Big G Delivers the Blues

Big G IMG_0069, originally uploaded by NoVARon.

June 10 I had a chance to catch a southern soul and blues review at the Charles County MD club, Lamont’s. Among the performers was one Big G (pictured above) from the Richmond, Virginia area who I had heard of and had purchased one of his CDs on www.cdbaby.com. Besides his own set on which he displayed a soulful singing style, he played guitar later to back up Roy C, a popular performer on this circuit. I purchased two more of his CDs at the show and reviewed one in the July-August 2006 DC Blues Calendar which I reproduce below.

Big G
Based on his performance at a recent southern soul show at Lamont’s, this writer understands why Richmond’s Big G has developed a following among fans of the soul-blues in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. He has produced a number of CDs on his own which are typical of such efforts in that there is considerable use of overdubbing and the employment of a rhythm track as opposed to a live drummer. Big G is a more than capable guitarist and keyboard player and a very soulful singer.
Despite the self-imposed limitations, his newest CD, Broken Hearted, will appeal to his fans and even more casual fans of the music. The title track is a nice ballad evoking the swamp pop era with Big G’s tear-in-the-throat vocal aided by the sparse production. Freaky Groove is a seductive song as he tells his woman how much she means to him and how he wants to get freaky with her that night. Two Step (on which rapper 100 Proof appears) is a party dance song, presented in a radio version and a longer club mix. One number, Family Reunion Slide, is an instrumental whereas the remainder are standard soul-blues that are well written and sung. The material and Big G’s own singing deserves a bit more time and production effort so that it would be easier for him to have broader appeal. You can get this and his other recordings from dbaby.com or www.BigGSounds.com.