Dan Penn Living in Mercy

Dan Penn
Living in Mercy
Last Music Co.

Dan Penn has not recorded often in recent years, but the legendary songwriter has a new album, the first since 1994's "Do Right Man." He has written (or co-written) so many classic songs, including "The Dark End of the Street," "You Left the Water Running," and "I'm Your Puppet." As this latest recording displays that as he approaches 80, he still has a gift in spinning memorable melodies and lyrics.

For this recording, Penn wrote songs with some of his closest collaborators, including Wayne Carson, Spooner Oldham, Gary Nicholson, Carson Whitsett, Will McFarlane, Bucky Lindsey, Buzz Cason, and the Cate Brothers. Recorded in Muscle Shoals and Nashville, the musicians included Milton Sledge (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass), Will McFarlane (guitar), and Clayton Ivey (keyboards), along with a full horn section. They provide lithe backing that supports, and not overwhelm, Penn's performances.

Dan Penn may not have been James Carr or Otis Redding, but his grainy, world-weary singing has a strong appeal, particularly in his reflections on love and relationships. It is evident as he expresses the lyrics of surviving despite things going wrong as he is living in mercy as his woman's love is killing him. On "Clean Slate," Penn is asking his lady to give him one more chance to make it right for the mistakes Penn has made. Then he considers "What It Takes To Be True," and it doesn't take quitting or playing the field. Then there is the gentle rocking groove of "I Didn't Hear it Coming," where he sings about her telling him she loved him, while he was too shy even to ask her to dance. Then there is a song about being lost. friendless, and trying to make it in Nashville on "Down in Music Row." There is a driving groove to Penn's pleading to his baby on "Edge of Love." A similar feel is heard on the upbeat "Soul Connection," with its celebration of his relationship.

The closing track "One of These Days" is a gospel original with a lyric that hints at the Book of Revelations as he sings time running out of we don't change our ways, and the lord will draw the line if we don't change our ways. It is a heartfelt vocal and well played. One might imagine that the songs here may well provide other artists with choice material to produce their interpretations, like so many of his songs, have over the years. Dan Penn has not recorded that often over these years, so we should appreciate this soulful, new recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Dan Penn performing "Living in Mercy" from the album.

Bobby Purify Knows Its "Better To Have It"

Some of you may remember the duo, James & Bobby Purify who recorded the classic, I’m Your Puppet, four decades ago. It seems that there have been at least three singers who have performed as Bobby Purify, the latest being a terrific vocalist by the name of Ben Moore, who as Jerry Wexler says in the liner notes to the new Purify album, Better to Have It (Proper American), “THE MAN CAN FLAT SING - and I sure don’t mean to suggest he sings flat.”

The disc was produced by the legendary Dan Penn, author of so many R&B classics including The Dark End of the Street, I’m Your Puppet and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man. Penn’s long-time associate, Spooner Oldham is on keyboards on this session, Penn co-wrote all but one song (Moore wrote What’s Old to You) with keyboardist Carson Whitsett and Hoy “Bucky” Lindsay. Other familiar names in the studio band include guitarist Jimmie Johnson and bassist David Hood, while Charles Rose leads the horn section that includes Harvey Thompson and Wayne Jackson. 

This is an absolutely delicious recording that justifies Wexler’s praise. Moore delivers some wonderful songs including a terrific number, My Life to Live Over (a completely different tune from the old Guitar Slim number) with Purify-Moore reflecting about how he would change some things if he could live things anew. There’s a bit of topicality as Purify delivers a lyric about things being wrong for a young man to grow up when there’s Nobody Home to help him grow up with Johnson adding a strong solo here. More of a classic Memphis-funk groove is present on Somebody’s Gotta Do It with strong, punchy horns. 

The entire disc is first-rate with strong playing to accompany the terrific songs and fabulous vocals. Fans of old school R&B and deep southern soul will find few new discs as satisfying as this recording.

This review originally appeared in the August 2005 DC Blues Calendar and the September-October 2005 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 276). I likely received a review copy from a publicist. This disc is still in print.  Here is the man singing I'm Your Puppet.

 

Irma Thomas Sings Dan Penn and Her Heart Is In Memphis

Here is another older review of another Irma Thomas CD from the September/October 2000 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 247) and likely appeared in the DC Blues Calendar at the time. I likely received a review copy from Rounder. Irma Thomas, the great singer from New Orleans has a fabulous new Rounder cd in the stores now, My Heart’s In Memphis; The Songs of Dan Penn. Thomas has been such a terrific singer since she recorded such R&B classics as Ruler of My Heart, I Done Got Over It and the original Time Is On My Side. In the seventies she did some sessions in Muscle Shoals, and included a couple songs by Dan Penn. Penn contributed three songs to Irma’s 1997 album, The Story of My Life. Dan Penn is among the great songwriters, having had a part in such classics as Aretha’s Do Right Woman, the Box Tops’ Cry Like a Baby and James Carr’s great deep soul classic, Dark End of the Street. With collaborators including Spooner Oldham, Carson Whitsett, Marvell Thomas and Irma herself, Penn has provided some wonderful new tunes and he and co-producer Scott Billington has brought together a sterling studio band with Michael Toles guitar, the keyboards of Oldham, Whitsett, and Thomas, along with saxophonist Jim Spake. Anyone who loves the classic Memphis Sound will groove to the playing here and when Irma sings about traveling all over the world, but her heart being in memphis on the title track, one almost believes she lived in Memphis all her life. There’s a wonderful reworking of the Bobby and James Purify hit, I’m Your Puppet, along with Zero Willpower, which Irma recorded in Muscle Shoals in the late sixties. There are blue laments of love gone wrong and mistreating men, Blue in the Heart and Woman Left Lonely, as well as songs with a more assertive tone, If You Want It, Come and Get It. All these songs display Irma’s greatest strength as a singer, which is her sincerity and believability. My Heart’s In Memphis is possibly the best classic soul album since the late Johnny Adams’ last album, Man of My Word, another Scott Billington production.

Irma Thomas' The Story of My Life

In addition to posting current reviews of recordings, you know I also post reviews I have written for publications for five and more years ago. Today’s review is from 15 years ago and appeared in the April 1997 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 220 and likely was also published in the DC Blues Calendar which I edited for the DC Blues Society for nearly 20 years. I noted that I have not posted any of my Irma Thomas reviews, so this is in part to rectify that. Irma’s recording career has slowed down in recent years but the Soul Queen of New Orleans remains a national treasure.  For her seventh album for the Rounder label, The Story of My Life, Irma Thomas is backed by a stunning band of Crescent City stalwarts - bassist George Porter, drummer Raymond Weber, and pianist David Torkanowsky, along with guitarist Michael Toles plus horns and backing vocal choruses on several selections. Scott Billington who produced this one with Thomas, arranged for the songwriting team of Dan Penn, Jonnie Barnett and Carson Whitsett to contribute some songs, and there is new (or at least unfamiliar) material from Dawn Thomas, Sarah Brown and Lisa Mednick, and Allen Toussaint before Thomas closes with a very strong reading of Aretha’s recording of Dr. Feelgood. The album has its share of Crescent City grooves on the opening funked up blues, No Use Talking, and the second line rhythm underlying her boost of independence, I Won’t Cry For You (from the afore-mentioned trio of Penn, Barnett and Whitsett). Dawn Thomas’ song, which gives the album its title, is a more straight-forward modern R&B ballad, while Love Don’t Get No Better Than This is an uptempo celebration of romance that Thomas delivers with an assurance that her decades of performing have given her. This is also evident on her soulful delivery of the mournful Hold Me While I Cry, which has a tasty tenor sax break from Charles Elam III, who also duets her on the ballad Get Here. The liner notes speak about Thomas’ frustration with being treated as a oldies act due to her classic songs from the early sixties, but this is simply the latest Rounder recording that illustrates just how wonderful a vocalist she is, and the mix of blues, New Orleans, soul and some pop elements make for a most delicious musical stew. I likely received a review copy from Rounder back in 1997. This should still be relatively easy to find. While not from this album, here is Irma singing one of the songs she is known for, even if many more know the Rolling Stones version.

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham's Deep Soul Treasures

The boundaries between blues and soul is a fluid one especially today. A variety of releases illustrate the continuing appeal of performers who can straddle both worlds. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham are among those who helped the development and evolution of soul music as songwriters, and in Oldham’s case as a member of some great studio bands.

Think of James & Bobby Purify’s I’m Your Puppet, The BoxTops Cry Like a Baby, and Solomon Burke’s Out of Left Field, and you have some of the classics the duo wrote along with other great songs like It Tears Me Up, A Woman Left Lonely and You Left the Water Running. And Penn with Chips Woman wrote Do Right Woman, Do Right Man for Aretha and the James Carr deep soul classic, The Dark End of the Street.

Proper American has just issued Moments From the Theatre, a collection of live performances from 1997 when they opened for Nick Lowe in England and Ireland triumphs red. Oldham’s Wurlitzer piano and Penn’s acoustic guitar provide the backing for Penn’s soulfully rendered vocals on the previously enumerated classic songs and others. The intimacy and sparse backing highlights Penn’s delivery of the lyrics that stand out even more than on so many classic recordings. Penn may not quite take us to church but he certainly does deliver the goods (Oldham sings one song) and this is quite a welcome release.


This review originally ran in the December 2005-January 2006 DC Blues Calendar, which was then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter. I received my review copy from a publicist. 

2007 Ponderosa Stomp

2007 Ponderosa Stomp-272
Originally uploaded by NoVARon

Finally did an initial write-up of this year's Ponderosa Stomp (The Sixth One) held on May 2 at the House of Blues in New Orleans. It is subject to some editing.

The Ponderosa Stomp is a multi-genre evening of wild rock and roll put on by the non-profit, Mystic Knights of the Mau Mau, who mission is “rediscovering and celebrating America’s overlooked musical pioneers, and re-educating the community about their impact on music.” Returning to New Orleans after being relocating to Memphis in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, the Stomp was held at New Orleans’ House of Blues, where music was presented with performances in the main room, The Parish and HOB’s outdoor patio.

The artists at this year’s Stomp included ex-Thirteen Floor Elevator, Roky Erickson and The Explosives, master arranger Wardell Quezergue and the New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Revue with Tony Owens, Robert Parker, Jean "Mr Big Stuff" Knight, and Dave Bartholomew; vocalist Little Jimmy Scott, Deke Dickerson and the Eccofonics, Dennis Coffey, soul songwriter supreme Dan Penn, Dale Hawkins, Texas Tornado co-founder Augie Meyers, Herbert Hardesty, Barbara Lynn, Lazy Lester, Lafayette Soul Show Houseband Little Buck and the Top Cats w/ Stanley "Buckwheat Zydeco" Dural on Hammond B-3, Willie Tee, Rockie Charles, Jay Chevalier, Roy Head, Joe Clay, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Blues Piano Master Henry Gray, Eddie "The Hawg" Kirkland, Duo of Guitarist Kenny Brown and Bobby Rush, Ralph "Soul" Jackson, "Guitar Lightning" Lee, drummer Matt "I'm Movin On" Lucas, Little Freddie King, Skip "Hoochie Coochie Man" Easterling, Ernie "DapWalk" Vincent, and David "Funky Soul" Batiste. There simply is too much music for anyone be able to catch every performer.

Arriving at the House of Blues at 5:30, I headed to the main stage where Lil Buck Sinegal and the Top Cats were holding forth with Lil Buck’s guitar, Stanley Dural’s B-3 and a tight three horn section. Emceeing this portion was Dallas dee-jay, soul-blues singer and songwriter, Bobby Patterson, who, after several numbers by the Top Cats, brought up Motown session guitarist and Funk Brother , Dennis Coffrey. Coffrey played several fine instrumentals including revisiting The Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain.” Lazy Lester followed with a set that included some of his Excello recordings including the instrumental that gave this event its name “Pondarosa Stomp,” (this is the spelling on the Excello single) and “Sugar Coated Love.” He also had a nice rendition of Merle Haggard’s “I’m a Stranger.” Lester was followed by David Batiste (of the legendary New Orleans funk band, The Gladiators, and father of drummer (David) Russell Batiste Jr.). While his set certainly had a funk core, he included some strong blues. Barbara Lynn was up next with a varied set that included her hit “"You'll Lose A Good Thing." (Herb Hardesty joined the horns for her set), and was followed by the energetic Texas rocker and blues shouter Roy Head who did his “Treat Her Right” and renditions of Bobby Bland numbers with a definite stage flair. I ventured to the Parish Stage during some of these performances and caught Eddie Kirkland (with a trio) and Henry Gray solo on the piano, giving solid, representative performances. After a short break, drummer and WWOZ announcer Bob French introduced Jimmy Scott, who was backed by piano and bass. This may have been the single finest performance of my New Orleans vacation. Scott’s was simply spellbinding, delivering a lyric in a manner suggestive of Billie Holiday in how he phrased the song. His performance was on the same time as Bobby Rush and Kenny Brown whom I heard were excellent.
After a break the main HOB stage was set up for the Wardell Querzergue New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Revue. The legendary producer and arranger, Querzergue, lost his vision several years ago and was this program was the first in several years to feature him and his arrangements. He opened with a bright, funky rendition of Smokey Johnson’s “It AIn’t My Fault.” Up next was soul-singer Tony Owens who reworked several of the recordings Querzergue had produced for Cotillion and other labels, including “Confessin’ a Feeling”, and he was followed by Robert Parker who did “Barefootin’” and a couple other songs, and Jean Knight, who sang a lively “Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot” and “Mr. Big Stuff.” During Knight's performances, Allen Toussaint played the B-3 for a couple songs. Conducting the band, Querzergue also could be seen greatly enjoying the performances. The longest stretch of this Revue featured Dave Bartholomew whose segment included a funky rendition of “The Monkey Speaks,” and some of the other classic songs he helped write and make musical history with. There was plenty of space for his trumpet to be featured along with guitarist Charles Moore and the members of the horn section including saxophonists Herb Hardesty and Amadeé Castanell.

After this revue closed I went back to the now packed Parish stage where Dale Hawkins (backed by Deke Dickerson and the Eccophonics) was winding down with “Suzy Q.” Downstairs on the mainstage I caught most of Dan Penn’s set, accompanied by his guitar and by Bobby Emmons on keyboards, which concluded with a fine “The Dark End of the Street.” It was after midnight and feeling the effects of traveling that day I left the Stomp had started at 5:30 and kept going for at least another two hours) although I saw Little Freddie King and a harmonica player on the Patio stage (King also had a set with his band), so I did not see Joe Clay, Rory Erickson, Augie Meyers, Willie Tee and Al ‘Carnival’ Johnson (who I also heard was outstanding). For those seeking an evening of straight, no chaser blues, frantic rockabilly, deep funk and southern soul with a dash of psychedelia and uptown R&B, one will find no more exhilarating concert than the Ponderosa Stomp.

For images from the Ponderosa Stomp, please visit: Ron's Ponderosa Stomp Pics

If the Ponderosa Stomp was not enough, Padnos and the Mystic Krewe helped produced a free “Legends of Swamp Pop” show the following evening outside the Cabildo on Jackson Square with Little Band of Gold (C.C. Adcock, Warren Storm, Steve Riley, David Egan and others) who brought on Tommy McClain, Rod Bernard and Lazy Lester (with Roy Head also singing a few numbers) for a marvelous evening featuring this important but usually overlooked Louisiana genre.