Backtrack Blues Band Your Baby Has Left

Backtrack Blues Band
Your Baby Has Left
VizzTone

Backtrack Blues Band has been performing blues around the Tampa Bay region since 1980, and "Your Baby Has Left" is their 7th album. The harmonica and vocals of Sonny Charles, as well as the lead guitar and vocals of Kid Royal, are upfront. The rhythm guitar of Little Johnny Walker, the bass of Stick Davis, and the drums of Joe Bencomo fill out this band. Bruce Katz contributes keyboards, and backing vocalists and horns are heard on several selections.

The music on "Your Baby Has Left" is straight-forward Chicago-styled blues that they perform in a solid, nicely paced manner. The opening "Best Friend's Grave (Joy, Joy, Joy)," has a strange lyric about burying his best friend but everyone dancing and singing 'Joy, Joy, Joy,' around his grave. It does have a robust vocal from Sonny Charles, who also lays out his fat harmonica sound. Kid Royal also impresses with bruce Katz helping with the foundation with greasy organ, and the rhythm is solid. The title track is a rocking boogie with a wailing vocal and harmonica. Then there is "Dixie Grill," a rocking shuffle about a place to get one's fill of some Carolina cooking. Kid Royal ably handles the vocal on Jimmy Reed's "Natural Born Lover," the one cover.

Kid Royal takes a searing solo behind Sonny Charles' vocal on "You'll Come Back Someday," and sings and plays fervently on the closing "Times is Hard." This track is a slow, down in the alley blues with more excellent fretwork (perhaps his best playing here) along with moaning backing horns and Sonny Charles' horn-like harmonica. It caps a very entertaining, straight-ahead album of Chicago-styled blues.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. Here they perform "Best Friend's Grave."