Elmore | November/December 2012

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Band of Heathens

THIS ARRAY OF MUSIC REMINDS me of a conversation between Gatemouth and Johnny Copeland when

the oft cantankerous Gatemouth was berating Copeland because “you just play blues while I play American music—all kinds of it.” I guess Gatemouth had dismissed Copeland’s Bringing It All Back Home, fusing East African music and blues, and Copeland’s vocals on Randy Weston’s Volcano Blues. The range of music played by the artists here certainly extends beyond the blues, or as Melvin Taylor might say, Beyond the Burning Guitar.

Melvin Taylor broke new ground with that 2010 release, two discs of instrumentals fusing blues, jazz and rock. His new release, Sweet Taste of Gui-tar, continues to blend genres, and fi nds Taylor playing all instruments, as well as compos-ing, arranging and producing the album’s ten songs. Taylor layers the guitar parts thick, augmented by keys and rhythm. It’s as if you’re hearing Wes Montgomery and Jimi Hendrix not only in the same session but often in the same track.

Seth Walker is best known in Americana circles but is primarily a singer/songwriter wielding a blues axe. With Time Can Change, he makes a left turn into jazzy, blue-eyed soul with a stripped-down

talents of marvelous guitarists like Marvin Sewell, Marc Ribot and Colin Linden, among others, through her glorious run of Blue Note recordings. For her latest, Another Country, Wilson brought on Fabrizio Sotti, who also co-produced her 2003 album, Glamoured. The small combo on Another Country emits an intimate sound that inevitably spotlights either Wilson or Sotti, who does two pure instrumen-tals himself. Although we hear electric guitar on the fi rst two tracks, “Red Guitar” and “No More Blues,” the majority is acoustic fi nger-picking, fusing Latin jazz and classical with touches of blues and Italian mo-tifs. Wilson has certainly carved

“I was standin’ at the train station with a guitar in my handThen I went to the airport with a guitar in my hand”

—CLARENCE “GATEMOUTH” BROWN

collection of gorgeous ballads. While the themes and underly-ing tones are bluesy, you won’t fi nd extended guitar solos and stomping fare. Walker is a great vocalist and his elegant, clean guitar fi lls mostly frame his vocals. Standout tracks include “Stronger Than You Need to Be,” “Before it Breaks” and “More Days Like This.”

The incomparable vocalist Cassandra Wilson has enlisted the

out a reputation for defying genres. Here, she proves again to be a genre unto herself.

The twin guitars of Mike Zito and Devon Allman, combined with drums and percussion, indeed make Royal Southern Brotherhood sound like the Allman Broth-ers, fronted of course by Devon’s father, Gregg. But with Cyril Neville on vocals, bassist Charlie Wooton and drummer

Guitar in My HandCassandra Wilson

Yonrico Scott, Royal Southern Brotherhood certainly fi lls out its own sound. Zito, Neville and Allman each take turns penning tunes or collaborating on them, as well as sharing vocal duties, further enriching the band’s multifaceted attack. “Ways About You” and Neville’s playful “Sweet Jelly Donut” are the highlights among a batch of good but not great songs. Inevi-tably though, you’ll return to those classic Neville Brothers and Allman Brothers records. That’s part of the idea. Check out RSB—you’ll hear and enjoy songs both new and classic from this supergroup.

Leave it to Debbie Davies to give us fl uid, stinging Tele-

caster blues. Her debut for M.C. Records, After the Fall, takes its name from Davies’ own broken arm and her mourning for the passing of Robin Rogers, her friend and collaborator. With a career marked by stints with John Mayall and Albert Collins, Davies has long been acknowl-edged as a killer guitarist and vocalist. She doesn’t disappoint here. Aided by Bruce Katz’s B3, Davies’ unrelenting groove is best exemplifi ed in “True Blue Fool” and the Rogers tribute, “Down Home Girl.” Davies may not be as adventurous as some, but as we explore these new offerings, Davies is there with guitar in hand to remind us why we love the blues so much.

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