Kim Wilson That’s Life

Kim Wilson
That’s Life
Antone’s

Kim Wilson’s second Antone’s album showcases his considerable talent as a singer, harmonica player and songwriter. It is comprised of Wilson’s originals and some covers of tunes that haven’t been done to tedium.

Opening with a rocking jump blues, Baby Please Don’t Lie To Me, Wilson confidently delivers his vocal on a lyric suggestive of Percy Mayfield. In contrast Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You sounds like a cover of an unissued Sonny Boy Williamson Checker recording , although Wilson’s harp echoes Little Walter on his fine treatment of Jimmy Rogers’ Blues Leave Me Alone (with tasty harp fills and a solid solo from guitarist Rusty Zinn) and on the harp features, Humpin’ to Please, and Lowdown, both exhibiting his relaxed and fluid phrasing and full tone. Wilson salutes the second Sonny Boy Williamson on She’s My Baby, and his harp also echoes Williamson on a rocking rendition of Junior Parker’s Pretty Baby.

In addition to Zinn, Duke Robillard, Derek O’Brien and Clarence Holliman are also heard on guitar, and Gene Taylor adds piano. The only tune that perhaps comes off flat is Wilson’s straight reworking of Irma Thomas’ classic soul hit, Time is on My Side. Otherwise, Wilson’s songs, vocals and harp recapture the feeling of the classic blues from the fifties and sixties on a set that is much more than simply nostalgia.

I likely received a review copy of this from the label or a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 194). Here is Kim from a somewhat recent performance.

Snooky Pryor In This Mess Up To My Chest

Snooky Pryor
In This Mess Up To My Chest 
Antone’s 

Snooky Pryor was one of the earliest Chicago blues artists to record after World War II, first as part of Snooky and Moody, and later on his own for several labels including J.O.B. and Vee-Jay. Influenced in his harp playing by John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson, he never had great commercial success with his initial recordings, although many are classic Chicago blues performances marked by a crying vocal style complemented by his crying harp playing. Antone’s has done a great job in recording him, and has presented several remakes She Tried to Ruin Me, and Judgment Day (from a live recording), along with nice versions of Sonny Boy’s Bluebird Blues, and new songs like Bury You in a Paper Sack, and Take It Easy Greasy. The late Luther Tucker adds his cutting accompaniment to several tracks and guitarist Derek O’Brien does a yeoman’s job elsewhere. Pinetop Perkins adds his typically solid piano on several tracks, and Ted Harvey, one of the last great blues drummers, adds to the music’s spirit. Another fine album of classic Chicago blues.

This review appeared in the July-August 1994  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 193) and I likely received a review copy from Antone's Records. This may be harder to fine on CD or LP but is available as a download. 

Snooky passed away October 18, 2006 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Here is Snooky performing his classic Judgment Day, from a New York City appearance in 1991.

ook

Luther Tucker's Sad Hours

Luther Tucker is an unsung hero of the blues who has been gone a long-time. The following review of Tucker’s Antone’s label release Sad Hours, appeared in the April 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 190). I likely received a review copy from the label. This album is still in print and is also available as a download. The late Luther Tucker was best known for his work on Chess sessions by Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II, and was a member of what was perhaps James Cotton’s best band in the late sixties. A resident of the San Francisco Bay area since 1973, Tucker made few recordings as a leader. A dazzling guitarist, he mixes a slashing West Side Chicago attack with a jazzy sensibility, reflecting the influence of Robert Lockwood’s chordally based style. His jazz sensibilities is evident on the instrumental, Canadian Sunset. Not known as a vocalist, he comes across as more than engaging. The highpoint is an inspired West Side Chicago style treatment of Five Long Years, using the melody of Otis Rush’s Double Trouble. Tribute to Elmore is a kinetic non-slide instrumental derived from Bobby’s Rock. A few songs are funk and while a couple are not realized, the singing and playing against the James Brown groove on War Boy is first-rate. The tight backing band is outstanding and horn charts fresh. Kim Wilson adds harp on a few tracks. This is a surprisingly impressive recording, which even with flaws provides a strong memorial to a departed master.

Candye Kane's Home Cookin' Keeps One Satisfied

Candye Kane certainly has established herself as a significant and powerful presence on the blues and roots music scene. Back in the October 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 195) I wrote the fopllowing review of her Antone’s album, “Home Cookin’. You may have to look for this for sellers specializing in out-of-print recordings (on amazon or through ebay), but I suspect her fans may want to seek this out. I certainly enjoyed it greatly at the time. Her website is http://www.candyekane.com/. Given her background, many will approach Candye Kane’s debut album on Antone’s with curiosity and skepticism. After all when she sings on Dance Hall Girls - about strippers with their g-strings hoping for a “Mr. Right to save a girl tonight,” it is something she knows about. But- when you hear her sing, you’ll be stunned. She is fabulous singer, and this is a fabulous recording. Mostly jump blues based, she shows she can belt out the blues with the force of a Koko Taylor on the opening It Won’t be Long, and she also can tear into a slow blues groove with Big Mama Candyes’ Blues - where she boasts that”bigger is better,” and “I know the reason why. I’m soft and full of lovin’, guaranteed to satisfy,” with legendary guitarist Roy Gaines adding his singular touch to the track. She’s not simply a blues belter. She is at home in a country vein on Dance Hall Girls, and the Tex-Mex flavored She Wore a Red Carnation with Los Lobos’ Cesar Rojos on bajo sexto and Chris Gaffney adding some accordion. And the boppish Why Did You Have to Say That “L Word?”, is a swinging number where she doesn’t overpower the lyric. Roy Gaines is also present on this selection playing some nice Grant Green flavored lines, as well as on the rocking Seven Men a Week. Kim Wilson does a duet with her on Don’t Blame It On Me. Her own band, The Swingin’ Armadillos, certainly do more than yeoman service in backing her, and horns, arranged by saxophonist Johhny Viau, are fresh and imaginative, with plenty of nice touches such as April West’s imaginative trombone smears on Why Did You have to Say That “L Word?” Candye Kane wrote most of the songs here, and they are generally not typical hackneyed blues lyrics. Perhaps it is because she is such a good singer that the lyrics stand out. Given her voice, the power, subtlety and range of her singing, strong original material and the excellent backing she receives, it has resulted in a terrific album, and for that reason, one should be very curious about how she sounds live. Candye is such a wonderful person as well as singer and I will post my review of White Trash Woman from 2006 in a few days.