Page 40 - BiTS_02_FEBRUARY_2020_Neat

Rae Gordon Band – Wrong Kind Of Love (Own label)

The opening track here is a fine funky slab of soul music, with a

tough vocal, kicking rhythm, punchy horns and a fine, concise
guitar break. It is followed by the fine mid-tempo blues of ‘Don’t
Look Now’ where Rae states her case for her man’s possessions

in no uncertain terms (though with some humour), with the brass
somewhat abandoned, and some backing vocals to underline the
point, and then it is into a Curtis Mayfield styled ‘How You Gonna’

before the boogaloo of ‘Might As Well Be You’. So hopefully now
you are beginning to get some idea of the approach on this rather
nice album. You want blues? Then lend an ear to ‘Last Call’ or the slow, West side Chicago styled

‘Sea Of Love’. Blues-rock? Take a listen to the throbbing title track. A good old-fashioned blues
ballad – that would be ‘How Much I Love You So’. Some Stax styled soul? Then there is the closing
‘Get Right With The World’. An impressive album then, and it is good to note too that rather

unusually for these days, the instrumental solos are just as likely to come from the trumpet of Allan
Kalik or saxophonist Scott Franklin as from guitarist Kivett Bednar (impressive though he is).

Norman Darwen
(www.raegordon.com)

The Jimmys – Gotta Have It (Brown Cow BCP 006)

The last time I reviewed The Jimmys they were recording live in
Transylvania so it is good to see they escaped OK and have

managed to put some daylight between themselves and old Vlad.
Tony Braunagel drummed and produced these thirteen tracks,

whilst singer and keyboards player Jimmy Voegeli wrote the
majority of them. Guitarist/ singer Perry Weber also supplies
several, including the rocking opening track, ‘Ain’t Seen Nothin’

Yet’, with its big sounding horn section. Marcia Ball (who guests
on vocals) and Braunagel helped to co-write the Crescent City flavoured ‘Write A Hit’ with its

delightful sticky rhythm, the Billy Boy Arnold-inflected ‘Always A Woman’ is from Gary Nicholson
and Kevin McKendree, and Jim Liban was the source for the slow, BB King influenced blues of
‘Someday Baby’. The title track is a fine 50s styled slab of guitar driven jumping R’n’B, ‘Started Up

Again’ draws unashamedly from Slim Harpo’s ‘Scratch My Back’. The closing track is a fine early
60s styled organ instrumental with a hint of New Orleans to it. Really, though, there’s not a poor
track here on this recommended release.

Norman Darwen
(www.thejimmys.net)