| CD REVIEW |
| A strong dose of rhythm and blues has long been regarded as the best non-pharmaceutical remedy to chase away whatever is ailing you, and this d�but CD from Seattle-area's Blues Therapy (not to be confused with a couple of other U.S. bands of the same name) adds special ingredients to that basic prescription that will have you wanting refills on a regular basis. Although the first track, "Run Over" is the only original (by guitarist/lead vocalist Randy Norris), it's an injection of blues-rock in the vein of "Crossfire", that would have impressed the sorely-missed Stevie Ray Vaughan. I would encourage Mr. Norris to continue writing his own material. The ensuing cover of James Brown's "Coldsweat" sustains this particular musical heartbeat with a snappy psychedelic groove to this masterpiece of funkness. And speaking of Coldsweat, that Toronto band, who has been making major ripples in the Canadian blues scene over the past two years, recently opening for Omar and the Howlers, also do a cover of James Lewis Williams' "Big-Legged Woman", also appearing further down the setlist on this CD. Although Coldsweat's version is not as frantic as the one contained on Doctor's Orders, both bands can boast of vocalists with healthy lung-power and a rhythm section to die for. The Blues Therapy bassist is Robert Thomson, who also provides backing vocals, Larry White is the snappy-wristed drummer and both Norm Bellas and Ed Vance are featured on organ throughout the CD. The musical pacemaker is adjusted to accommodate a jazzy, funkier mood on the next two tracks, "You've Been Talkin' 'Bout Me, Baby" (Rivera/Hirsh/Garnett) and "Nasty Habits" (Tommy Castro). The "cool-down" exercise is the straight-ahead Swingin' Medallions' r & b classic, "Hey, Baby", written by Bruce "Spike" Channel. If it's possible to Leslie-fy a "Mississippi Saxophone", this track comes pretty close to filling that particular prescription. I didn't care for the jumped-up tempo on Jackie Lomax's "Divorce Blues", whose recently-released The Ballad of Liverpool Slim CD contains the somewhat slower and more synchronous original version that accents electric guitar and saxophone rather than the over-bubbly harmonica and organ on Doctor's Orders. It's a great song, though, and I can't help but wonder how Robert Cray might have interpreted this composition. Speaking of organs, Norm shares keyboarding duties on the CD with the equally talented and more well-known (to me, anyway) Ed Vance. There is only one slow-tempo song on the CD - Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" - but it's always been one of my favourites, after "T.B. Sheets", in that gentleman's woefully limited blues music repertoire, and Blues Therapy follows the original version closely and obviously lovingly. Far from being a bitter pill to swallow, due to the tasty harmonica strains of Jeff Nicely, it's followed up with a powerful cover by another prolific songwriter, Dave Bartholomew (and Christopher Jenner), on "Sick and Tired". Terri Derr provides background vocals on 5 of the 12 tracks, including John David Anthony's funky, bass-heavy "She's My Lady", which also contains some great organ work by Ed Vance. "Look But Don't Touch" continues the uptempo pace, although by this time I was growing weary of that harmonica's shrillness, but Tommy Castro's funky r&b thriller "You Gotta Do", which would sound excellent with a brass section, leaves the listener feeling totally invigorated, optimistic and ready to focus on any personal troubles with an optimistic perspective. An excellent CD that should have been considered in the 2003 BB Awards nominations! |
| DOCTOR'S ORDERS - BLUES THERAPY |
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