Page 39 - BiTS_05_MAY_2022

REVIEWS

Duke Robillard—They Called It Rhythm & Blues—Stony
Plain ASIN : B09Q6CSPTZ

Before going out on his own Duke Robillard did ten years as
guitarist with Roomful of Blues in the 70s, replaced Jimmie
Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds and played in the
bands of both Bob Dylan and Tom Waits amongst others. Here
Duke and his band of Chris Cote (vocals), Bruce Bears
(keyboards), Marty Ballou (bass), Mark Teixeria (drums) and
Doug James (saxes) pay homage to the original R&B of the
1940s and 50s, with help from a few guests. These guests
include old band mate from the Thunderbirds Kim Wilson,
Sue Foley, Michelle Wilson, Sugar Ray Norcia and John
Hammond (long time no see).

We blast off with Chuck Higgins’ ‘Here I’m Is’ — rocking jump blues with Chris Cote on vocals
and Chris also sings on Roy Milton’s humorous jump blues ‘Fools Are Getting Scarcer’, then on
Mickey and Sylvia’s ‘No Good Lover’ the Duke himself shares the vocals with Sue Foley who
adds some sass with her sexy vocals and Texas-style lead guitar and her husband Mike
Flanigin also adds his organ. Kim Wilson does two of his own early songs ‘Tell Me Why’ where
he sings and plays harp and ‘The Things I Forgot To Do’ where he just adds his soulful vocals.
Sugar Ray Norcia also adds his vocals and harp to Tampa Red’s ‘Rambler Blues’ and also Jimmy
Nelson’s ‘She’s My Baby’, which also features nice guitar and sax solos from the band.

‘The Way You Do’ is a spooky rocker and ‘Champagne Mind’ (“Champagne Mind, with a soda
water income…”) is sung by Michelle Wilson and she also does a nice relaxed reading of the old
blues classic ‘Trouble in Mind’ with lovely horns from Doug James. John Hammond sings and
plays guitar on the down and dirty ‘Homeless Blues’ by Bessie Smith and also on an authentic
version of Howling Wolf’s ‘No Place to Go’ and Sue Foley and hubby are back for the jazzy
instrumental ‘Swinging for Four Bills’. Elsewhere the band with Chris or Duke out front tackle
the funky ‘Outta Here’, Joe Liggins’ ‘In the Wee Hours’ Freddie King’s “Someday After a While”
and a Coasters-like ‘I Can’t Understand It’ – complete with honking sax solo. This album is like
a digest of post-war R&B styles all beautifully played by the band who don’t really need the
guests but they do add a pleasing variety to the proceedings.

Graham Harrison

North Mississippi Allstars—Set Sail—New West Records
ASIN : B09KN2PGJY

On this latest release the Dickinson brothers add Jesse
Williams on bass and Lamar Williams Jr. (son of Allman
Brothers Band/Sea Level bassist Lamar Sr.) on vocals to their

ever-changing loose collective that is the North Mississippi
Allstars. The title track is a laid-back hypnotic groove with
Luther and Lamar sharing the vocals, with just occasional
flashes of subtle slide guitar, 'Bumpin'' has Sharisse Norman
adding her vocals which just lifts this and the following more
insistent track 'See the Moon' adding that extra interest.
'Outside' features more unison vocals from Luther and Lamar