Lucky Peterson Roots ComeBack Should Have Been Funkier!

This writer was living in Buffalo and doing a blues show on the University of Buffalo’s station WBFO, at the time I first saw and heard Lucky Peterson. He was playing keyboards behind his father, James Peterson, at a club on Main Street near downtown Buffalo. He was a teenager then, not the pre-teen that had appeared on the Tonight Show and recorded singles and an album. His talent was evident every time I heard him as part of his father’s band, including a couple of performances that were fundraisers for the station. One could not help but be impressed by his musicianship. I remember his dad telling me Lucky had perfect pitch. In the years since I left Buffalo I would hear about James and Lucky. Lucky had a break as he played in the bands of Bobby Bland and Little Milton, touring with them overseas and playing on their recordings, before recording for KingSnake I believe, and then he had an album on Alligator that was produced by KingSnake I believe. He continued to perform and over the years he was one of the artists that signed to Verve-Gitanes where he produced three of the finest blues recordings of recent years mixing in funk and classic soul with straight blues. Also on Verve, he accompanied the great Mavis Staples on a great album devoted to the music of Mahalia Jackson. Then he had a disc on Dreyfus that continued in the same vein as his Verve albums. Since then, he has also recorded for small independent labels like JSP, and also had publicized personal issues including substance abuse. Reportedly (and thankfully), he has placed these demons behind him.

Dreyfus Records has just issued Lucky’s latest album, “You Can Always Turn Around,” and the title and some of the songs have a reflective side as they deal with struggle and change. This recording was produced in the Catskills with some of the Woodstock musicians including Larry Campbell, Scott Petito and Gary Burke and the flavor is quite different from Lucky’s prior recordings. “Dust My Broom,” opens and if Lucky, who is playing a dobro here, sings forcefully (although a little over the top at times) it is hardly an original performance and the version of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues,” which seems like an unplugged adaptation of the Allman Brothers recording which itself was derived from Taj Mahal’s recording on his eponymously titled disc over forty years ago. Its hard to get excited with these covers. The cover of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” strikes this listener as a much stronger performance.

Bill Callahan’s “I’m New Here” has a lyric about being new around town but musically its far from the blues and a bit more gentle vocal, spoken at times on a folky-sounding tune. “Trouble,” penned by Ray LaMontagne, has some really nice piano by Peterson as he sings about trouble been bothering his soul since the day he was born, worry not leave his mind alone until he was saved by a woman. The sparse backing helps his vocal stand out here. “Trampled Rose,” was co-written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, opens with Lucky sounding like someone calling believers to prayers and while the lyrics touch on themes of hurt and hurting others, it comes off off-kilter to these ears. Lucky picks up the electric guitar and with heavy fuzztone and a bit over-the-top singing for Lucinda Williams’ “Atonement,” that strikes this listener as pretentious. While he switches to steel guitar (dobro), the rendition of the late Bobby Charles’ “Why Are People Like That,” also sounds too forced. “Four Little Boys,” is a bit more low-key and this song he wrote his his father James, with the “Forty Four Blues” riff incorporated in its melody is a more appealing performance. The outstanding track here is the wonderful rendition of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” where there is a wonderful duet with Lucky’s wife, Tamara. His piano shines on this track as well and they do justice to this number that is identified with the great Nina Simone. Curtis Mayfield’s “Think” closes this album with steel guitar and acoustic slide giving this instrumental a country flavor.

“You Can Always Turn Around” certainly represents a change from Lucky Peterson from prior recordings, and not necessarily for the better here. Not that the performances are terrible, but few of the performances are distinctive and stand out in the fashion of Peterson’s earlier recordings that were more grounded in soul and funk. And while some have suggested this album showcases Lucky’s singing, one might suggest these really haven’t listened to Lucky’s earlier recordings because he always has shown himself to be an excellent vocalist. Still, it is nice to have a new Lucky Peterson recording available, even if it is not among his best work.


The advance review copy was sent by the firm handling publicity for this release.

Catherine Russell's Supreme Sentimental Streak

I became aware of Catherine Russell when she appeared as a backing vocalist on the wonderful Marie Knight tribute to Reverend Gary Davis. She is the daughter of the legendary bandleader, Luis Russell, and bassist-vocalist Carline Ray, and has worked with Jimmy Vivino’s Little Big Band, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper and others.
In the 90s, her mom was subbing on bass with Doc Cheatham so she came down and later regularly saw the late trumpeter and started singing with him and the spirit of his music lives in this, her marvelous new album.
This recording is produced by Larry Campbell, who also contributes guitar, violin and mandolin to this project that showcases Ms. Russell’s marvelous way with a song. And, there is a fine collection of songs presented here for Ms. Russell, including I’ve Got That Thing, which her father wrote and recorded (it was released as by King Oliver who was ill that day); Kitchen Man, a vaudeville blues cowritten by Andy Razaf that was a staple of so many singers of that time with its double entendre-filled lyrics; Hoagy Carmichael’s New Orleans; the Wilder-McGlohon South to a Warmer Place (with Rachelle Garniez’s accordion and
Campbell’s violin evoking a French bals-musette); Nellie Lutcher’s playful You Better Watch Yourself, Bub; Willie Dixon’s I Don’t Care Who Knows (originally done by Harold Burrage for Cobra); Garniez’s Broken Nose (again with her accordion) and the sultry Harburg-Gensler Thrill Me.
Russell evokes a variety of influences including Alberta Hunter, Billy Holiday, Ivie Anderson, and Nellie Lutcher throughout this disc. I find Holiday an apt comparison as she phrases the lyric. She does not come across as a Holiday sound-alike in the manner of a Madeline Peyroux, but rather her delivery and timing is reminiscent of Lady Day, and the backing is so complimentary and sympathetic.
Many tracks eschew drummer while several tracks have horns and strings, yet never overwhelm the vocals and the lyric and one can appreciate Campbell’s marvelous mandolin solo chorus on Broken Nose as simply one of the elements that make it such as splendid performance. The acoustic bent of the performances here lend this disc a flavor of the thirties and forties cabaret scene yet everything sounds so contemporary.
This is not a campy revival of such vintage tunes like Brian Seltzer’s Louis Prima pastiches. Instead it is a compelling modern take on such material that will certainly end up on a number of Best of 2008 lists.

She is appearing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on May 15 as part of the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival

Marie Knight's loving tribute to Rev. Gary Davis

Fans of Sister Rosetta Tharpe may be familiar with the name Marie Knight whose alto could be heard with Tharpe’s soprano and guitar on such records as Up Above My Head, I Hear Music, and Didn’t It Rain. Knight, who had her own gospel hit with Gospel Train, was located and participated in MC Records highly praised tribute to Tharpe, Shout, Sister, Shout, and is now featured on a stunning new MC records release, Let Us Get Together: A Tribute to Reverend Gary Davis. Produced by Larry Campbell, who played lead guitar and other instruments in Bob Dylan’s Band from 1997-2004 but has played with numerous acts such as Paul Simon and Willie Nelson. Campbell in the early 1970’s became obsessed with Rev. Gary Davis’ music and as he shows on this release, is a marvelous guitarist in the Piedmont finger style approach. His guitar is the foundation for Knight who still remains a vigorous vocalist that invests her renditions of Lord I Feel Like Goin' On, I Belong To The Band, Samson & Delilah, I Am The Light Of This World, 12 Gates, and Death Don't Have No Mercy, with such fervor. Perhaps her range is diminished a tad with age but her phrasing and delivery belies her age. Five selections are solo including Lord I Feel Like Goin’ On and Samson and Delilah, while several, including I Am the Light of the World, have a backing band that may get occasionally messy but do not detract from the exuberance and celebration. Catherine Russell contributes an effective backing vocal here while Kim Wilson adds harmonica in addition to the rhythm to Twelve Gates to The City, and Death Don’t Have No Mercy. The latter track is the recording’s longest and Knight is compelling on this spellbinding performance that is perhaps the highlight of a truly excellent disc. In addition, there is a short Quicktime video which gives Marie Knight a chance to tell us about herself and she is as vivacious as in her performances. Gary Davis’ memory is served well by this disc that is also a reminder that the magnificent Ms. Knight is alive and very well. One of the best discs in any genre this writer has heard this year.