Kenny Traylor
Somethin's Gotta Change
TopCat Records TC03992
Not living in Dallas or Fort Worth, I find myself
envious of those who have the opportunity to see the numerous great blues
artists that make the DFW area home. For visitors to DFW, however, the
number of blues acts playing in town on any particular night can present a
bit of a problem. How do you decide which acts to see when you are in
town. When I am visiting, I always try to catch Anson & The Rockets,
Holland K. Smith and Hash Brown among others. People have told me for
years that I needed to see Kenny Traylor perform, but each time the
opportunity presented itself something came up and I did not make it to
the show. Now Kenny has a new CD out on TopCat and judging from the
performance on this CD, I will make it a point to catch his show the next
time I am in town. Throughout this CD, which was produced by Anson
Funderburgh, Traylor provides soulful vocals and mostly restrained and
tasteful guitar while writing or co-writing 10 of the 12 songs on the
album. The songs on this recording range from the "Crosscut
Saw"-like mambo feel of "Sweet Little Mama" to the country
blues vibe of "Leavin' in the Morning" to the Southern Soul
stylings of "Don't Give Up On Me." Traylor's exceptional voice
has the right mix of grit and smoothness and he avoids the overwrought
histrionics displayed by many other singers. This voice is put to good use
on the BB King classic "Sneakin' Around." Traylor peppers the
rest of the recording with several midtempo shuffles that showcase his
tasty guitar work and even throws in a cover tune, "Loud Mouth
Lucy" by the great Roy Gaines. This newest release from Kenny Traylor
proves once again that the DFW area is one of the hotbeds of blues talent
in the United States. A triple threat singer, songwriter and guitarist,
Traylor's star should be on the rise thanks to this fine recording.
- Barry T. Gober -
Southwest Blues CD Review - December 1999
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