Larry Garner Deserves To Play Before Standing Room Only

I am a big Larry Garner fan and have been frustrated that his career has never reached the heights his music deserved. His JSP recordings and Gitanes-Verve recordings displayed a laconic style as well as some of the most original and astute lyrics of anybody over the past few decades. The following review was written for the DC Blues Calendar back in 1998 and while I was not overly enthusiastic of this recording, Larry will always be one of my favorites. This is available as a download and he has other recordings on Ruf that strike me as stronger as well. I likely received a review copy of this from the label or a publicist.

One of the more distinctive blues stylists around, Larry Garner has certainly made many take notice with his perceptive songwriting and his subtle musical attack. His latest album, Standing Room Only (Ruf), is entertaining and probably his most musically up-front album. It, however, suffers from relatively pedestrian songs. Songs like Do Your Personal Thing and Keep the Money seem rather ordinary when compared to some of the gems on his older recordings. The highlights may be his renditions of Gatemouth Brown The Drifter, and Henry Gray swamp-blues, Cold Chills.

When the album lists the producer as Jim Gaines (The Genius) you know something is up. Whatever his genius, Gaines has produced a record that is superficially exciting, but somewhat lackluster when compared to any of Garner earlier albums. In fact JSP has just repackaged, Too Blue, Garner’s second album, and a listen to these performances will perhaps enable some to understand just why Garner has become a favorite to many who know that the blues is more than simply loud guitar pyrotechnics.

Here is Larry Garner performing.

Raucous Country Negro Jam Session

The following review of an album of real down home blues appeared in the August 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 285).

A new release from Arhoolie is one of those rare recordings that features an African-American blues fiddler. Fiddler James ‘Butch’ Cage & guitarist Willie B. Thomas are heard on a disc of Old Time Black Southern String Band Music, a title that is slightly misleading insofar as the two are heard on a program of mostly down-in-the-alley blues with Cage’s vigorous, rough-hewn fiddle complemented by Thomas’ rhythmic guitar.


The duo was recorded by folklorist Dr. Harry Oster in Zachery, Louisiana in the 1950s and selections by them were issued on the Folk-Lyric album, Country Negro Jam Session (later available on Arhoolie who had acquired the Folk-Lyric label) and an Arhoolie issued several other selections on the CD I Have to Paint My Face. With the exception of one track, the music here is previously unissued. Much of it is comprised of traditional blues themes or their renditions of blues standards such as Some Day Baby (the Sleepy John Estes song sometimes known as Worried Life Blues), Mean Old Frisco, The Dirty Dozen, Rock Me Mama, Easy Rider Blues, Careless Love Blues, Since I Layed My Burden Down and You’ve Gotta Move. On the latter two, Rosalie Wilkerson takes the lead on the vocals (with Cage and Thomas enthusiastically joining her) while Robert Jenkins sings on I Had a Dream Last Night (All I Had Was Gone).


This is far from polished and one can imagine the house parties with the corn liquor flowing as the two kept the music running all night long as the blues would get shouted, Thomas would keep a good beat with his rhythm and Cage’s fiddle would be like a buzzsaw. A good time can be has listening to this.


I do not recall if I purchased or received a review copy.

Chris Thomas King's Moving Katrina Inspired "Rise"

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chris Thomas King issued perhaps the finest of blues recordings dealing with that catastrophe. I reviewed his album Rise (21st Century Blues Recordings) in the November-December 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 288) which I reproduce below. This CD, which I purchased, is still available.

Chris Thomas King, the Baton Rouge born son of Tabby Thomas, has issued a most impressive recording reflecting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that was recorded at several locations. From the opening What Would Jesus Do? to the closing What a Wonderful World, Thomas interprets some classic songs associated with New Orleans along with originals that cover a wide range of musical styles, although not the incorporation of hip hop that he has utilized on other recent recordings. Thomas is in an almost traditionalist mode here. The CD was recorded at a number of locations and tracks include several on which Thomas plays all the instruments along with several musicians including Mike Finnigan and Tony Braunagel of the Phantom Blues Band on several selections, and drummer Jason Marsalis on the closing What a Wonderful World.


There is some country flavor to the opening What Would Jesus Do? as he sings “Tell Me America, What Would Jesus Do (2x) If he had to walk a mile in my shoe” with its haunting lyrics. There is a bit of modern gospel-soul flavor in the backing for Faith told from the standpoint of someone on a roof-top waiting to be saved as a deceased neighbor floats on by and how we need to have some faith in one another. Baptized in Dirty Water is a modern electric guitar blues as he powerfully shouts in the manner of a young Buddy Guy or Otis Rush (and the song suggests Rush’s I Can’t Quit You Baby.


On the wistful Flow Mississippi Roll, King sings about having no place to go and wanting to drown on my own tears as a businessman is making plans for his land. St. James Infirmary is handled as a modern blues with more fine guitar as King updates the lyric with his asking when he dies for six gamblers to carry his coffin, six chorus girls to sing his song and put a good jazz band on my tailgate to raise hell as we roll along.


Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, I believe was recorded a few days before Katrina in New Orleans, and Thomas’ performance makes the lyric “Don’t You Know What You Got ‘Til Its Gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” prescient in terms of the destruction of wetlands that helped contribute to Katrina’s devastation. Its not the only tune that is so in place even if not directly alluding to Katrina, as does the gospel number Deepest Ocean. His rendition of the Irish ballad, ‘Tis Last Rose of Summer, a tribute to his mother, is full of warmth and tenderness as is the rendition of the closing chestnut, What a Wonderful World.


Rise is a remarkable recording that transcends any limitation of genre. Heartfully sung and played with an eye to the losses he and so many others have suffered yet he also has an eye for that part of the human spirit that enables people to work together to overcome such traumatic and devastating natural disasters.

Kenny Neal is "Hooked On Your Love"

With his health issues apparently (and thankfully) behind him, Kenny Neal has a new Blind Pig release, “Hooked On Your Love,” that is certain to please his existing fans and garner him some new ones. The twelve performances find him with his brothers and friends like Vasti Jackson and Lucky Peterson as Kenny’s immediate recognizable vocals and guitar brings warmth and good times to the listener. Easy swinging grooves are mixed with his own laconic approach that goes down like a smooth scotch.

Neal’s restrained approach that works with the opening title cut that celebrates of his love and the philosophical “Bitter With the Sweet,” when he sings about life not always champagne and rose, have to take the bitter with the sweet.” “Down in the Swamp,” reminds me of some of Tony joe White’s numbers as Kenny sings about being the bayou where the alligators play and plays some nice harmonica (oddly uncredited in the personnel listing. For some reason, Kenny is credited with composing the old OV Wright classic “Blind, Crippled & Crazy,” and obviously Kenny can’t match Wight’s gospel rooted soul shouting, but he does deliver a nicely paced performance with effective use here, as elsewhere on this, of backing vocals. Also the solo here is a fine example of how marvelous paced Kenny is as a player. Just like his vocals, he never rushes the notes. Its followed by another cover, this time of Little Milton’s hit “If Walls Could Talk,” an ironic lyric that Kenny ably handles.

“Things Gotta Change” is a soulful ballad with a message about a baby not having shoes on her feet, got to pray for a helping hand, and the need love one another but the backing may be a bit too smooth. The backing provided on William Bell’s “New Lease on Life,” is more emphatic which suits Kenny’s vocal here. Kenny’s rendition of “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do,” isn’t far removed from Bobby Bland’s original recording and Kenny’s can’t emulate Bland’s leaps and cries, but he conveys a suitable legacy. “Old Friends” is a nice swamp-pop number with lazy harp and a country-ish feel, while horns and a second-line groove provide “Voodoo Mama,” with a livelier flavor as Kenny plays some nice slide (I presume on lap steel guitar).

The CD closes on a nice shuffle “You Don’t Love Me,” where Kenny plays guitar and harmonica as he tells his baby to get on her merry way. Its a solid way to conclude this very solid collection of performances that touches a variety of musical bases but always showcasing Kenny Neal’s distinctive style of blues.



The review copy was provided by Blind Pig Records

Kenny Neal's Most Welcome Return to CD

After having been through some serious health issues, the blues world has to be delighted that Kenny Neal is back and performing, touring and recording. Blind Pig has just issued his latest recording, “Let Life Flow,” and there is a reflective quality perhaps reflects his appreciation of the little things as on the opening title track. Not a shouter, Neal’s country-soul tinged vocals along with his fleet, fret work are as appealing as ever. Certainly his singing is enhanced by the terrific band that includes his son, Kenny Jr., brothers Darnell and Frederick, the late Little Milton’s nephew, trumpeter Joe Campbell among others. In addition to other striking originals like ‘Blues Leave Me Alone,’ Neal also puts his own stamp on Larry Addison’s ‘You Got to Hurt before You Heal’ (best known from Bobby Bland's classic recording), Ivory Joe Hunter’s ballad, “Since I Met You Baby,’ and Willie Dixon’s still very pertinent, ‘It Don’t Make Sense You Can’t Make Peace.’ Kenny Neal's music has always being thoughtful and well-paced. He shows that singing naturally and honestly will come off more convincingly and frenzied emoting. Let’s hope he remains in good health and continues to produce such marvelous music as here. Kenny’s website is www.kennyneal.net.