I just received the newest release,
The White Man Made Me Do It, by
Swamp Dogg and it's a funky soul party. Opening with funky title track,
The White Man Made Me Do It, with a nod to Prince, it's Dogg on vocal and piano leads a large troupe of musicians including Moogster (keys), Charles Hayes (tenor sax), Andy Najara (bari sax), Phil Ranelin (trombone), Roy Weigind (trumpet), Steve "Stoney" Dixon (bass), Billy Haynes (bass), Lucky Lloyd Wright (guitar), Bill Barrett (trumpet), Troy Lombard (trumpet), Larry Williams (tenor sax), Michael Murphy ( organ and keys), Guitar Shorty (Lead Guitar) and Dan Weinstein (string ensemble).
Lying, Lying, Lying Woman has more of an R&B sound with a driving beat.
Hey Renae has a funky reggae beat and features a nice keyboard solo. Up next is Sam Cooke's,
You Send Me, with a different spin on the nicely slung R&B tune. A smooth sax solo dresses this track up nicely against real nice lead vocals.
Let Me Be Wrong is a cool R&B track with hot guitar riffs under the melody and hot horns. This track brings an echo of Sly Stone with it's horn vamp but really has it's own story. On classic blues track,
Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash, with cool vocal lead and harmony the band really gets the house swinging.
I'm So Happy has a nice R&B strut and clean vocals. I don't see any reference to fiddle on this track but there sure is something that sounds like a fiddle solo to me. Cool.
What Lonesome Is has strong soul ballad bones and Dogg fills the lead vocal spot nicely. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah has a bit of a Motown sound with a "Temptations" feel.
Where Is Sly has a funky high step sound and nice bass riffs. Lieber and Stoller composition,
Smokey Joe's Cafe, saunters down the street helped along with deep sax lines. A cool guitar solo backed by organ tips this one.
Light A Candle - Ring A Bell, another soul ballad has fiddle and guitar riffs punctuation strong vocals from Dogg.
Predjudice Is Alive And Well has strong R&B bones and Dogg again shows his vocal prowess. Wailing guitar lead and strong bass bottom accents this track. Wrapping disc one is
If That Ain't The Blues Nothing Is and a driving R&B beat. Bluesy guitar riffs and hot brass takes this track to a higher level.
Disc two is a collection of Soul and Blues tracks starting with
Rescue Me by Sandra Phillips. A cool R&B track with nice vocals by Phillips. Lightning Slim is up next on
Good Morning Heartaches. A solid blues number, this track also features a strong horn backing and slick guitar riffs. I particularly like the vocals by Slim. Irma Thomas brings her R&B sound on strong with
In Between Tears. This is a really nice track and Thomas is on top of her game. Charlie Whitehead's funky
Read Between The Lines, is up next and tip top brass and low down sax makes this track rip. ZZ Hill's
It Ain't No Use is a nice mixture between blues and R&B and Hill really does have a great voice. Doris Duke's blues ballad,
To That Other Woman, has an almost spiritual feel and Duke really grabs it tight and shakes the emotion out of it. Very nice! Woofmoon track,
What Is Heaven For, is a classic R&B track with solid horn and string backing. Swamp Dogg takes the last three tracks,
Fuck The Bomb, a fast paced R&B track, and it's ultra clean piano work; Synthetic World, a classic R&B style ballad, and wrapping the release with
My Life Ain't Nothing But A Blues Song. A high stepper with an almost Johhny Guitar Watson spin is a great track to complete this eclectic release.
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”LIKE”
Irma Thomas (b. February 18, 1941, Ponchatoula, Louisiana) whose only national chart hit in a 50 year career is 1963’s “Wish Someone Would Care”, is an enduring, Grammy winning, soul, gospel, rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. Known as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”, she is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but did not tour as relentlessly, and industry support and major commercial success eluded her for decades. Thomas, who once was told by execs at Atlantic in the late 60’s that “she just didn’t have it anymore”, remained undaunted, and continues to perform to a loyal and growing following worldwide. She was finally awarded a Grammy for her 2006 Rounder album “After the Rain”, after more than 40 years as singer. She won The Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy again for her 2008 album “Simply Grand”.
Releasing her first single in 1959, she struggled to launch her career from segregated New Orleans as a teenage waitress with 4 children in the early 60’s. Now, finally undergoing a late career renaissance on the Rounder label, much of her most enduring work was produced in the early 1960’s by Allen Toussaint for Minit Records, and she also recorded for other labels including Imperial, Chess, and Atlantic, eventually retiring for a period before reviving her career in earnest in the late 1980’s.
Thomas is perhaps best known outside of New Orleans for her recording of “Time Is on My Side,” which predated the hit version by The Rolling Stones. Otis Redding’s hit “Pain In My Heart” was built on an earlier song, “Ruler Of My heart,” recorded by Thomas.
Thomas is still active as a performer, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and various tour dates in the US and Europe. She has reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season and often headlined at her own club, the Lion’s Den, which is now out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Irma Thomas has participated in numerous post-Katrina charity projects including The New Orleans Social Club, and won numerous awards including the Offbeat Magazine Award, Mojo Magazine’s Legends award, Big Easy Award, a Family Services Award and many more. In 2009, Scott Billington compiled a Rounder records retrospective “Irma Thomas: A 50th Anniversary Celebration of The Soul Queen of New Orleans: ” .
