Johnny Rawls — “Make Them Dance” — Catfood Records
Johnny Rawls has been making sweet, sexy soul 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 has been colored with blues awards from every spectrum: 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.
Rawls is noted 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.
“Make Them Dance” includes songs written by Rawls, Catfood label head Bob Trenchard, or co-written by the two. The soulful backing band includes Rawls on rhythm guitar, Wil McFarlane – guitar; Bob Trenchard – bass; Steve Potts – drums; Dan Ferguson – keyboards; Andy Roman – sax solos; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Nick Flood – baritone/tenor/alto sax; Frank Otero – trombone; with guests Claton Ivey on keys, Jamie McFarlane on bass, Justin Holder on drums and backing vocals by Kimberly Horton and Trinecia Butler.
The session opens with the bouncy, horn-fed and very danceable groove of “So Cold,” followed by “Dreams of You,” a romantic slow-dance ballad featuring Rawls’ soulful pipes with elegant background singers. The title track steps out with a funky beat and the tempting refrain: “Make them dance all night long.” The aching “Move in My Direction” lets Rawls vocal weep at its pleading best.
“Costs Too Much,” Rawls’ sole solo creation, swings in hard on another strong groove with dance rhythms very much afoot. “Give It To Me,” leans on horns and organ for a tough bluesy sound. On “Rip Off the Bandage,” Rawls shouts the pain of a broken relationship. The sensual “Say That You Love Me” reaches deep into primeval soul for an answer to its heartache, while “Swimming with the Sharks” throbs with more danceable grooves.
The closer is the autobiographical “The Long Road,” a Rawls’ career reflection mirrored by gorgeous horn arrangements in the finest soul music tradition.
About this album, Rawls says:
“This new Johnny Rawls album is called “Make Them Dance” and that’s what it’s going to make you do,” he says. “I have some great love ballads on here, too; some of my best work and produced by the great Jim Gaines. One of the tracks on this is the song, ‘Move In My Direction,’ and that’s what you should do: move in the direction that Johnny Rawls is going.”
You would do well to pay attention to Johnny Rawls. And his music. He knows whereof he sings!
Here’s some Johnny Rawls from a previous album:
Tracks and credits:
- 1 So Cold 3:57 (William Harmon & Bob Trenchard 2019)
- 2 Dreams Of You 3:52 (Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls 2025)
- 3 Make Them Dance 3:21 (Bob Trenchard 2025)
- 4 Move In My Direction 4:31 (Sandy Carroll, Stephanie C. Brown & Will MacFarlane 2025)
- 5 Costs Too Much 4:01 (Johnny Rawls 2025)
- 6 Give It To Me 3:03 (Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls 2025)
- 7 Rip Off The Bandage 3:25 (Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls 2025)
- 8 Say That You Love Me 3:11 (Bob Trenchard 2025)
- 9 Swimming With The Sharks 3:20 (Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls 2025)
- 10 The Long Road 3:14 (Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls 2025)
The musicians: - Johnny Rawls – vocals all tracks & rhythm guitar
- Will McFarlane – guitar
- Steve Potts – drums
- Bob Trenchard – bass
- Dan Ferguson – keyboards
- Jamie McFarlane – bass track 4
- Clayton Ivey – keys track 4
- Justin Holder – drums track 4
- Mike Middleton – trumpet
- Andy Roman – sax solos
- Nick Flood – baritone sax, tenor sax & alto sax
- Frank Otero – trombone
- Kimberly Horton – background vocals
- Trinecia Butler – background vocals
Blues Roadhouse 