A Gulf Coast Christmas

Various Artists
A Gulf Coast Christmas
Gulf Coast Records

Mike Zito is one of the forces behind Gulf Coast Records, which has quickly established itself with a number of releases of blues, blues-rock, and roots. This new recording is a collection of Holiday Season covers and originals but the label's growing group of artists. The album has songs by Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia, Kat Riggins, The Proven Ones, Mark May, John' Blues' Boyd with Lisa and Kid Andersen, Diana Rein, Kevin Burt, LeRoux, Jimmy Carpenter, Billy Price, Sayer and Joyce, Thomas Atlas, Odds Lane, and Tony Campanella.

Like many blues and roots holiday music collections, this collection's songs have secular themes instead of carols and hymns' renditions. This collection also provides an overview of the artists on the label. Folks may find some of the performances more compelling than others. Overall, I was impressed by the performances' quality, with a few exceptional ones in the mix. Sure there will be some performances that don't catch your ear, but overall this is a highly entertaining compilation.

Songs range from the blues-rock of Mike Zito's "All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues," to Tony Campanella's soulful reworking of Albert King's recording, "Santa Claus Wants Some Loving." Albert Castiglia stands out with his high energy fretwork on "Somebody Stole My Chris," while Kevin Burt lays down some down-home grit for "Please Mr. Santa Claus." Billy Price lays down some terrific blue-eyed soul on "Christmas Comes But Once A Year," while John Blues Boyd duets with Lisa Andersen on "Merry Christmas Baby," as Kid Andersen plays some sterling guitar. Another duet of note is between Mark May and Miss Molly on "Blue Christmas."

Mike Zito channels Chuck Berry on a frenetic "Run Rudolph Run" that closes the 16 performances that is full of bluesy holiday cheer.

Incidentally the download I received from a publicist to review only contained the music. I did not receive information on the personnel or other recording information. Here is the full track-listing: 

1. All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues - Mike Zito
2. Somebody Stole My Christmas - Albert Castiglia
3. Please Mr. Santa Claus - Kevin Burt
4. Christmas Comes But Once A Year - Billy Price
5. Blue Christmas - The Proven Ones
6. Back Door Santa - Jimmy Carpenter
7. It Ain’t Christmas - Kat Riggins
8. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin - Tony Campanella
9. Merry Christmas Baby - John Blues Boyd / Lisa Andersen / Kid Andersen
10. Ring The Bells - Diana Rein
11. The Bluest Christmas - Mark May / Miss Molly
12. Who Da Baby Daddy? - LeRoux
13. Christmas Is Cancelled - Thomas Atlas
14. Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Odds Lane
15. Please Come Home For Christmas - Sayer and Joyce
16. Run Rudolph Run - Mike Zito

Here is a video for Mike Zito's "All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues."

Billy Price Dog Eat Dog

Billy Price
Dog Eat Dog
Gulf Coast Records

It has been at least four decades since Billy Price and the Keystone Band issued their first album. After relocating to Baltimore from Pittsburgh, Price remains quite active with his deep blue-eyed soul. He traveled to Kid Andersen's Greaseland Studios to record this latest recording. He has quite a studio band including Andersen on guitar and assorted instruments, Alex Petterson on drums, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keyboards, Eric Spaulding on tenor sax, Jack Sanford on baritone sax, and John Halblieb on trumpet. Congas are present on most selections and played by Jon Otis (one of the late Johnny Otis' sons and Vicky Randle. Randle was also one of the background vocalists along with Lisa Leuschner Andersen, Charlie Owens and the Sons of the Soul Revivers. There are also guest appearance from Rick Estrin, Alabama Mike, and Mike Zito, who is Gulf Coast Records co-founder.

Standout tracks on this include the original "Lose My Number" as he tells his former lover that she can forget about him, as he is still hooked. Then there is a brassy, strutting interpretation of Bobby Byrd's "We're on Love." The title track was written by Rick Estrin who adds chromatic harp and solos superbly. Alabama Mike adds his powerful singing to that of Price on a topical blues about trying to make it in a world where they sing describing various social ills. Price's cover of Otis Rush's "My Love Will Never Die" gets to showcase Andersen's incisive guitar as well as the horn section. "All Night Long Café" is a funky original with Mike Zito adding some searing guitar. French guitarist Fred Chapéllier, t, a frequent collaborator with Price, co-wrote the cheating blues "Remnants," and the soulful ballad "More Than I Needed." The latter number evokes the classic Philadelphia soul sound.

"Dog Eat Dog" is another well-produced and solidly recorded new release adding to Price's fine body of recordings.

I received as a download from a publicist. Here he is from a recent performance with his Charm City Rhythm Band.

Billy Price Reckoning

Billy Price
Reckoning
VizzTone

This latest recording by the blue-eyed soul blues singer had him team with guitarist and producer, Kid Andersen. It was recorded at Andersen's Greaseland Studio with Anderson on guitar (and organ on two tracks), Alex Pettersen on drums, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keyboards, Johnny Bones on sax, and Konstantins Jemeljanovs on trumpet with Nancy Wright taking a tenor sax solo on one selection among others guesting here. There are originals from Price, Jim Britton, and French guitarist Fred Chapellier, along with songs previously recorded by the likes of Bobby Bland, Otis Redding, Swamp Dogg, and Johnny Rawls.

Price has been singing this music for decades. This writer remembers hearing his strong renditions of songs associated with of O.V. Wight on the Bama Hour over WPFW hosted by the late Jerry Washington. One can't have a stronger endorsement than this of how strong a singer Price was, and is, in this musical vein. This latest recording shows he still brings everything into the fervent, soulful music here.

There are so many gems here starting with the bluesy and driving "39 Steps," that opens the program, followed by his straight reworking of "Dreamer," the title track of a 1974 Bobby Bland album. It has a nice arrangement, strings and vocal chorus. The title track is composed by William Troiani and Hakon Hoye and opens with a brief excerpt of old-time preaching. It is a funky soul performance with punchy horns to which Andersen adds some punchy guitar. There is a driving take on J.J. Cale's "No Time" followed by a nice rendition of an Otis Redding soul ballad, "I Love You More Than Words Can Say," with one of his finest vocals here. It is followed by an uptempo rendition of Johnny Rawls' "I Keep Holding On." Other strong performances include his insistent vocal on Denise Lasalle's "Get Your Lie Straight," the original "Expert Witness," with a riff evocative of the Five Royales' classic "Think," and Swamp Dogg's topical "Synthetic World," with its call for a more natural world.

With Kid Andersen's crisp production and strong studio support for the stalwart blue-eyed soul-blues singer, "Reckoning" is another welcome addition to Billy Price's body of recordings.

I received  my review copy from VizzTone. This review has appeared in the July-August 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 379), although I have made a few minor stylistic changes to the published review for clarity's sake. Billy Price's website is http://billyprice.com. Here is a video on the making of "Reckoning."

Billy Price Alive and Strange

Billy Price
Alive and Strange
Nola Blues/Vizztone

Veteran blue-eyed soul singer Billy Price follows his acclaimed collaboration with the late Otis Clay that won a Blues Music Award. It has been some three decades since the late Jerry 'The Bama' Washington who play Price's covers of O.V. Wright and others over WPFW in Washington, DC. Price is still at it with a mix of southern soul and city blues covers and idiomatic originals that he recently documented on this live recording with the Billy Price Band. The members of the Billy Price Band are Steve Delach (guitar), Tom Valentine (bass), Dave Dodd (drums), Jimmy Britton (keyboards), and Eric DeFade (tenor sax). There are guest horn players and background vocalists on this.

Price is in good form although his the tone of voice seems to be a tad flat as if perhaps showing a bit of the years of performing. Still it doesn't detract from these straight-forward and heartfelt performances. The tone is set with a rendition of Carl Sims' "It Ain't A Juke Joint Without The Blues," with Delach's guitar complementing Price's vocal of a place full wall to wall and everyone having a ball, followed by a nice delivery of William Bell's lament as since she has been gone, Bill is living the "Lifestyles Of The Poor And Unknown."

Price's own "Something Strange" is a driving funky blues with punchy horns. Price does a solid cover of a lesser known Bobby Bland recording, "This Time I'm Gone For Good." It is followed by a nice version of Earl Thomas' soul ballad about holding on for "One More Day," with nice jazzy guitar and tenor sax solos. After a sober treatment of a Percy Mayfield gem, "Nothing Stays The Same Forever," Price and Band get into a James Brown cover "Never Get Enough," and then a brassy rendition of Magic Sam's "What Have I Done Wrong," which also showcases solos from Delach (particularly outstanding here) and DeFade.

One of Price's strength is his incorporation in his repertoire of lesser known gems such as George Torrence's 1968 recording "Lickin' Stick," before closing the live set from the Club Cafe in 2016 with a wonderfully paced Roy Milton classic, "R.M. Blues," with Joe Herndon blasting the trumpet solo. A bonus track, "Making Plans," was recorded at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music in 2012, that also showcases Price's ability at putting together a lyric. This bonus track adds a nice close to a real good recording by the veteran singer.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review appeared in the May-June 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 372).  Here is the Billy Price Band performing "It Ain't A Juke Joint Without The Blues."

Billy Price & Otis Clay This Time For Real

 

This writer remembers listening to the legendary Washington DC radio programmer, Jerry "The Bama" Washington, in the 1980s playing some deep soul along with blues on his Saturday afternoon WPFW program. It is where I first became introduced to the remarkable blues-eyed deep soul singer, Billy Price. Price grew up and modeled his music on the Hi Records great like O.V. Wright, Al Green, Syl Johnson and Otis Clay. On his first album, the title track was his take on Clay's "Is It Over?" On the basis of that recording, Clay joined Price, in the early eighties, on stage to sing it as a duet in a Washington DC club. And the two have been doing it together for years on stage, but finally Price and Clay have an album together, "This Time For Real" on the VizzTone distributed Bonedog Records.

Duke Robillard produced this and brings his guitar along with his band of Brice Bears on keyboards, Brad Hallen on bass, Mark Teixara on drums, Mark Earley on saxophones and Doug Woolverton on trumpet (Earley did the horn arrangements), with Theresa Davis, Dianne Madison and Diana Simon adding backing vocals. Together they produce some strong idiomatic backing modeled after the classic Stax and Hi recordings that provides a solid foundation for Price and Clay.

Otis Clay is a remarkable singer, although one might detect slight aging in his voice. However, it is not reflected in the character or phrasing here. Price's urgent style complements Clay so they come off quite well, like a modern Sam and Dave or Bobby and James Purifoy. The album kicks off on a strong note with the driving "Somebody's Changing My Baby's Sweet Mind," with the two taking things down on the ballad "I'm Afraid of Losing You." Clay did the classic Spinners classic "Love Don't Love Nobody" on his "Live in Japan" recording, and the two interpret in a manner that captures a bit more of the Philly Soul feel of the Spinners original.

"Going to the Shack" captures the classic Stax sound while the two reprise a Joe Tex ballad "I'll Never Do You Wrong." The funk of "Broadway Walk," with a choice Robillard solo, is followed with the country soul feel of "Book of Memories." This disc closes with a ripping rendition of Sam and Dave's "You Got Me Hummin'," that closes wonderful deep soul collaboration. It took three decades but finally Price and Clay got it done on "This Time For Real."

I received a review copy from VizzTone. Here is Otis Clay performing an O.V. Wright classic that has become a staple of Clay's repertoire as well as tune Billy price has also handled.