Johnnie Bassett & the Blues Insurgents
Party My Blues Away
(Cannonball CBD 29109)
Good Golly Miss Molly if all
CDs were as fun to listen to as this one here, they wouldn't have a need
for used CD stores! It's a sure bet not too many of you buckaroos will
want to part with Party My Blues Away once you get your mitts on it and
with good reason: It's delightful, frisky and full of heart. This
Cannonball release is a great combination of jump, jive and wail, mixed in
with some jazz twisting, and a dash of big, fat Chicago blues. A solid
listen from beginning to end. Bassett plays his licks with style and
grace; bouncing from the West Coast swing to down and dirty shuffles. His
gambles on the guitar pay off in big ways. He knows when to hold them and
when to fold them. He also plays a mean mouth harp on several of the
tracks.
The Insurgents are a hearty crew who pack in some wonderful
performances on this album. R J Spangler, drummer and bandleader, has a
good ear for the instruments and maintains an interesting array of sound
and harmonies backing the well-crafted lyrics, most of which are written
by the band members. Chris Codish makes excellent mojo on the Hammond
organ while Keith Kaminski blows great saxophone. Oddly enough it is the
keyboard player's father Robert who pens most of the songs on this CD. The
tunes are clever and memorable. Listen to "Big Boss Woman" or
"Call Your Mama's Name" and you will get an idea of how much fun
these guys are having when they play. Everything here works together and
sounds great. When form and content are exquisitely unified, Bassett and
band offer an experience of complete concinnity, a harmoniously integrated
experience of word, music and jam.
- Bill Fountain -
Southwest Blues CD Review - August 1999
Current Reviews -
1999 Reviews - available at our store
