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Roadhouse Album Review: Rev. Freakchild may (or may not) be gone, but his fine vintage blues live on in “A Bluesman of Sorts”

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Rev. Freakchild (Or maybe not) — “A Bluesman of Sorts” — Treated and Released Records

Does the musically devout trafficker in fine vintage blues known, or perhaps formerly known, as the Rev. Freakchild still play and sing among us? The simplest answer to that question is yes. And no.

Although that contradiction is just the kind of paradoxical dichotomy the Rev. would likely revel in, it may explain the parallel existence of his two self-penned “obituaries,” written 12 years apart as album liner notes. The first proclaimed the Rev.’s demise on 2013’s “Chaos & Country Blues.” Apparently ineffective, that obituary gets new life on Freakchild’s latest release, “A Bluesman of Sorts,” that he describes as a “posthumous retrospective collection.” The album lists its producer as Sal Paradise, who was Jack Kerouac’s narrator in Kerouac’s trippy novel “On The Road,” and is apparently one of Freakchild’s alternate realities, as he refuses to limit himself to merely one on this cosmic plane.

So, yes and no can both be correct, as Freakchild or his blues doppelganger offers up this two-album set of 19 songs – a few previously unreleased originals, some old favorites, some classics and some remixes of previously released material. For all of his other-worldliness as a Buddhist bodhisattva, the Rev. is a righteous singer, songwriter and guitarist who works in the traditional country blues format and beyond, to “capture the chaotic coherence and the spirit of a tune,” he says.

The Rev.’s music often defies description when it explores other astral modes, but his blues are a solidly down-to-earth musical vision with vocals rich in historic tradition. The opener on Disc 1 is the gently rhythmic “Green and Brown Blues,” previously unreleased, with Freakchild adding lyrical harp to a stripped-down trio of John Robinson on bass and Patrick Carmichael on drums with a plaintive message: “Yeah I got a million things on my mind, but I still don’t know what to do.”

The furious drive of “Chevrolet” shifts the mood with another unreleased track fueled by rolling organ riffs, adapted by Lonnie and Ed Young in 1959 from the 1930 Memphis Minnie song, “Can I Do It For You.” – “I buy you a ’57 Chevrolet… just to do somethin’ for you.” The Robert Johnson pleading “Come On In My Kitchen,” gets a masterful guitar solo from the Rev., who channels Johnson’s eerie vocals to match the thunderstorm sound effects intro. Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be Satisfied” gets a hard-driving Stones-like update. “Roll and Tumble Blues” is another classic blues by Hambone Willie Newbern from 1929 that gets the Freakchild treatment. The starkly gospel-tinted “Jesus Just Left Chicago” finds The Rev. testifying with his National Steel guitar and irreverent lyrics, followed by the sly testimony of “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven” — “Everybody wanna go to heaven but nobody wanna die.”

The Freakchild original “A Day Late and A Dollar Short” finds him bemoaning his financial plight to a rollicking backbeat, while a world-weary vocal on the slow blues of “Rattling Cages” finds him locked up for being one toke over the line.“Dust Radio,” previously unreleased, is a throbbing version of a Chris Whitley tune that closes out Disc 1.

Disc 2 opens with a rousing version of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man,” complete with razor-sharp harp by Hugh Pool. The Rev. then pumps a little bit of funk and a lot of vocal energy into Bobbie Gentry’s countrified “Ode to Billie Joe” in another unreleased cut. Robert Johnson turns up again as the fearsome “Hellhound On My Trail,” materializes with a haunting vocal.

The traditional “I Know You Rider” gets a tough Southern rocker treatment in this rousing remixed version.“Yer Blues” is the Rev.’s one-man version of the Lennon/McCartney down-and-dirty blues for the Beatles, with the Freakchilds rocking it hard and tight. “Wish I Was In Heaven” is a riveting trance-like version of the hypnotic Mississippi Hill Country blues by R.L. Burnside, and “Death Bells” is a solo country blues, with Freakchild’s sparsely authentic version of the Lightnin’ Hopkins song.

Two live tracks wrap up this bluesified package: An enthusiastic a cappella version of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face,” with a rhythm section of audience hand-clapping, and the previously unreleased finale is an achingly soulful version of “As the Years Go Passing By,” by Peppermint Harris.

With this new set, the Rev. Freakchild may have (or may not have) escaped his own karmic cycle, but his blues definitely live on. A frivolous approach to the Freakchild persona masks a serious appreciation for his music.

“A Bluesman of Sorts” is a far-too-modest title for this joyful collection of music that the Rev. obviously loves and creates with unbridled passion and authenticity. Join him on his journey through this blues-filled astral plane, while you share his mantra: “Music is my religion. Through song I seek transcendence!”

Here’s “Green and Brown Blues” from the album:

Tracks and credits:

CD1 

1 – Green and Brown Blues (2:49)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals, Guitar and Harmonica / John ‘Bones Ritchie’ Robinson – Bass / Patrick Carmichael – Drums / Recorded at M&I Studios, NYC, circa 2001 (Written by Reverend Freakchild © Citizen of the Universe Music) Previously Unreleased Track from the Lucky Devils Sessions

2 – Chevrolet (4:57)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Matt Rae – Lead Guitar / Other Personnel Unknown / Arrangement by Matt Rae / Recorded at Next Door Studios, CT, circa 1998 (Written by Lonnie and Ed Young) Previously Unreleased Track from the Soul Miners Sessions

3 – Come On In My Kitchen (3:20)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Recorded at Uptown Studios, NYC, circa 2002 (Written by Robert Johnson) Previously Released Track from the Album Chaos & Country Blues

4 – I Can’t Be Satisfied (4:41)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2019 / additional overdubs by Aki Kumar – Harmonica / Nick Amodeo – Bass / Steve Sirockin – Organ / Recorded and Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024/25 (Written by McKinley Morganfield) Previously Released Track from the Album Bodhisattva Blues, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

5 – Roll and Tumble Blues (2:34)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Recorded at Uptown Studios, NYC, circa 2003 / with additional overdubs by Hugh Pool – Harmonica / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2008 / Jason Hann – percussion / Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO circa 2024 (Written by Hambone Willie Newbern) Previously Released Track as Rollin’ and Tumblin’ from the Album Chaos & Country Blues, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

6 – Jesus Just Left Chicago (3:26)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Recorded live On Air at WWOZ studios, New Orleans, LA circa 2019 / additional overdubs by Nick Amodeo – Bass / Chris Parker – Drums / Jason Hann – percussion / Recorded and Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024 (Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard) Previously Released Track from the Album Road Dog Dharma, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

7 – Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (2:49)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Recorded at Peloton Studios, circa 2020 / additional overdubs by Malcolm the Minister of Bass / Jason Hann – percussion / Mark Karan- 12 String lead Guitar / Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO circa 2022 (Written by Don Nix) Previously Released Track from the Album Supramundane Blues, Now Remixed

8 – A Day Late and A Dollar Short (3:09)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / John ‘Bones Ritchie’ Robinson – Bass / Patrick Carmichael – Drums / Organ – Unknown / CC – Additional Vocals / Recorded at Uptown Studios, NYC, circa 2003 (Written by Reverend Freakchild © Citizen of the Universe Music) Previously Released Track from the Album God Shaped Hole, Now Remixed

9 – Rattling Cages (8:11)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals, Guitar and Harmonica / Recorded at Uptown Studios, NYC, circa 2004 / additional overdubs by Chris Parker – Drums / Jason Hann – percussion / Recorded and Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO circa 2024 (Written by Reverend Freakchild © Citizen of the Universe Music) Previously Unreleased Track

10 – Dust Radio (4:03)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Recorded at Peloton Studios, circa 2020 / additional over dubs by Nick Amodeo – Bass / Steve Sirockin – Drums / Recorded and Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO, 2024 (Written by Chris Whitley) Previously Unreleased Track

CD2

1 – Big Boss Man (4:12)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Hugh Pool – Harmonica / Mark Karan – Lead Guitar / Melvin Seals – Organ / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2019 / additional overdubs by Jason Hann – percussion / Remixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024 (Written By Jimmy Reed) Previously Released Track from the Album Bodhisattva Blues, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

2 – Ode to Billie Joe (6:53)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Matt Rae – Lead Guitar / Other Personnel Unknown / Arrangement by Matt Rae / Recorded at Next Door Studios, CT, circa 1998 (Written by Bobbie Gentry) Previously Unreleased Track from the Soul Miners Sessions

3 – Hellhound On My Trail (5:42)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2016 / additional overdubs by Jason Hann – percussion / Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024 (Written by Robert Johnson) Previously Released Track from the Album Illogical Optimism, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

4 – I Know You Rider (3:11)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Malcolm the Minister of Bass / Jason Hann – percussion / AJ Fullerton – lead Guitar / Recorded and Mixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO circa 2019 / Remixed 2024 (Traditional) Previously Released Track from the Album Bodhisattva Blues, Now Remixed

5 – Yer Blues (5:41)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Hugh Pool – Harmonica / Mark Karan – Lead Guitar / Melvin Seals – Organ / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2019 / additional overdubs by  Nick Amodeo – Mandolin / Remixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024 (Written by Lennon/ McCartney) Previously Released Track from the Album Bodhisattva Blues, Now with New Overdubs and Remixed

6 – Wish I Was In Heaven (3:36)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and National Steel Guitar / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded at Excello Studios, Brooklyn, NY, circa 2014 / Remixed at Altitude Recording, Boulder, CO 2024 (Written by R. L. Burnside) Previously Released Track from the Album Hillbilly Zen-Punk Blues, Original Session without Overdubs

7 – Death Bells (3:14)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals and Guitar / Recorded at Uptown Studios, NYC, circa 2005 (Written by Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins) Previously Released Track from the Album Chaos & Country Blues

   Bonus Live Tracks –

8 – Grinnin’ In Your Face (2:43)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals / Recorded Llive at Yorckschlosschen Jazz Cub – Berlin, Germany 2015 (Written by Eddie ‘Son’ House) Previously Released Track from the Album Preachin’ Blues

9 – As the Years Go Passing By (5:30)
Reverend Freakchild – Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitar / Hugh Pool – Rhythm and Lead Guitar / Malcolm the Minister of Bass / Chris Parker – Drums / Recorded Live at The Cutting Room – NYC 2023 (Written by Peppermint Harris) Previously Unreleased Track

All Tracks Mastered at Airshow by David Glasser / Produced by Sal Paradise 

Roadhouse Album Review: “Closer to the Bone” is Tommy Castro at his “real blues” best

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Tommy Castro — Closer to the Bone” — Alligator Records

Tommy Castro has been around the blues block a few times.

He’s been making his high energy brand of blues for four decades, covering 17 albums (including this one), thousands of gigs, and he’s won ten Blues Music awards, including the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award in 2023. And he and his band, the Painkillers, pretty much serve as the house band on the semi-annual Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

The Painkillers are at full strength for this new, closer-to-the-blues-bone release, including guitarist Castro on vocals and resonator guitar, Mike Emerson on keyboards, Randy McDonald on bass and vocals, with Bowen Brown on drums. A few high-powered guests include Chris Cain on guitar, Rick Estrin and Billy Branch on harp, Deanna Bogart on sax and vocals, Jim Pugh on keyboards, and the criminally talented Christoffer “Kid” Andersen, on bass, piano, rhythm guitar, organ and upright bass as well as producer at his Greaseland Studios.

“This is a real blues record, the way they would have made them back in the day,” Castro says. Almost all the tracks were recorded live in the studio, filled with spontaneous performances that evoke a personal, down-home, juke-joint vibe.

Castro uses the session to pay tribute to some of his influences, including songs by contemporary California blues guitar greats like Johnny Nitro, Ron Thompson and Chris Cain. And he dips back into blues past for songs from Magic Slim, Eddie Taylor, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Jimmy Nolen and Wynonie Harris. It’s an impressive list.

The rollicking original opener, “Can’t Catch a Break,” is a traditionally themed blues shuffle with Castro full-throatedly bemoaning how “bad luck and trouble is the story of my life,” with a stinging guitar solo and fadeout. Nolan’s 1956 rocking blues “The Way You Do” follows with Estrin on harp, and Nitro’s loping blues, “One More Night” is next — Nitro was another California musician from ’70s and ’80s, who, like Castro and McDonald, was a member of The Dynatones.

The original “Crazy Woman Blues” is a slow-burning, churning urn of burning blues, with Castro’s pleading vocals about being “a fool for misery” are tangled up in fierce fretwork. A cover of Rick Cain’s “Woke Up and Smelled the Coffee” struts in with another crisp guitar solo (they’re becoming a feature throughout as Castro shines on every take). A sly cover of Gary Michael Duke and Joe New’s lively “Keep Your Dog Inside” features Deanna Bogart sharing the vocals. Emerson adds tasty barrelhouse piano.

Watson’s “She Moves Me” is the next cover, an upbeat R&B-flavored track with Bogart on tenor sax. The original “Ain’t Worth the Heartache” features Branch swinging hard on harp, leading into the sensuous strains of Ray Charles early hit, “A Fool for You,” with another scorching guitar solo. Castro’s steamy slide and tough vocals drive Thompson’s “Freight Train (Let Me Ride).”

Painkiller bass player McDonald rocks hard on his own composition, “Everywhere I Go,” followed by the classic, “Bloodshot Eyes,” a country song probably best known for the Wynonie Harris jump blues version. Estrin adds his harp to Taylor’s shuffling “Stroll Out West.” Everything wraps up with Jim Pugh’s organ licks kicking Hole in the Wall,” recorded by Magic Slim, and ridden hard by Castro’s vocals. It’s tough, swelling rhythms punctuate the climax to this terrific blues album.

“Closer to the Bone” is filled with Castro’s authentic vocals and steamy guitar licks. His backers are razor sharp and the arrangements are first class. It’s music blues that is exactly what it says it is — closer to the bone, but still meaty enough to satisfy the blusiest appetite. Don’t wait till the next blues ship gets into port — enjoy it now.

Here’s “Can’t Catch a Break” from the album:

Tracklist:
1. Can’t Catch A Break
2. One More Night
3. The Way You Do
4. Woke Up And Smelled The Coffee
5. Crazy Woman Blues
6. She Moves Me
7. Keep Your Dog Inside
8. A Fool For You
9. Ain’t Worth The Heartache
10. Bloodshot Eyes
11. Everywhere I Go
12. Freight Train (Let Me Ride)
13. Hole In The Wall
14. Stroll Out West

Roadhouse Blues News: The 2025 Grammy winners in blues categories

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Here are the 2025 Grammy nominees and winners in the two major blues categories, plus a pair of roots music awards that also consider blues recordings. The category definitions are taken from the Grammy descriptions. If you’re interested in all the Grammys, you can find them here.

Best Traditional Blues Album — For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

WINNER — Swingin’ Live at The Church in Tulsa — The Taj Mahal Sextet
Hill Country Love — Cedric Burnside
Struck Down — The Fabulous Thunderbirds
One Guitar Woman — Sue Foley
Sam’s Place — Little Feat

Best Contemporary Blues Album — For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

 WINNER — Mileage — Ruthie Foster
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 — Joe Bonamassa
Blame It On Eve — Shemekia Copeland
Friendlytown — Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
The Fury — Antonio Vergara

Best American Roots Performance — For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots.

WINNER — “Lighthouse” — Sierra Ferrell  
“Blame It On Eve” — Shemekia Copeland
“Nothing In Rambling” — The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
“The Ballad Of Sally Anne” — Rhiannon Giddens

Best American Roots Song — Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names in parentheses.) Singles or tracks only.

WINNER” — American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell) 
“Ahead Of The Game” — Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)
“All In Good Time” — Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)
“All My Friends” — Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)
“Blame It On Eve” — John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)

Roadhouse Album Review: “Brown Eyed Blues” is a crackling fine album from Jeff Pitchell

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Jeff Pitchell — “Brown Eyed Blues” — Deguello Records

Jeff Pitchell is, among other things, a talented singer/songwriter from Connecticut whose eclectic musical style revolves around the blues, in all of its myriad shapes and sizes.

When he was just 15, Pitchell won a Best Guitarist contest in his home state. In the four decades since, he’s been making the kind of music that fills his latest album, “Brown Eyed Blues.”

Pitchell, with his band Texas Flood, is talented enough to hold his own here, but a stellar musical cast adds considerable punch to these sixteen tracks (yes, that’s sixteen, a few more than your average album these days.) That lineup includes the criminally talented Tom Hambridge (co-composer, co-producer and drummer), Reese Wynans, Duane Betts, Rick Derringer, and Charles Neville.

The tough, rocking opener, “Now You Know,” emphasizes Pitchell’s robust vocals surrounded by fierce guitar lines, leading into the driving rhythms of the title track, “Brown Eyed Blues,” ridden hard by honky-tonk roadhouse piano from Dan Fontanella. “Wait” steps it up next with jitterbug dance-floor rhythms fueled by Pitchell’s hot lead guitar.

Rock-steady drumming from Hambridge kicks in with the call and response behind the strong vocal on “Caught Up In The Wave,” followed by the smooth R&B groove of the philosophically optimistic “Every Day.”

More highlights include:

The sweetly sung shuffle “Do Right Girl,” co-written by Hambridge, the pulsating B3 by Bruce Feiner on “Beg, Steal And Rob,” the first of two tracks featuring Charles Neville on sax on the blues chestnut, “Meet Me (With Your Black Drawers On)” by Jim and Jeannie Cheatham.

The mournful harp of the great James Cotton opens a funky trip down an easy-rolling “Whiskey River,” the Willie Nelson classic. “When It All Comes Down” is another sturdy shuffle, then the torchy ballad “Soulshine” features Michael Allman on vocals. The closer and bonus track is the Latin-flavored “Welcome To The Beat,” a Tex-Mex styling that adds its own seasoning to this fine collection.

Every track here is crisp and clean, with the backers razor sharp. “Brown Eyed Blues” is a joyous, full-throated exploration of blues themes from a veteran singer/songwriter/guitarman whose talents deserve a much wider audience. Treat yourself to a listen. Then repeat.

Here’s a live performance of “Brown Eyed Blues”

Track list & credits from the album cover:

Roadhouse Album Review: Sue Foley’s “One Guitar Woman” pays a loving tribute to her musical inspirations

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Sue Foley — “One Guitar Woman” — Stony Plain Records

Sue Foley’s latest, “One Guitar Woman,” is a magical expression of traditional songwriting, compelling guitar work and vocal prowess by — one guitar woman.

Foley has shifted from her usual potent electric blues work to just a single acoustic nylon-strung guitar for this ambitious project, allowing her to transform it into a platform for these vital songs honoring women folk and blues artists.

The album’s twelve cuts (eleven thoughtful covers and one original) range from the pure folk of Elizabeth Cotton’s “Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie” through the sensual blues of Memphis Minnie’s “In My Girlish Days” to the authentic rendering of the classic Spanish instrumental, “La Malaguena.”

Foley’s finger-picking guitar technique sparkles throughout, and her vocals provide the perfect complement to the variety of musical styles. She’s accomplished the difficult task of remaining faithful to the originals while seasoning them with her own voice.

“Girlish Days” and “Nothing in Rambling” are Foley’s two stellar tributes to the incomparable Memphis Minnie, born Lizzie Douglas. Minnie’s husband, Ernest Lawler, adapted the traditional “Days” for her and Foley’s grit evokes the spirit of that classic version. “Rambling” is another classic Minnie blues, faithfully executed.

Foley honors Maybelle Carter, the most influential female country music artist of the 20th century, with two songs — Carter’s “Lonesome Homesick Blues” and Foley’s own “Maybelle’s Guitar” — the latter written about Carter, whose unique guitar playing was called the “Carter scratch” and turned that rhythm instrument into a lead guitar.

Foley displays the virtuosity and elegance of her guitar work on “Romance In A Minor,” an instrumental classical composition by Niccolo Paganini originally written for the violin, but later adapted for the guitar. It’s a delicately beautiful, lyrical interpretation.

Equally faithful to their classic sources are Foley’s renditions of “My Journey to the Sky,” “Freight Train,” “Last Kind Words Blues,” “Mal Hombre” and “Motherless Child Blues,” songs that round out this

“One Guitar Woman” is an excellent album that puts Sue Foley’s wide-ranging talent and skills on full display, with a smart collection of musical styles. Of her inspiration here, Foley says:

“From the time I decided to be a professional guitar player, I’ve always looked for female role models. These are the women who were expressing themselves through the instrument as far back as the 1920’s, at the inception of radio and recorded music. They are the trailblazers and visionaries whose footsteps I walk in.” 

With this fine album, Sue Foley shows that she is absolutely worthy of those footsteps.

Here’s the video for “Nothing in Rambling”

Tracklist & credits:
1. Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie (4:15) (Elizabeth Cotten, Vestopol Music, BMI)
2: In My Girlish Days (3:55) (Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc, Wabash Music Company, BMI)
3: Lonesome Homesick Blues (3:53) (Maybelle Carter, APRS, BMI)
4: Mal Hombre (4:27) Lydia Mendoza / Sue Foley, San Antonio Music Publishers Inc, BMI, Mechanicsville Music, SOCAN, ASCAP)
5: Motherless Child Blues (4:33) (Elvie Thomas, Boathouse of Tunes, BMI)
6: Romance In A Minor (4:24) (Niccolo Paganini, Arranged by Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music ASCAP SOCAN)
7: My Journey To the Sky (2:50) (Rosetta Tharpe, PW 3 ASCAP SONGS, ASCAP)
 8: Nothing In Rambling (3:05) (Minnie Lawlers, Memphis Minnie Music Company ASCAP)
9: Maybelle’s Guitar (3:05) (Written by Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music, SOCAN, ASCAP, Wildwood Flower, AP Carter, APRS, BMI)
10: Freight Train (3:37) (Elizabeth Cotten, Figs D Music, BMI)
11: Last Kind Words Blues (4:04) (Geeshie Wiley, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED, PRS, BMG PLATINUM SONGS US, BMI)
12: La Malagueña (4:35) (Ernesto Lecuona, Arranged by Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN, ASCAP)

Roadhouse Album Review: Jennifer Porter creates a musical masterpiece of bluesy Americana in “”Yes, I Do”

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Jennifer Porter — “Yes, I Do — Cougar Moon Music

Jennifer Porter is a superb songstress with a uniquely seductive voice. Her lyrical and musical creativity has allowed her to shape a wide variety of styles, from opera to blues, into her own elegant personal vision.

With her tenth album, “Yes I Do,” Porter highlights her ability to create a lyrical masterpiece of bluesy Americana and deliver it in a silky smooth vocal style that underscores the eloquence of her music.

“Yes I Do” follows Porter’s success with her 2021 release, “Sun Come and Shine,” for which the title track received a We Are the Music Makers award for Best Roots/Americana/Blues song. This latest release brings back the talents of Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar and Grammy nominee C.J. Chenier.

Porter created six of the eight delightful songs here, and blended her own sparkling style into two traditional blues covers. She handles the vocals in her inimitable honeyed style, and plays piano or Wurlitzer or Hammond B3, sometimes all three, on each cut.

A rollicking “Before we Call It A Day” opens the session, upbeat in mood and lyrics, as Porter blends lead and backup vocals with honky-tonk piano into a vibrant message: “I wanna race the clock, kiss the moon / Kick up my heels, and work the room / And have a hell of a night / Before we call it a day.”

The title track, “Yes I Do,” follows, mellowing the mood with Porter again singing her own backup in front of her Wurlitzer and B3 lines. Her gentle vocals accentuate the romantic offering: “I’ll spend my time just making rhymes into these / Hopeful little lines / And leave this lonely broken heartache behind. / Cause I love you, I love you, yes I do.”

“Over You,” a softly romantic ballad follows, enhanced by vocals in the upper register that build a haunting love song into an ethereal presence. “All I Needed Was You” sparks a lovely sentiment behind Chenier’s New Orleans fire and Porter’s rousing piano: “For all my dreams to come true / All I needed was you.”

“Don’t Worry No More” opens with a flourish of horns that leads to Porter’s bluesy tale fueled by her piano and B3. Once again, her vocal charms provide a soft counterpoint to the ttoughness of the lyrical message: “Baby, don’t worry no more / See me walkin’ out the door.”

The Leroy Carr classic 1928 blues “How Long” gets Porter’s subtle vocal treatment with her classy piano and a sweet flugelhorn solo adding unique flavor. “Lucky Dust” opens with a Dixieland swagger with Porter and her piano leading the way through a joyous take that ends with another crackling, jazzy flourish.

The sprightly closer feels just right as a finale for this adventurous set; a lighthearted, innovative cover of the 1925 Stuart Balcom and Bessie Smith chestnut, “Good Ol’ Wagon,” with just Porter caressing the piano and Randy Andos’ easy-thumping tuba.

You wouldn’t guess it from listening, but among Porter’s generous list of accomplishments (actor, screenwriter, composer) is her interest in martial arts. She holds a second-degree black belt in Tai Jujitsu, and has advanced training in Kali and Jeet Kun Do. What do they add to this thoroughly enjoyable music? As the legendary lyricist Sammy Cahn once put it: “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?”

Here’s the title track, “Yes, I Do”:

Tracklist:
1. Before We Call It A Day (3:46)
2. Yes, I Do (4:19)
3. Over You (4:24)
4. All I Needed Was You (3:57)
5. Don’t Worry No More (Funk / Rock Version) (3:37)
6. How Long (4:09)
7. Lucky Dust (Shining Through) (3:29)
8. Good Ol’ Wagon (3:16)