The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold

Produced by Duke Robillard, Billy Boy Arnold’s new Stony Plain recording “The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold” has him performing songs he has long loved along with originals, early R&B songs, blues/jazz standards and some rare soul gems. Arnold’s vocals and harmonica are backed by Robillard’s guitar and band with Bruce Bears on keyboards, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira’s drums with a horn section of regular Robillard associates Rich Lataille, Mark Earley and Doug Wooverton.

Arnold can be an effective vocalist but with some exceptions, including a compelling West Side Chicago blues-styled remake of B.B. King’s “Worried Dream” (with some great Robillard guilt), and the classic Chicago blues shuffle groove of Arnold’s original “What’s on the Menu Mama,” most of this is simply pleasant. Arnold’s use of harp on an old Mack Rice soul classic “Coal Man” gives it a different flavor, but his limited range and simple vocal style doesn't render a strong impression on the old Eddie Miller classic “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” or “Nat Adderly’s “Work Song” (with Oscar brown’s lyrics). These are not bad performances, but there are many better recordings of “Muddy Water” (thinking Lou Rawls and Carmen Bradford) and Gregory Porter has placed his stamp on “Work Song.”

There is a nice variety of material and Duke has provided solid settings for Arnold’s singing with solid playing by all including nice slide guitar from Duke on “99 LBs.”  Bears plays some rollicking piano on ”Muddy Water,” and displays a jazzy touch on “St. James Infirmary.” Arnold adds nice harp throughout in his distinctive style and the ensemble give a touch of Southern Soul in the backing for the remakes of “Coal Man” and Joe Tex’s still relevant topical song “A Mother’s Prayer.” They also do a solid job in backing Arnold on a nicely done Ray Charles cover, “Don’t Set Me Free” 

“The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold" is an enjoyable recording with a couple of stand-out selections.

I received my review copy from a publicist.  Here is Billy Boy from several decades ago strongly singing a Jimmy McCracklin classic.

Duke Robillard's "Low Down and Torn Up"

Duke Robillard's new Stony Plain CD, Low Down and Torn Up, presents the veteran singer and guitarist on a program of 14 interpretations of older jump blues and Chicago blues. It was recorded live with his regular band of Bruce Bears on piano, Brad Hallen on bass, Mark Teixeira on drums (and one vocal) with Sax Gordon playing tenor and baritone sax. Mark McCabe replaces Bears on 7 songs. Songs derive from recordings by Guitar Slim, Tampa Red, Sugar Boy Crawford, Pee Wee Crayton, Elmore James, Eddie Taylor, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy McCracklin, and Bobby 'Blues' Merrill. Most of these songs will be unfamiliar. Elmore James' Twelve Year Old Boy and Tampa Red's Let Me Play With Your Poodle, are perhaps the best known songs heard here.


The strengths of this record are the strong ensemble playing along with Sax Gordon's playing. On Eddie Taylor's Trainfare Home, Gordon sounds like a mix of J.T. Brown's nanny goat tone and Eddie Shaw's raspy overblowing attack. Robillard's vocals sound a bit muffled on this session especially on the opening interpretation of Guitar Slim's Quicksand. Tampa Red's Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, sounds better, with Matt McCabe on piano evoking Little Johnnie Jones as drummer Teixeira suggests Judge Riley who played on many late 40's Bluebird Record sessions. Let Me Play With Your Poodle also sports some fine piano with a capable vocal although, in my opinion, it is not as strong as the renditions of this by Lightnin' Hopkins, Marcia Ball and Chick Willis.


Teixeira handles the vocal on a frantic rendition of Sugar Boy Crawford's Overboard, with Gordon taking a nice tenor sax solo. Blues After Hour is a nice low-key remake of the Pee Wee Crayton instrumental classic that showcases how tasteful Duke can be, while the rendition of Crayton's recording, Do Unto Others, is a rocker with a Crescent City groove and blistering guitar. Robillard's cover of John Lee Hooker's Want Ad Blues is a boogie that conjures up Hooker's 50's Vee-Jay sides. Its interesting to hear a cover of Tool Bag Boogie, one of Elmore James instrumentals where he did not play slide. Gordon rips off some hot sax while Duke plays solidly in a T-Bone Walker-ish vein.


Covers of Jimmy McCracklin, Elmore and Sugar Boy Crawford strike me as more successful instrumentally as Duke's vocals here generally strike this listener as a bit mannered, although I would suspect some of you would disagree. There is much I like about this, but I can only recommend Low Down and Torn Up with reservations. 

My review copy was provided by a publicist for this release.

Jay McShann Always Was Jumping.

Jay McShann was the leader of the last great band to emerge from Kansas City, mixing the blues and riff tunes that helped transform jazz. He continued to perform well into the 21st Century and this writer had the pleasure of seeing him several times including once backing up Big Joe Turner at Fat Tuesday’s in New York City. The last time I saw him perform was at the Western Maryland Blues Festival where he was backed by Duke Robillard, who produced his last several albums for the Canadian Stony Plain label. McShann actually recorded extensively over the past couple decades of his life with excellent albums available also on Atlantic, Sackville, Black & Blue MusicMasters, and Chiarscuro. The following review of Hootie’s Jumpin’ Blues appeared in the October 1997 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 225). Jay McShann’s new album on the Canadian Stoney Plain label displays the timelessness of his music. McShann’s big band was one of the last to emerge out of Kansas City before World War II (and included the legendary Charlie Parker for a period) and was known as the band that played the blues. The band enjoyed considerable success for Decca with the classic Confessin’ the Blues. With the decline of the big bands after the war, McShann adapted his music into the smaller jump bands and continued a prolific recording career over the next few decades featuring a variety of vocalists, including Crown Prince Waterford, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Priscella Reed. In the seventies, McShann was recorded for a number of labels and started including some vocals of his own, displaying an appealing, somewhat nasal vocal delivery that added to his wonderful bluesy piano (influences on McShann included Pete Johnson as well as Count Basie). While he has continued to record over the past few years, this release showcases his engaging vocals as much as his piano. Producer and guitarist Duke Robillard adds particular authority to this recording, which goes back to the days of when he fronted Roomful of Blues, and his guitar work is solidly in the T-Bone Walker vein adding to the authenticity. He rounded up some fine horn players who do a capable job, although they honestly do not arrive at the level of a Buddy Tate or Paul Quinichette, who accompanied McShann on his Atlantic recordings of the late seventies. This is not to fault the strongly idiomatic playing the musicians turn in, and, as a result, McShann convincingly reprises a number of his more famous songs. The album also includes a lengthy spoken section broken up by some samples of McShann solo. It is great to know that Jay McShann still sounds so well and vigorous. I also blogged about McShann’s last album (also on Stony Plain), Hootie Blues, back on January 12, 2007.