Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps Live

Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps
Live
Jesi-lu Records

Teresa James impressed this writer with her last two recordings, "Bonafide" and "Come On Home." The Texas-born, Los Angeles-based James & The Rhythm Tramps have a new "Live" CD from four-nights at Bogie's in Westwood Lake, California. As noted on the inside cover, there were four different versions of the Rhythm Tramps reflecting various tour schedules. The core band here includes her vocals and keyboards, husband Terry Wilson on bass, Billy Watts on guitar, Herman Matthews on drums, Lee Thornberg on trumpet, and Paulie Cerra or Ron Dziubla on saxophones. Others on some tracks include drummers Jay Bellarose and Tony Braunagel on drums, Joe Sublett on sax, and Darrell Leonard on trumpet.

"Live" is a lively mix of originals from Wilson and choice covers of blues and R&B sung passionately with strong, idiomatic backing. James opens with "In the Pink," naming some musical heroes, and singing that getting into the blues she now is in the pink. It is followed by a treatment of The Five Royales "I Like It Like That," with James' rollicking piano solo. There is a swamp-pop flavored "Put the Squeeze On Me," and the subtle, sultry soul of "Easier Said Than Done" with a terrific sax solo from Ron Dziubla.

Wilson's deep soul ballad "Forgetting You" takes us to Memphis with perhaps James' most intense singing with the horns coming off like The Memphis Horns, and Paulie Cerra short sax solo matching the fire of James' singing. More of a Motown groove is heard on "She's Got a Way With Men," who James sings won't have her way with her man. Cerra shines again here. Guitarist Watts plays Harvey Fuqua to James' Etta James on the fervent revival of the Fuqua-James 1960 Chess duet, "If I Can't Have You." It is followed by the New Orleans groove of Allen Toussaint's "Shoorah, Shoorah," with Tony Braunagel taking over the drum chair with James taking a piano break followed Joe Sublett's booting tenor sax solo.

Another standout track is a stunning slow blues performance, "The Day The Blues Came To Call," written by James and Wilson. It also has an incendiary guitar solo in addition to James' impassioned vocal. Other choice tracks include a strong cover of William Bell's "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday," and the Tex-Mex feel of Glen Clark's "I Want It All," with James taking a crisp piano break. A hot, rocking salute to her home state, "Long Way From Texas," closes "Live" with James singing about making it home with fiery guitar and tenor sax solos. It concludes a terrific live blues and soul CD,

I received a review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 387). Here Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps perform "Forgetting You."

Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps Is Bonafide

Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps
Bonafide
Jesi-Lu Productions

Roots-blues singer Teresa James will be familiar with many from her association with Delbert McClinton (she's a regular on his cruises), as well as from festival appearances and club dates. Born in Houston and now based in Los Angeles, her band the Rhythm Tramps includes bassist Terry Wilson (who wrote most of the songs here as well as plays guitar and produced and engineered this recording); guitarist Billy Watts, drummer Herman Matthews, trumpeter Lee Thornburg and saxophonist Ron Dziuba. While they all appear on this, only Wilson and Watts are featured on most of this with the likes of drummer Tony Braunagel and keyboardist Mike Finnigan of The Phantom Blues Band adding there talents to a number of selections, along with Teresa herself on piano and Wurlitzer Piano.

Starting with the cover of a Five Royales song, "I Like It Like That," one gets impressed by James with a slight bit of sandpaper in her voice that adds to its grit and character. She is a singer, not a shouter, as she ably demonstrates on this rocker with the somewhat skeletal backing of the title track as well as with fuller backing on the soulful "The Power of Need." This latter track is a standout track with nice horns in the backing and Watts taking a crisp guitar break as she sings of yearning of the power of wanting to love someone. "Hollywood Way," has a funky groove with Wilson playing an effective simple organ riff and wah wah guitar riff as she sings in an understated manner about games being played and all our heroes never fade away.

"My God Is Better Than Yours" is an gospel-tinged song about religious hypocrisy, followed by another soulful ballad celebrating her lover, "You Always Pick Me Up." "What Happens In Vegas" has a New Orleans groove (think Huey "Piano' Smith and the Clowns) and takes the advertising slogan as what stays in Vegas to include one's money and one's honey. "Funny Like That" is an attractive ballad with a island groove while "No Regrets" finds her reflecting about having "no regrets about you" although she doesn't make things easy for her man. She delivers a marvelous closing vocal on John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me," as she pleads for her man to give her loving arms a try and have a little faith in her. She plays piano here, while the spare, uncluttered, backing provides a cushion for her heartfelt singing. It is the close on this first-rate album of roots, blues and soul performances.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 371). Here is a video of Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps performing John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me."

Teresa James' Come On Home

Originally from Houston Texas, vocalist Teresa James makes her base in Los Angeles where she works with her band, The Rhythm Tramps who she has been working with for several years. James has performed live with such legendary artists as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, Kirk Whalum, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Al Anderson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Lee Roy Parnell as well as having been a featured act on Delbert McClinton's Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise. James’s band, the Rhythm Tramps consists bassist Terry Wilson; guitarist Billy Watts; drummer Harman Matthews and percussionist Debra Dopkin. She has had a number of well-regarded albums, with the latest being Come On Home (Jesi-Lu Records).

Bassist Wilson produced this new recording as well as contributed to many of the original songs heard here. In addition to the members of the Rhythm Tramps there are some notable guests on this recordings including Jerry Peterson on saxophone; Lee Thornburg, who did the horn arrangements, on trumpet; the horn section from Mingo Fishtrap on one track; Jon Cleary on piano; Mike Finnigan on B-3 (and a vocal duet) David P. Jackson on accordion on one cut; Jim Christie and Tony Braunagel share the drum chair with Matthews on several selections and Leslie Smith adds his vocals. John Porter did the mixing. Quite a supporting cast that has been assembled here.

From the opening title track to the rocking closing All I Want to Dance, James places her stamp on the songs here supported by The Rhythm Tramps and guests. For those who have not heard her think about a Janis Joplin influenced singer with a dose of Bonnie Raitt mixed in. She sings naturally, in an unforced and convincing fashion. Throughout, the band plays terrifically whether rocking or laying down a lazy groove.

The title track sets the pace with the rock-solid groove as she displays a take no nonsense attitude about the man who should take his sorry ass, lazy bones home. Its followed by her duet with Finnigan, a nice cover of Etta James & Harvey Fuqua’s soulful If I Can’t Have You, where both invest so much into their singing. The swamp-country soul of My Baby Knows What I Want, celebrates her man who holds her tenderly and knows what good loving is all about. It is followed by the rock and roll of Tommy Kay’s Long Way From Texas, with Cleary adding rollicking piano. 

Wilson’s Forgetting You, is a fine southern soul styled ballad with nice use of horns to frame her heartfelt vocal. There is more R&B flavor on Still Got the Message, with echoes of the Hi Rhythm Section while She’s Got a Way With Men (which she co-wrote with Wilson), conjures up classic Motown. Voodoo Doll, with Jackson’s accordion, adds some New Orleans flavor. On Carry That Burden, James sings with considerable restraint. It speaks to how good a singer she is that her performance on this is as authoritative as when she belts out a rocker like I Can Do Better.

Come On Home, is a first-class recording that makes clear why folks like Bonnie Raitt, Kirk Whalum and Delbert McClinton are admirers of Teresa James. 


I received a review copy from a publicist for this release. Here is Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps in performance.