Blues Roots
This is a fine revisiting of roots, opening track Rock and Stick its absolute finest with
Scaggs is sublime vocal, that honeyed tone rising to just-falsetto – perfectly –
and the harmonica of long-time musical collaborator Jack “Applejack” Walroth [who
co-wrote] adding more sweet juice: all this over and above the punching bass
line of Willie Weeks and the funky guitar of Ray Parker Jr. I could play this
all day, though that would be silly, so I’ve played it once most days over the
last week.
There are horns on the mournful blues ballad I’ve Just Got to Forget You, Scaggs
soaring here and there in empathetic vocal. Radiator
110 leads off with a guitar and harmonica riff to set the chugging blues
pace, another following funky walking through the whole. Neil Young’s On the Beach is blessed with a slowed
and brooding pace and tone, Scaggs again singing in the honey and its mellowed
glow, I need a crowd of people/but I can’t
face them day to day/though my problems are meaningless/that don’t make them/go
away.
Down in Virginia
is a striding straight blues of straight class; Those Lies pumps its brisk rhythms, horns attending and with puffs
of baritone sax, and closer The Feeling
is Gone is as humid as hot love gone will feel, more horns in maudlin
moans.
A wonderful album.
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