Ruf Records artist: Victor Wainwright and The Train - Memphis Loud - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Memphis Loud, by Victor Wainwright & The Train and it's spicy. Opening with Mississippi, a cool party song with a kaleidoscope of musical tones including Wainwright on vocal and keys, Billy Dean on drums, Terrance Grayson on bass, Pat Harrington on guitar, Mark Earley on sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Dave Gross on percussion, Mikey Junior on vocal, Reba Russell on vocal, Stephen Dees on vocals, Patricia Ann Dees on vocals, Gracie Curran on vocals and Peanut Reed on vocals. Title track, Memphis Loud is a real locomotive with instrumental horsepower. With Wainwright really hitting the electric piano and Earley and Woolverton pushing the horns, this track has a massive opening. Smoothing into a Louisiana flavored, country tinged, track, Sing, Wainwright and Dave Gross really work the vocals. Quieting down to a real nice ballad, Disappear, Wainwright shows his strong vocal feel with a nicely crafted undercarriage of piano, drums and bass. With a slick guitar solo by Gross over the organ and piano work of Wainwright, this is a really nice track. Golden Rule is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's complex rhythm pattern, almost like a Frank Zappa basis with warm vocals by Wainwright and Harrington who also lays in a real nice unstructured guitar solo of his own. Certainly one of the most memorable tracks on the release is South End of a North Bound Mule with it's clever lyrics and it's swampy, funky rhythm. With great vocals, some real nice guitar riffs by Harrington and Greg Gumpel and the vocal work of Wainwright and Reba Russell, this is a great track. Another fun track is My Dog Riley with super New Orleans style piano and horns and of course great horn and vocal backing. Wrapping the release is soulful ballad, Reconcile which, with the rich vocal styling of Wainwright and a strong guitar solo by Gumpel is a super closer. 

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Ruf Records artist: Victor Wainwright and The Train - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release, Victor Wainwright and The Train and it's rockin. Wainwright on lead vocal and keys pushes a nice duel with guitarist Pat Harrington, on Healing, backed by Billy Dean on drums and Terrance Grayson on bass. Also adding a nice bit of oomph are Mark Earley on sax and Doug Woolverton on trumpet. Nice opener. Train is a hot boogie woogie track with Wainwright really driving hard on vocal and piano. Woolverton and Earley fill nicely and Reba Russell's vocals are super.  Excellent track. Soulful, Dull Your Shine is a really nice track that puts me in mind of D'Angelo with a suspenseful approach to the song and super vocals. Also of particular note on this track is a sweet guitar solo by Greg Gumpel. Blues with a distinct R&B feel, Thank You Lucille, is possibly my favorite track on release featuring some of Wainwright's best vocals on the release and Monster Mike Welch handling the lead guitar spot, backed by Reba Russell, Nick Black and Patricia Ann Dees on vocal. Boogie Depression is another driving boogie with super piano and excellent slide work by Harrington. Nice! Foot stompin rocker, Righteous really gets that tent revival feeling going with a solid bottom, powerful vocal by Wainwright, super slide work by Harrington, and vocal backing by Russell. Very cool. Rocking boogie, I'll Start Tomorrow is a real mover with cooking piano and organ, tight drums, a great sax solo by Earley and punchy trumpet work by Woolverton. Another track with strong slide lead by Harrington is Sunshine. His slide work is inspired and fat, soaring into the music nicely. A track, seemingly built around his excellent slide lead, a real keeper. Wrapping the release is gospel styled, That's Love To Me, with it's rich melody, organ and soulful vocals by Wainwright. Subtle but nice acoustic guitar by Jeff Jensen adds nicely and solid lead guitar by Harrington adds depth for an excellent closer to a really strong release.

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Victor Wainwright & The Train On Tour, Record Release Party at The Bank & Blues, 2 Big Nights!

(Photo by Austin Britt) Victor Wainwright & The Train On U.S./Canadian Tour In Support of New Self-Titled Album (Ruf Records) Perform Locally with The Train Horn Section: THE BANK & BLUES  Thursday/Friday, March 29/30 (Record Release Party Both Nights)

(Daytona, FL) - Multiple award-winning boogie-woogie blues pianist-vocalist Victor Wainwright kicks off his 2018 U.S./Canada Spring/Summer Tour in support of just-released album Victor Wainwright & the Train (Ruf Records), with a Record Release Party at The Bank & Blues, 701 Main St., two big nights, Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30. Showtime: 9:00pm each night. Tickets: $48., Reserved Tickets (include new CD); $38., (General Admission) each night. Info: (386) 252-9877 or visit https://daytonabeachmainstreet.com/venue/the-bank-blues-club/. Also joining Wainwright and his band onstage: Star horn players, Doug Woolverton (trumpet) and Mark Earley (alto, baritone sax).                                                                                                                            ~Victor Wainwright: What The Media Is Saying~ "Wainwright serves as an electrifying guide to a good time-spinning tales, telling his listeners how to beat the blues, and meticulously conjuring raw soul and energy out of his acoustic piano. He displays a sharp sense of humor and a knack for storytelling... every track is brilliant."                                                                            LIVING BLUES "Victor Wainwright is a world champion piano player, two times over! Not only is Victor one of the greatest blues piano players in the business, he’s also a world class-entertainer and vocalist."                                              BLUES REVUE “Savannah, GA native Victor Wainwright is all about boogie-woogie piano, deep soul, and a voice that recalls Dr. John at his best. He is a blues star, a tremendous player.”   CHICAGO BLUES GUIDE        "Victor Wainwright, winner of this year's Pinetop Perkins Award at the BMA's, is a force to be reckoned with on a piano. He IS honky-tonk and boogie, with a dose of rolling thunder. Wainwright's playing is simply beautiful madness."                                                                                            It had to be a train. The name of Victor Wainwright's new band - and the sleeve image of their debut album - is also the most fitting of metaphors. In music folklore, the train might have associations with the freight-hopping bluesmen of yore, but with this restless boogie-woogie innovator stoking the furnace, this latest project is a charging locomotive - surging forward, crashing through boundaries of genre, sweeping up fresh sounds and clattering headlong past the doubters.   As the man himself hollers in the ivory-pounding title track: "If you wanna boogie get aboard this train/Get yourself a ticket or get out of the way..." At a sweet-spot in his career, where most established stars would rest on their laurels, Victor Wainwright & The Train instead rips up all that has gone before. The twelve tracks are originals in every sense, written by Wainwright, pricking up ears in a sterile music industry and stretching the concept of roots in bold directions.   "I wanted to write this new music mostly on my own," Wainwright explains, "as it was coming and speaking to me. I believe that for roots music to grow, and reach out to new audiences, we have to push it forward." The result is an album that walks a tightrope between scholarly respect and anarchic irreverence. You'll hear Wainwright twist boogie-woogie tradition on barrelhouse thrillers like "Healing" and "Boogie Depression," both driven by his visceral piano style. But you'll also hear him fearlessly explore the gamut of genre, from the Latin flavours and New Orleans horns of "Wiltshire Grave," to the mellow near-psychedelia of "Sunshine." It's a musical cocktail served up by Wainwright's inimitable gravel-flecked vocal.   His words can be hilarious, as on "I'll Start Tomorrow," on which he postpones his doctor's clean-living advice. But they can also be heartfelt, on the gospel-tinged kiss-off of "That's Love To Me". "I've tried to write songs that remind us to love ourselves," explains Wainwright. "It doesn't matter who voted for who, what your religion is, who you love..." On this white-knuckle ride, only The Train could keep the material on the tracks. "I ended up with a hit-squad of downright amazing musicians that shared my curiosity for all corners of the roots genre. We wanted to capture how we feel performing, right smack-dab on this record, and I believe we've done that. Now I just try to keep up."   In truth, Wainwright has always been an artist that sets the pace. Born into a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, the formative influence of his father's vocals and grandfather's rolling boogie-woogie piano compelled him into a life of music. By 2005, he'd announced his talent with solo debut, Piana' From Savannah, while his central role in Southern Hospitality and partnership with Stephen Dees in WildRoots has seen him ignite stages and stereos for over a decade. Among his numerous accolades: In 2013 and 2014, Wainwright won the 'Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year' at the Blues Music Awards. Also in 2013, his collaborative album, Easy Livin' , made the Top 10 in the U.S. Billboard Top Blues Album Chart.   "Looking back on your career is a tough thing to do," he says. "Challenges are many, and frequent, but when you get it together, it can also be extremely rewarding." A man of many talents, Wainwright is a composer, producer, vocalist, piano player and award-winning entertainer. A long-standing leader of the boogie-woogie pack, he could refer you to his BMA and Blues Blast trophies, or a catalog that has repeatedly hijacked the Billboard Top 10. But rather than dine out on past glories, this questing artist would rather you joined him for the ride ahead. "Of course, I still have songs on this album that are just about kicking ass and taking names, like The Train," he laughs. "But if you listen to the lyrics, what I'm really saying is, we got to get on the train and move forward together."               Victor Wainwright & The Train - Upcoming Live Shows & Special Events March 29/30 (Thur./Fri.) THE BANK AND BLUES                 Daytona Beach, FL March 31 (Sat.)                 BRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB        Tallahassee, FL April 1/2 (Sun./Mon.)       PARADISE BAR & GRILL                 Pensacola Beach FL April 3 (Tues.)                  BLUE BAMBOO ARTS CTR.             Winter Park, FL April 4 (Wed.)                   ENGLEWOODS ON DEARBORN       Englewood, FL April 5 (Thur.)                  BUCKINGHAM BLUES BAR              Ft. Myers, FL April 6 (Fri.)                     THE BLUE ROOSTER                       Sarasota, FL April 7 (Sat.)                     FUNKY BISCUIT                             Boca Raton, FL April 8 (Sun.)                    SPRINGING THE BLUES                  Jacksonville Bch FL April 18 (Wed.)                 CANADIAN CORPS UNIT 44 HALL Thorhold, Ontario April 20 (Fri.)                    SALLE PROMUTEL ASSURANCE     Montmagny Que April 21 (Sat.)                   SALLE SAGUENAY                         Saguenay, Que April 23 (Mon.)                 ROCKLAND PUB                           Rockland, ME April 26 (Thur.)                LA BASOCHE                                Gatineu, Que April 27 (Fri.)                   SALLE SANCTUAIRE DE ST. JAX     Monteal, Que April 28 (Sat.)                  LA BASOCHE                                 Gatineu, Que May 24 (Thur.)                 TRALF                                          Buffalo, NY May 25 (Fri.)                    RUSTY RAIL                                  Mifflinburg, PA May 26 (Sat.)                   MADAMS ORGAN                          Washington, CD May 27 (Sun.)                  ROOSTER WALK MUSIC & ARTS FEST  Martinsville, VA June 9 (Sat.)                    GREELEY BLUES JAM FESTIVAL        Greeley, CO June 23 (Sat.)                  RIVERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL         Ft. Smith, AR July 2 (Mon.)                   NANTUCKET DEAMLAND                Nantucket, MA July 4 (Wed.)                   BLUES IN THE BARN                        Kingfield, ME July 5 (Thur.)                  MUSIC SERIES                                 Norwich, ME July 10/11 (Tues./Wed.)    MONT-TREMBLANT BLUES                  Mont-Tremblant Que July 13 (Fri.)                   KALAMAZOO BLUES FESTIVAL        Kalamazoo, MI July 14 (Sat.)                  LIGHTHOUSE BLUES FESTIVAL         Kincardine, Ontario            www.victorwainwright.com www.facebook.com/VictorWainwrightFan soundcloud.com/victor-wainwright/sets/victor-wainwright-and-the/s-9R3bK Join us on Facebook      Follow us on Twitter       Send us an Email