Royal Southern Brotherhood Get Rocking Hard

Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) is a 'supergroup' comprised of Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Mike Zito, Charlie Wooten and Yontico Scott. It has been booked and played at a variety of music (including blues) festivals and as I write this its eponymously titled Ruf Records debut is high on the Billboard Blues charts although to these ears this is a rock record, with very little blues on it. However one classifies RSB does not go to the quality of the music and the music on this is excellent.

The hard-hitting New Horizon musically evokes the Rolling Stones’ rendition of Harlem Shuffle as Cyril takes the lead vocal about a new day dawning and at the crossroads where one chooses peace over politics with some hard rocking guitar with nice interplaying between Zito and Allman. It is followed by the Santana-like groove of Fired Up!, a celebration about a woman who can make Cyril feel higher than low. Devon Allman takes the lead on his wistful Left My Heart in Memphis, with his vocal and the band exhibiting a fine sense of musical dynamics.

The lyric to Moonlight Over the Mississippi by Zito and Neville incorporates some blues songs and lyrics. I presume that it is Zito taking the marvelous and soulful vocal and there is some strong guitar playing. Fire on the Mountain incorporates a lazy island groove while Ways About You is a terrific bluesy Zito performance of a break-up song as his woman was singing about freedom sing their love was first cast with some nicely shaped blues-rock guitar (and again exhibiting some terrific interplay between Zito and Allman. Allman and Neville collaborated on Got to Keep Rockin’, a driving hard rock number, while Hurt My Heart has an Allman Brothers feel and a lyric about homelessness, rich people in their mansion and how things hurts his heart. Neville’s Sweet Jelly Donut, is a straight blues with an amusing lyric that allows Cyril to talk about taking her to some of his favorite New Orleans haunts while the band gets into a rocking groove.

A hot instrumental Brotherhood closes this impressive hard rocking recording. This is a terrific contemporary band that brings together a wide range of musical influences together including blues, southern rock, soul country and more. With three vocalists who leave strong impressions on the listeners, two fine guitarists and a solid rhythm section, they have produced a debut album that will make people take notice. The eponymous debut by Royal Southern Brotherhood is not a blues album anymore than it is a ragtime album. This does not change the fact that it is a terrific recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video for the song New Horizon.

Derek Trucks Band's Multi-Genre and Multi-Cultural "Roadsongs" Excels

Derek Trucks is one of music’s most interesting bands and their recordings always appeal to many. They are even better as a live band and this is their most recent live recording. This review is several months old and appeared in Jazz & Blues Report and I made a few minor stylistic changes.

As good as their studio recordings have been, The Derek Trucks Band is an even better live band that is unquestionably a reason for the groups popularity. Vocalist Mike Mattison in the booklet for this states it simply, “This was a multi-generational, multi-cultural, and above all, live band.” (emphasis in original). They have previously issued “Live at the Georgia Theater” on the band’s own, and a Live DVD was issued after the “Songlines” album, that have displayed this. “Roadsongs” has been issued by Sony legacy and is a two CD release (106 minutes of music and priced as a single CD) that is the Trucks’ Band first live CD issued by a major label. It was recorded in April, 2010 at The Park West in Chicago with the DTB of Mike Mattison on vocals; Todd Smallie on bass & vocals; Yonrico Scott on drums and vocals; Kofi Burbridge, keyboards, flute and vocals and Count M’Butu on percussion on vocals augmented by a three piece horn section that provide added color to the performances in their arrangements.

The Derek Trucks Band is centered around the phenomenal playing of Mr. Trucks whose highly vocalized playing brings elements of the blues slide guitar tradition, the blues-based style of Duane Allman as well as the sacred steel guitarists with whom Trucks has often shared the stage with. He constructs horn-like lines with his keen, whining tone conjuring up the human voice as the band rocks solidly behind him. Yonrico Scott is a terrific and responsive, jazz-rooted drummer, while Smallie keeps the groove steady and Burbridge is a strong keyboard player as well as accomplished flautist while M’Butu adds his distinctive rhythmic accent. Mattison is a soulful singer that brings a convincing voice to the blues, reggae, rock and other material represented here.

The music ranges from the bluesy “I’ll Find My Way,” and “Down in the Flood,” from Bob Dylan’s songbook; reggae with a gospel tinge on “Sailin’ On,” as a homage to John Coltrane on the Mongo Santamaria classic “Afro-Blues,” with Burbridge on flute stating the them e in unison with Trucks blistering guitar. “Get What You Deserve,” is built upon a familiar blues riff with a terrific slide solo. “Days Is Almost Gone,” is a soul ballad (with gospel roots), more splendid singing and stinging guitar. Bob Marley’s “Rastaman Chant,” is another extended instrumental jam for with Trucks incorporating a French Children’s song as part of his melodic development. A very strong rendition“Key to the Highway,” some terrific piano from Burbridge under Trucks driving solo. This disc certainly stands as a souvenir for fans of The Derek Trucks Band, but more importantly it is a superb recording by one of the most interesting and electrifying bands of any genre today.


For FTC purposes, the review copy was sent by either the record label or a firm handling publicity for this release.