Local/Singer/Songwriter

“Ragpickers”

Paul Benoit

www.kkpaulbenoitmusic.com

This recording burst out on the first track, “Bloom”, with a driving acoustic guitars out front, then the strong clear vocal wraps around the lyric exclaiming as the blues always does, a nod to the opposite sex.  The comping guitar riffs,  as the lead guitar are strong with shades of the  blues and rock.  As a player you know you’ve had a good listen when you want to pick your axe and join in or find a groove as deep to emulate. Benoit lays back with the second track, continuing the acoustic bed of acoustic guitar, then the rhythm section drives this lament called, “ Don’t Hate Me” but allows Benoit’s lyric and vocal to clearly speak.  The lead guitar once again never over powers the main riff, it is as it should be, the spice to the track.

The production and mix on this work is a consistent portion of  the work, Benoit’s vocals and lyrical content are important to each track, care was given to this aspect of his work.  Benoit & Blake Harkins co-produced the work at Lost & Found Studios, in West Seattle.  Benoit is no novice at his craft and has assembled lengthy relationships with those he records with.

For the past twenty years he has used the same supporting players on his projects, his mates, sidemen, collaborators are tight and a testament to the vested time put into the sound as a unit. Benoit’s rhythm section is Tige Decoster holding it all down on bass, Dan Weber on solid as well as tasty drums while Hugh Sutton is behind the keyboards. Benoit’s guitar work drives or lays the foundations for the production and tunes. Benoit’s lead work is very tasty, mature and compliments never distracts from the rest of the production.

“Ragpickers” the title tune of the disc is Benoit’s break out track from the first two tracks with a great shuffle feel.  Benoit’s vocal work is very strong on this tune, but the lyrical content is so strong it’s difficult to say which is really shines brighter.  The arrangements are all tasty, but this track breaks away, this tune illuminates a master in his element.  Tunes like this just don’t come along every day.

Benoit does not rest on his laurels, each track has a different feel, based in the blues.  Some of it takes me back to the hey day of several artists, but pigeon holing this artist would be a mistake.  Sutton’s work on fourth track sets up the tune, the lead guitar is like butter, it just flows.  These are some tasty players working behind Benoit’s tales and solid vocal work.

Had a brief conversation with the  artist and he said his next project was going to be a bit more Folk/Americana, I can tell from his acoustic work that this would be a natural path for him to take, but this cat wraps around the blues so well, one can only hope that he puts this thinking cap on again.  The acoustic guitar work in “Black Bag Blues” is as smooth and cool as any player I have ever listened to and worth the price of admission alone.

Benoit’s take on the Delta influence leaps out on the following track as does his time spent cultivating lyrical acrobatic work from the likes of Dylan and other contemporary artists.  “But Not You”, would be another argument for Benoit to come back to this well and drink again,  the genre needs writers and players who take two art forms and creates a third. Few do it these day, the formula is found and then it’s variations on a theme.  This work is dripping with authenticity.

Original work is rare these days, Benoit creates vibes that are at least ten miles thick.  He synthesizes blues, rock and pop, coming out the other side with a profound work, that could be as  commercial as the day is long. This artist excels at lyrical content, his vocals are in the pocket, the players support Benoit’s work with reverence, the mix, production and mastering are as accessible as this artists heart and soul are.  Good work!

Review by Christopher Brant Anderson

Blues/Slide
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
“Between The Ditches
”www.bigdamnband.com

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is comprised of The Reverend Peyton on slide guitars, mandolin,vocals and harmonica.  Washboard Breezy Peyton is on, yep, the washboard, percussion and backing vocals.  Aaron “Cuz” Persinger works on bucket, drums, percussion and just plain hollering.  All the tunes were written by the Reverend and the album was also produced by the Rev and Paul Mahern at Mahern’s, White Arc Studios in Bloomigton, Indiana.

“Between The Ditches” is a roaring product that jumps out fast & furious and never stops driving forward.  Peyton’s lyrical approach is just as rapid as his playing; he gives no quarter to the subject he is writing about.  Peyton’s deliveries with his vocals are as unique as his playing, they are meant to be rough and mesh well with his style of playing.  Peyton makes mention of his luthier on the cover and I can hear where and why that was published, he lays into his instrument on each track with abandon producing a very cool and big damned sound.

Peyton’s vision for this work is clear; he is here to get your attention and your toe tapping.  This isn’t the straight ahead blues work that accompanies many blues players.  There is a quality in the work that reminds me of early rock attempts by Blue Oyster Cult and other late 60’s rock groups to communicate their feeling for the art form.  Peyton cements the feeling down and honed his own vision.

One of the aspects that just jumps off the product is the backing rhythms and beats, they drive as hard as Peyton’s playing.  I also really like how the backing vocals were placed in the mix to augment the feeling of some of the tracks.  The vocals parts are as complex and as important as any of the guitar work or percussion.

There is a propensity in the listener to feel that the cuts could be a continuum of the previous track, but Peyton distinctively finds another vibe on his guitar that leads the listener to another place.  Sometimes his lyrical content can get a bit lost, but he tends to augment what is really important to the tune or what  he is attempting to communicate to his audience.

Peyton has a playfulness to this work that serves it well.  I have a feeling this is a serious artist that takes it all a bit tongue in cheek.  Peyton isn’t selling anything; he’s conveying a message with an intensity rarely found in many blues projects.  What is astounding is his commitment to each track and the energy used to accomplish the final work.   From the down beat this product drives like a teenager set free in the family car for their first drive on the open road.

If you like the blues and monster slide guitar work this is a must listen.   The work is serious blues with a huge helping of playfulness that sometimes diverges into a bluegrass feel or a straight-ahead rock feel.  What impresses me the most in the listen is the clarity found in all that is happening in the production. Peyton certainly approached this work with vision and remained true to it.

Simply a great listen with very cool playing and well crafted tunes.

[Christopher Brant Anderson]

Blues/Jazz

Celia Ramsey: I’ll Just Lie About It

No producer listed

Released: 2012

http://www.celiaramsey.com/

This is Celia’s second album and shows a lot of vocal talent. Those who like the old torch music will find this album very satisfying. The atmosphere takes me back to the black and white movie era. She grew up listening to Scottish ballads and music from the thirties and forties and sings the songs as if she grew up in that time. Celia is currently residing in the San Francisco Bay area and is becoming well known in San Francisco and Berkley.



The album includes a few old ballads from way back when and also nine new compositions of her own that could very well have come from the same era as the others. Her voice and style provide a dreamy style and atmosphere to the songs.

The first song which is the title song, I’ll Just Lie About It, starts the album off as a bluesy ballad with a nice clarinet solo and old fashioned torch lyrics. It could have come from an old black and white movie.

Do your kisses stir my soul

Do I think you make me whole

Should I sigh and lose control

Please don’t lie about it

She describes her composition Lament as true confessions of the mid-life kind. The song has a strong bluesy saxophone solo in it and some good lyrics in a humorous vein.

What would I do without you my libido

Without you men are just friends

Not all of the songs are slow torch songs. There is a good mix of slow and swing music like Bad Girl Song with her voice and a clarinet woven around each other in a good swing style. The album is very well produced and put together and displays a great singer with a nice old dreamy style and some great arrangements with some very talented musicians. She is a seasoned singer and this album is well worth listening to.

[Greg Bennett]

Music Reviews30's, 40's, Berkley, black and white movie., Blues/Jazz, Celia Ramsey, clarinet, I'll Just Lie About It, Music Reviews, old torch music, San Francisco, Scottish ballads