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The majority of the numbers here are original Steve Zelman compositions. But the

album opens with an engaging rendition of Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s ‘She Moves
Me’, the gently swinging ensemble deliver fine understated interspersing piano
and horn solos with Steve’s calm vocal inviting us in. The gentle rumba infused

‘One Hell For Another’, is a tale of a wrecked working life and marriage woes,
where the invitations to change our working life only lead to more misery, the laid
back, rolling piano and richly grooving horns and guitar stings cheer us along.

Professor Longhairs’ New Orleans classic ‘Her Mind Has Gone’ is a masterclass of
understatement, you are swept along by the rolling, tumbling piano and gently
urging guitar, martial infused percussion melds with the understated horns that

swing it all together. Saint Louis Jimmy’s ‘Murder In The First Degree’, has nods
towards James Cotton’s version but, here it has a rather nice Chicago infused
shuffling, tumbling feel and is all the better for it. ‘Unfinished Business’ is simply a

splendid toe-tapping homage to the classic gently rolling and swinging big band
sound of the fifties. The slow burning love ballad ‘Sweet Surrender’ is also in the
same appealing vein. While, ‘Monkey Toes’ gently builds from an affectionate

loving ode into a toe-tapping Bo Diddley bouncer.

A very fine debut indeed!

Brian Harman

Jingle All The Way—Various Artists—Blue Heart
Records BHR053

Here we are again, with Christmas around the corner
and with it, comes a jolly collection of festive (and some,
not so festive) tunes from all at Blue Heart Records and

NOLA Blues. The fifteen numbers here range from hap-
py warm numbers, through a classic cover, to reality

based downtrodden victim tales. The opener is a silkily
delivered ‘Silver Bells’, from The Texas Horns, with
Michael Cross; this, is a grooving horn filled piece that
features a warmly inviting female chorus. ‘I Want Some Christmas Cheer’, from

Benny Turner is a much more sombre, low down blues, where he tells a tale of
misunderstandings, misadventures and finally a robbery by an ungrateful hitch-

hiker. Lil Red & the Rooster, slide in a very enjoyable, suggestively sultry version
of Phil Springer’s ‘Santa Baby’, while ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, is suitably
invigorated with a lively clarinet led twenties-New-Orleans feel, by Teresa James &

The Rhythm Tramps. There is a splendid jiving taste of Rockabilly, on ‘I Was A Bad
Boy This Year’, from Rick Vito. Jim Koeppel’s ‘Slim Down Santa’, has gently swinging
jazz-fuelled feel and is seen from Mrs. Santa’s view of her desired Christmas

present. In the same vein, Clarence Spady’s saucy and gently swinging, funky soul