Blues CD Reviews 105
Sandy Atkinson & The True Loves
Have A Good Time Tonight
Gator Blues Publishing © Dec 2024
Because the southwest coast of Florida, from Naples to Tampa and beyond, is such a hotbed of top-notch blues artists, it doesn't surprise me that prior to hearing Have A Good Time Tonight, the second release by Sandy Atkinson & The True Loves (and seventh overall for Sandy), I had not ever heard of this band. But now that I've listened, they will certainly be on my radar during my future trips across Alligator Alley.
Sandy Atkinson & The True Loves are band leader and songwriter Sandy Atkinson on vocals, acoustic guitar and washboard; Cannon Quinn on guitar; Jeff Stick Davis on bass; Dennis McCarthy on drums; Dean Germain on keyboards; Thor Stevens on saxophone; and special guest Sarasota Slim on guitar and harmonica. Of the disc's twelve tracks, nine are originals from Sandy.
If you're a fan of "The Voice", then you've seen those blind auditions where within seconds, all four judges immediately - and almost simultaneously - press their buttons. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it's always because of a unique voice. "Have A Good Time Tonight", the disc's title track, is one of those songs, and Sandy - with a brilliant blend of sass and sultry - is that voice. Musically, with everyone being individually highlighted, it's a great introduction to The True Loves. This dance floor filler features a rockin' rhythm that gets taken up several levels by the fiery piano and sax leads; scorching guitar leads; and party style vocals all designed for you to have a good time tonight.
Although a man is most likely to be the caller in this kind of a situation, I'm sure some ladies are also guilty of dialing the digits from time to time. I'm talking about the post breakup bootie-call call. In Sandy's case she simply tells her sex seeking ex that he "Got the Wrong Number", but he dialed it right. Gotta love it! Great rhythm driven track with strong drum work and deep bass lines from Dennis and Jeff, respectively; and rockin' piano leads from Dean.
Anyone who's ever been there certainly knows that "Memphis Gets Crazy". That said, this track - which Sandy assured me is fictional - is about some of that craziness.....like waking up in the morning and finding someone in your bed. His explanation: "It's okay baby, Memphis gets crazy sometime". See, nothing to worry about. This is another rhythm smoker highlighted by serious sax blowin' by Thor; scorching slide guitar by Cannon; and more killer piano runs by Dean.
You don't often hear the word sultry in the description of a singer's style when you're about to mention a melancholic song, but with Sandy, it just comes naturally. On a slow and low-down dirty blues song titled "Way Deep Down In The Blues", Sandy, with an emotional, soulful, and sultry style, puts on one of her best performances. Musically, led by fabulous slow blues guitar licks from Sarasota Slim, the guys are in the perfect slow blues rhythm groove.
The name of this track is "Ain't No Sin", and thank God for that. It's what's keeping the whole band from going to hell. You see, the full line goes like this ......it ain't no sin to rock 'n' roll - and that's exactly what they're all doin'.
Every time I hear this song, I can't help but wonder that when John Hiatt sat down to write "Feels Like Rain" he said to himself "I am going to write such a beautiful song that so many others will want to cover and it will sound just as beautiful when they do"? The song has that kind of effect. However, I'm sure he didn't think that and I'm equally sure not everyone doing it will make it sound beautiful. That said, Sandy Atkinson not only nailed her rendition, but she gave one of the better performances of the song that I've ever heard. Kudos to the band for keeping it soft, slow and flawless behind her.
Remember my unique voice comment up at the top of this review? Well, it won't be any more evident than on a cover of Chester Burnett's "Cause Of It All". From the opening line of "My baby caught a train, left me all alone ........" , I was mesmerized. As a matter of fact, it's also one of the best musical efforts of the lot as well. From the songs intro, and throughout, the keyboard and guitar work from Dean and Cannon are nothing short of masterful; and the rhythm and percussion Jeff and Dennis are laying down have that more 'powerful than a locomotive' sound.
"Not Gonna Miss You" is the kind of song that a Kelsea Ballerini or a Lainey Wilson would take straight to the top of the country charts. As a matter of fact, I can already hear the thousands of fans at the show singing along with the "Not gonna miss you, I'm not gonna miss you, not gonna miss you when you're gone" chorus line. That said, Sandy and the guys have quite the country vibe of their own going on with this one. Interestingly, as I was listening to the song's lyrics, I thought to myself that this is one of those "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" kind of songs and sure enough, at the very end of the song, and after the music stops, Sandy coyly says "Don't let the door....you know". Fun track for sure. Other tracks on the excellent release by Sandy Atkinson & The True Loves are: "Mama Bear"; "Junkies & Hookers"; "Web Top Checker" (David York, aka Rock Bottom); and "No More Me And You".
If you've not yet received a copy of Have A Good Time Tonight for airplay, please email Sandy at - Sandy@SandyAtkinson.net - and to find out more about her and the band just go to www.sandyatkinson.net Remember, when you do contact Sandy, please tell her the Blewzzman sent you.
The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience is the latest release by the Yorkshire, UK based blues band fittingly called The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience. The band features singer, songwriter, producer Pat Fulgoni on vocals; Jacob Beckwith on guitars; Sam Bolt on keyboards; Rory Wells on bass; Zebedee Sylvester on drums; and special guest Alex Eden on harmonica. The disc's nine tracks feature a mix of four originals and five covers.
If you want to kick things off with some smokin' slow blues, you can't go wrong covering a classic that Albert King made famous. The song Pat and the guys chose was "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" (Don Nix) and it immediately made the statement that The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience can lay down some serious blues. From Pat's passionate and gut wrenching vocals, to the moody organ led rhythm, to Jacob's stinging blues guitar licks, everything about this rendition was perfect.
One of Pat's original tracks addresses a subject that is near and dear to all of us fans of the genre, the fact that we need to "Keep The Blues Alive". As Pat and the rest of us know, there's surely enough going on in this world for that to happen. On top of another commanding vocal presentation from Pat, at over six minutes in length, it's highlighted by some great Muddy-like guitar riffs from Jacob and fabulous piano and organ runs by Sam. Another very well done slow blues track.
"Bleeding Heart", a compilation from Pat and Sam, sounds like something you might hear coming out of piano bar while strolling the streets of the French Quarter in N'awlins. You know, the kind of stuff that stops you in your tracks; makes you drop in for a listen; then, because what you're hearing is so hypnotic, you wind up being there for the next few hours. Been there, done that. Musically, it's just Pat (vocals), Sam (piano) and Alex (harmonica) singing and playing their hearts out on some good old school barrelhouse blues.
It's not very often that you find covers of Gil Scott Heron on newer releases and that's most likely because covering his work is not all that simple. That said, hearing "Lady Day & John Coltrane" made this fan of his a happy camper. It's a song that Gil wrote back in the early seventies to pay homage to Billie Holiday and John Coltrane - two artists who Gil turned to when he needed to chase his troubles away. I've got to say, the versatility The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience displayed on their flawless interpretation of this song has me wondering just how good a jazz album by The Pat Fulgoni Jazz Experience might me?
If you're a music teacher and your giving a lesson on how to do a cover of a song while making it sound like your own, just play B.B. King's version of "The Thrill Is Gone" (R. Hawkins, R. Darnell) then follow it with this version by The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience and call it a wrap. This rendition of the classic song that introduced many of us to the blues is so far from the original that Pat could have possibly gotten away with listing himself as it's writer. It's done as a duet with Pat singing what may be one of the most soulful versions of the song while Sam performs a concerto type performance on the piano. Wow!
Coming full circle, the disc closes with another straight up slow blues number. It's a band compilation titled "Stickin' The Knife In Blues" and at over eight minutes long it not only gets to feature everyone, but it gets to feature them all at the top of their game on what may just be the disc's best track.
Other songs on this excellent release include: another of Pat's originals titled "Drifter"; "Midnight Train" (R.C. Reale, J. Tiven); and "Confusion Blues" (G. Mcdaniel).
If you've not yet received a copy of The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience for airplay, please email Pat at - pat@chocolatefireguard.co.uk. Additionally, besides friending and following the band on Facebook - www.facebook.com/patfulgonibluesexperience/a> - this link will enable you to check out all of their other Internet platforms - https://linktr.ee/fulgoni. Remember, when you do contact Pat, please tell him his new friend the Blewzzman sent you.
A few weeks ago, I got a FB private message from an old friend of mine - and I do me old (his words, not mine). Apparently, he read one of my latest reviews posted on FB and reached out to me with these words: "Hey Pete, glad to see you are still kicking. We are some old dogs. But I have a new CD out at 75 yrs old. Would love to have you review it"; to which I replied: "Glad to hear from you. I'll be 76 in about 76 days" (actually 16 now). Now that I think about it, the old guy was right - we are some old dogs.
That said, it was really special hearing from Kenny again. Back in the day - some twenty years or so ago - when there were lots of blues clubs in South Florida, Kenny Acosta (as a solo act or with the House Reckers) would roll through the area on a very regular basis. It was at one of those shows where this long-time friendship with him and his darling wife Susan began. I remember knowing he was coming to town and asking him to bring me some original boudin sausage fresh from Louisiana. During those years I've also had the pleasure of writing about all of his other releases, and Kenny (as a duet with Kenny Neal) also had a song on Volume Seven of the nine compilation CD series that Mary Roby and I produced called "Mary4Music Presents: Keeping The Blues Alive". It's a song about when Kenny was a kid playing in the woods in Jackson Louisiana crossing paths with an escapee from the asylum for the criminally insane. Should you like to hear it, here ya go - https://www.mary4music.com/01%20Justice%20Blues.mp3
The Kenny Acosta Band consists of Kenny on guitar and vocals; Lester "Pic" Delmore on drums; Johny Willis on bass, key and vocals; Jay Simon on keys and vocals; Clyde Thompson on fiddle; Bob Heym on percussion; and Russ Bryant on saxophone. The eleven original tracks on It's All Good are - as Kenny says - "Some down-home blues, mixed with New Orleans street beat and Caribbean rhythms, sauteed in a funky mixture of growl". In other words, good ol' Cajun swamp music.
"The way she stands by me, the whole world can see....
And when she takes my hand, ooooh man, man, man....
There ain't nothin' in the world I wouldn't do for my girl....
She's one of a kind, thank God she's mine...."
Are just a few of many reasons for Kenny to sincerely and soulfully let us know that "It's All Good". Musically, with Lester, Johny and Bob laying down a surreal rhythm groove, it's the fiddling around that Clyde's doing that highlights it all.
So, when things are bad enough to have to file a "Restraining Order" against an evil mate, only to be told "File what you wanna, you can't get rid of me that easily" and "That's just a piece a paper, I'm still our wife", you certainly have a case of the blues and the thrill is indeed gone. On an original of Johny's, he and Kenny release their inner B.B. King. It's a great slow blues number with Johny kinda talking the song as B.B. so famously did, and Kenny slammin' out some B.B. style blues licks on the guitar. Additionally, along with Lester on the drums, Johny - on the bass and organ, is a big part of the tracks perfectly done slow blues rhythm groove.
If you want to hear what superb swamp soul sounds like, you'll find out right here on "Rescue Me". On a song he wrote, with the band in a very danceable island groove going on behind him, Jay's as smooth as silk on the vocals.
Similar to the compliments Kenny paid his lady on the title track, he's at it again. This time however, he's focusing on her other attributes. Going with the 'it's not what you say, it's how you say it' theory, ya only gotta hear Kenny say she's a "Hot Dog" one time and you'll know exactly what he means. Of course, when songs of this type include a saxophone, the addition of that sultry vibe is always a plus, and on his first appearance, Jay brings it.
Speaking of saxophones, this swingin' dance floor filler once again features the instrument being highlighted, but this time it's Russ doin' the blowin' on some jumpin' and smokin' kinda stuff. It's another of Johny's songs and it's humorously (I think) titled "Pant's Up". With a chorus line of....
"Come out with your pants up; come out with your pants up;
Come out with your pants up, I'm gonna run you outta town"....
It makes you wonder just what the heck is goin' on in there.
From the time I sailed up the Mississippi River - from Norfolk, VA to New Orleans, LA - on the USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) in 1967, to the several air boat rides I've taken through the Louisiana bayous over the years, because of the alligators, snakes and six inch 'attack' grass hoppers - never did this city slicker once think of those waters as a place to go "Tubin". On the other hand, from the sounds of this original instrumental of Kenny's there must be more accommodating areas to do so. The laid-back Island vibe created by Kenny's soft guitar chords; Clyde's finessed fiddling; and Bob's perfectly suited percussion; are the consummate accompaniment for chillin' while tubin'.
Other tracks on It's All Good include: "Pot 2 P In" and "Sexy Lady", two more of Johny's originals; "Time Bomb" and "Shake That Thing", two more of Kenny's originals; and "Arms Of Love", another, of Jay's originals.
If you've not yet received a copy of It's All Good for airplay, please contact Susan Acosta at - sacosta7@att.net - and should like to find out more about Kenny Acosta and the band just go to - www.kennyacosta.com. Remember, when you contact Susan or Kenny, please tell them their 'old' friend the Blewzzman sent you.
