Patti Parks - Whole Nother World

Patti Parks - Whole Nother World - Booga Music/ VizzTone

From Western New York, vocalist Patti Parks built quite a following apart from her career as a working nurse. She caught Kenny Neal's attention at the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge. Neal signed her to his Booga Music label and brought her to his Baton Rouge, Louisiana studio where he produced "Whole Nother World." Backing Patti's vocals are Kenny Neal on guitar, Carlton Ross on rhythm guitar, Arlando O'Connor on bass, Brandon Adams on keyboards, and Michael Harris on drums. Frederick Neal adds keyboards to one track, Guy Nirelli adds keyboards to two tracks, and Jason Parfait adds saxophone to one song.

There is a nice selection of mostly obscure material. The album opens with a cover of Yvonne Jackson's Ichiban recording "I'm Troubled." Taken at a nice shuffle groove, Parks quickly puts her stamp on this recording with her powerful, expressive singing. She shouts out the lyrics without sounding shrill with tight backing, although the synthesized horns add a cheesy feel. It is followed by a reworking of an old Erica Guerin recording, "More Than You'll Ever Know." Guerin wrote this song with Neal and the late Bob Greenlee. It is a slow bluesy number that Parks pours her soul into. The backing is first-rate, with Neal being terrific. Up next is a pretty straight, if strongly sung and played, rendition of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World." 

Neal and Parks duet on Neal's "Baby Bee," on which Neal plays acoustic guitar and harmonica. It is an appealing, laid-back back-porch performance. Parks covers a couple more Erica Guerin recordings. "Stickin' to My Guns" is set against a relaxed shuffle groove, with Neal adding some down-home harmonica in the backing. Then there is the pop-soul anthem "Don't Play Me Cheap," with Adams' solid piano and keyboards while Jason Parfait plays some strong yakety-yak tenor sax. Kenny Neal provided the lyrics for the funky "I Can't Think" with another potent vocal, although again with cheesy synthesized horns.

There is also Parks' powerful performance of the anti-rape song, "No Means No." It is a superb close to a superbly sung recording. It should be noted that there are only eight songs and less than a half-hour of music. However, there is no fat or gristle to this first-rate recording.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. Here is a performance by Patti Parks.