Johnny Rawls — “Walking Heart Attack” — Catfood Records
Johnny Rawls is a soul survivor.
There aren’t too many soulmen left who make Rawls’ kind of music — sensuous, soulful music, richly flavored by the blues.
He’s been making his music for more than 50 years, after learning to play guitar in his teens. Rawls’ schoolteacher in Purvis, Miss., got him gigs backing musicians who were touring the area, such as Z. Z. Hill and Joe Tex. In the mid 1970s, Rawls joined soul great O. V. Wright’s band, later became his music director and played with him until Wright’s death in 1980. The band then continued as the Ace of Spades Band for another 13 years.
Rawl’s career since then is the stuff from which legends are born: The Blues Music Awards, Blues Blast Awards, Living Blues Awards, and the W. C. Handy Awards have all acknowledged Rawls with multiple awards and nominations, including Soul Blues Album of the Year and Soul Blues Artist of the Year. Living Blues magazine described him as a “soul-blues renaissance man” when he was featured on the cover in 2002. Three of his albums have made the DownBeat Magazine Critics’ Choice Best of the Year List. He is on two markers along the Mississippi Blues Trail – one in Hattiesburg, Miss., and another, of all places, at Marker 110 in Rockland, Maine, testifying to the migration of blues from Mississippi to Maine (check out this bit of blues history here). Rawls’ first recorded with other musicians, but his first solo album, “Here We Go,” was released in 1996, and since then he’s released an album almost every year.
For his latest session, Rawls is backed by his regular group: The Rays: Johnny McGhee – guitar; Bob Trenchard (he’s head of Catfood Records and wrote a pair of songs here with Rawls) – bass; Richy Puga – drums; Dan Ferguson – keyboards; Andy Roman – sax solos; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Nick Flood – baritone/tenor/alto sax; Frank Otero – trombone; with Jon Olazabal – percussion; and backing vocals by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston.
Of course, none of that matters much unless you actually sound good. And Johnny Rawls sounds just great.
That becomes pretty obvious as the album “Walking Heart Attack” opens crisply to horns and backup singers with the song, “Walking Heart Attack,” a funky workout that makes a powerful opening statement. “Trying to Live My Life Without You” is a tribute to Otis Clay, the late soul legend, with whom Rawls recorded 2014’s “Soul Brothers.” “Free” is a Rawls original with gospel undertones and a pleading vocal. “Tell Me the Truth” turns to the blues for its driving wheel, sparked by crackling horns.
“Born All Over” is gloriously pure soul, as Rawls delivers musical testimony from the O.V. Wright songbook, from which he draws a song for every album. “Heal Me” is more strong soul with an orchestral sound punched along by some eloquent B3. A pair of songs by Rawls and Trenchard follows, the horn-driven, easy-swinging rhythms of “One More Sin,” — “If loving you is a sin then I ask for forgiveness again and again…,” with that B3 romping again. Then a soulful vocal take advances “Lies” as one of the album’s strongest cuts.
In what seems an unusual cover choice for a lifelong soulman, Rawls turns Bruce Springsteen’s mythic “Hungry Heart” into a brightly rhythmic bit of soul. The closer “Mississippi Dreams,” is another Trenchard original that reaches back home for Rawls in a sentimental journey spiced with a soaring sax solo.
It makes for a perfect ending to an elegantly soulful journey, at least for this thoroughly enjoyable album. Rawls sounds like he’s got a lot more soul to give. I know I’ll be waiting.
“Walking Heart Attack” from the album:
Tracklist & Credits:
Blues Roadhouse 