Scott Sharrard Saving Grace

Scott Sharrard
Saving Grace
We Save Music

Sharrard, for those like this writer who are not aware, was the late Gregg Allman’s Musical Director. On this release he takes center stage backed by the Hi Rhythm of Memphis (Howard Grimes on drums, Leroy Hodges on bass and Charles Hodges on organ), and the Swampers Of Muscle Shoals (Charles Gamble on drums, David Hood on bass and Spooner Oldham on a few selections), with Eric Finland on keyboards, Mark Franklin on trumpet (among horn players). Taj Mahal guests on the Greg Allman's last original (a collaboration with Sharrard), "Everything a Good Man Needs," on which Bernard "Pretty" Purdie is on drums. Except for Terry Reid's "Faith To Arise," Sharrard penned ten of the eleven songs (two being collaborations).

Sharrard's mix of blues, southern rock, swamp pop, and Memphis soul makes for quite an enjoyable release. He is a darn good singer with a soulful delivery, not as raspy as Allman, and a solid guitarist. The Southern rock heritage is perhaps most evident on Reid' s "Faith to Arise," with some tart slide guitar in the vein of the Allman Brothers set against Sharrard's moving singing. The title track, with Gamble, Hood, and Finland in the backing is a soulful, bluesy ballad soulfully sung. On "Everything a Good Man Needs," Taj Mahal handles the vocal, singing about how his baby's love keeps him humming and is all he needs. His strong vocal is backed Sharrard's crying slide guitar, tight riffing horns and a funky R&B groove.

"Angeline," with the Hi Rhythm Section is a Memphis funk take on swamp pop, while "Words Can't Lie," is simply a terrifically sung Memphis soul ballad. "She Can't Wait" is another southern soul-flavored original with the Swampers adding their own brand of funk as Sharrard sings about his part-time love leaving him full of despair. "Sweet Compromise," is a brassy uptempo blues with slashing guitar followed by another blues, "Tell The Truth," again with more high energy blues-rock guitar. Sharrard impresses by his focused, thoughtful playing as opposed to merely shredding.

There are some really good songs, fervent and moving vocals, excellent guitar as well and first-rate backing and production. This blues traditionalist was quite impressed by this recording. Dedicated to Rich Hall, Butch Trucks, and Greg Allman, Scott Sharrard does their memory proud on "Saving Grace."

A publicist provided my review copy. I have made stylistic changes to this review, which first appeared in the November-December 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 381). Here Scott Sharrard performs "Angeline."

Amy Black - The Muscle Shoals Sessions

 

Boston-based singer Amy Black has a new recording "The Muscle Shoals Sessions" (Rueben Records). Muscle Shoals, Alabama holds a special place for her as her parents were born there and she fondly remembers visiting her grandparents there. Furthermore, she was inspired by Etta James, Mavis Staples, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and so many others who recorded some of modern music’s most iconic songs in this little Alabama hamlet.

Black’s project pays homage to the music made at both FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, one-time home of the Swampers, and also expands a 2013 EP she recorded that Spooner Oldham participated on for a full album. Recorded at FAME studios with producer/bass player Lex Price, it has contributions by keyboardist Spooner Oldham – one of Muscle Shoals’ original “Swampers” session players – along with guitarist Will Kimbrough, drummers Paul Griffith & Bryan Owings and singers Ann and Regina McCrary and a horn section led by Muscle Shoals Horns ringleader Charles Rose.

Amy Black does quite an able job of covering some southern soul classics as well as provide her own spin on Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" and the spiritual "You Got to Move" along with a few originals. Highpoints include her own "Woman on Fire" as well as her take on the Dan Penn-Spooner Oldham gem "Uptight, Good Man," another Dan Penn classic (penned with O. Franck and Rick Hall and made famous by Otis Redding and Barbara Lynn) "You Left the Water Running," and Arthur Alexander's country soul classic that helped establish the Muscle Shoals Sound, "You Better Move On." Amy Black's "The Muscle Shoals Sessions," is a nicely done recording with heartfelt singing and solid backing that captures some classic vibes.

I received my copy from a publicist.Here is a video of You Better Move On."

Colin Linden Very Much Still Live

Canadian Colin Linden latest recording Still Live (Yellow Dog Records) is a live recording at a neighborhood Nashville tavern, the Douglas Corner Café. He has been living in Nashville since the 90‘s. It is Linden’s 11th album under his own name although he has contributed to many recordings by a variety of artists of a variety of stripes. He was backed on this by John Dymond on bass and harmony vocals, Gary Craig on drums and the legendary Spooner Oldham on organ. One selection, a new version of his John Lennon in New Orleans, was recorded in a studio during a rehearsal for this performance.

Linden impresses with his songs, his playing and his singing over a program of mostly originals (the one cover is a nice restrained rendition of Howlin’ Wolf’s Who’s Been Talking). The opening Big Mouth is a blues rooted number displaying his considerable picking skills as well as his restraint and sense of dynamics. A country-folk flavor marks Between The Darkness and The Light of Day, while Smoke Them All, a collaboration with his wife Janice Powers, is a solo performance that displays Linden’s considerable finger picking guitar (with some jazzy accents) as Linden sings “barrelhouse at midnight the piano moans.” It is a moving tribute to his late friend, pianist Richard Bell. 

Other performances include Sugar Mine, a lovely rootsy ballad with Linden’s touch on the electric guitar complemented by the light backing he receives. Dark Night of the Soul, has a lovely lyric that Linden will be their for his friend and lead them from the dark night of the soul while Too Late To Holler is an exuberantly performed rocker with a very soulful vocal. Remedy was written with Jim Weider and recorded by the post Robbie Robertson The Band on their comeback album, and Linden’s bluesy-roots rendition with Oldham gritty on organ is a strong performance that has some of the same feel to it that The Band imparted to so much of their music. 

I called Linden’s From The Water a stunning recording, and Still LIve is a similar appealing mix of blues and roots songs.

I received a review copy from Yellow Dog Records. Here is a video of Colin Linden in performance.

Bobby Purify Knows Its "Better To Have It"

Some of you may remember the duo, James & Bobby Purify who recorded the classic, I’m Your Puppet, four decades ago. It seems that there have been at least three singers who have performed as Bobby Purify, the latest being a terrific vocalist by the name of Ben Moore, who as Jerry Wexler says in the liner notes to the new Purify album, Better to Have It (Proper American), “THE MAN CAN FLAT SING - and I sure don’t mean to suggest he sings flat.”

The disc was produced by the legendary Dan Penn, author of so many R&B classics including The Dark End of the Street, I’m Your Puppet and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man. Penn’s long-time associate, Spooner Oldham is on keyboards on this session, Penn co-wrote all but one song (Moore wrote What’s Old to You) with keyboardist Carson Whitsett and Hoy “Bucky” Lindsay. Other familiar names in the studio band include guitarist Jimmie Johnson and bassist David Hood, while Charles Rose leads the horn section that includes Harvey Thompson and Wayne Jackson. 

This is an absolutely delicious recording that justifies Wexler’s praise. Moore delivers some wonderful songs including a terrific number, My Life to Live Over (a completely different tune from the old Guitar Slim number) with Purify-Moore reflecting about how he would change some things if he could live things anew. There’s a bit of topicality as Purify delivers a lyric about things being wrong for a young man to grow up when there’s Nobody Home to help him grow up with Johnson adding a strong solo here. More of a classic Memphis-funk groove is present on Somebody’s Gotta Do It with strong, punchy horns. 

The entire disc is first-rate with strong playing to accompany the terrific songs and fabulous vocals. Fans of old school R&B and deep southern soul will find few new discs as satisfying as this recording.

This review originally appeared in the August 2005 DC Blues Calendar and the September-October 2005 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 276). I likely received a review copy from a publicist. This disc is still in print.  Here is the man singing I'm Your Puppet.

 

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham's Deep Soul Treasures

The boundaries between blues and soul is a fluid one especially today. A variety of releases illustrate the continuing appeal of performers who can straddle both worlds. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham are among those who helped the development and evolution of soul music as songwriters, and in Oldham’s case as a member of some great studio bands.

Think of James & Bobby Purify’s I’m Your Puppet, The BoxTops Cry Like a Baby, and Solomon Burke’s Out of Left Field, and you have some of the classics the duo wrote along with other great songs like It Tears Me Up, A Woman Left Lonely and You Left the Water Running. And Penn with Chips Woman wrote Do Right Woman, Do Right Man for Aretha and the James Carr deep soul classic, The Dark End of the Street.

Proper American has just issued Moments From the Theatre, a collection of live performances from 1997 when they opened for Nick Lowe in England and Ireland triumphs red. Oldham’s Wurlitzer piano and Penn’s acoustic guitar provide the backing for Penn’s soulfully rendered vocals on the previously enumerated classic songs and others. The intimacy and sparse backing highlights Penn’s delivery of the lyrics that stand out even more than on so many classic recordings. Penn may not quite take us to church but he certainly does deliver the goods (Oldham sings one song) and this is quite a welcome release.


This review originally ran in the December 2005-January 2006 DC Blues Calendar, which was then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter. I received my review copy from a publicist.