' and Cryin' " and "Movin' and Groovin' " feature the great Charlie Musselwhite's harp. He can blow, too. Tab Benoit's slinky guitar and his bluesy vocals introduce "Crawling King Snake" and he reappears on "Howlin' For My Darlin' " but this is Debbie's album and she shines. This one's a dandy!
Finally, there's a live album from Mem Shannon. Appropriately called Live: a night at Tipitina's, it presents a set of original tunes, fleshed out with a couple of covers. Shannon is introduced, then the drums begin, the horns come in and then Mem's precise guitar stylings. With the addition of a trio of sax players, this set swings. The band is "Rhock" Dabon (keys), Angelo Nocentelli (bass), Josh Milligan (drums) and the three sax players, Joe Cabral, Tim Green and Jason Mingledorff. From the first beats of "Payin' My Dues" to the last notes of "Phunkville" these guys put on a show, as well as a workshop on how to play.
The original songs are cool but the covers are no easy pickings. The Neville Brothers' "Voodoo" is a spacey funk-filled groove and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down"? Well, let's just say...Tom never played it like this.
The new interest in blues music, and the support of labels like Telarc and Northern Blues have resulted in some fine music on albums that provide the blues fan with far more choice than he's had for many years. Looking for a new direction in blues? You won't find much better material than these three fine new collections.
