Sam Joyner When U Need a Friend

Sam Joyner
When U Need a Friend
Self-produced

Keyboardist-singer-songwriter Sam Joyner was born and raised in Chicago but is based in New Orleans, where his regular gigs include Spirits on Bourbon and Teddy’s Juke Joint. The latter club is in Zachary, Louisiana. On this session, he is backed by Benny Turner on bass; Jellybean on drums: Lil Ray Neal, Marc Stone, and Harry Sterling on guitar; and others.

The performances include the soul-blues of “Must Be Jelly” (not the William Clarke song), and the raucous Chicago blues shuffle, “Goin’ to Chicago.” Joyner is a robust, slightly sandpaper-toned singer who sounds at home in a variety of blues styles. His passionate singing on “Hard 4 Your Money,” is complemented by Lil Ray Neal’s B.B. King-styled fretwork. The semi-autobiographical “Them Bluez” is a showcase for some piano as well as his determined singing. Lil Ray Neal returns on a superb atmospheric slow blues, “Breakin’ Up Our Happy Home,” with a heartfelt vocal, a down-in-the-alley piano solo, and a “Long Distance Call" part spoken-part sung closing segment.

Other tracks of note include another solid shuffle is “Natural Born Luvah,” and “Onions Ain’t the Only Thing” with the cheesy keyboards. Marc Stone adds slide guitar on the title track that closes this CD. Sam Joyner certainly captures the listener’s attention with the authority and conviction he sings with. I wish the liner notes gave a bit more information about Sam’s career and provided information on who played on what songs. The music does speak for itself, however, and does so very impressively.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Sam Joyner performing at the 2017 International Blues Challenge Finals.