| CD REVIEW |
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| FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF! - BUZZ THOMPSON (LIVE AT THE RED DOG) |
| There�s a ton of material that has been written over the last three decades about The Band and their extensive list of musical associates, most particularly Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks. I admit to being ignorant about much of anything this network of entertainers has produced and recorded, other than their most regularly-aired hits, but it�s fascinating to study, in retrospect, Ontario�s musical lineage in this North American musical dynasty. Guitarist, vocalist and harmonica-player Brian �Buzz� Thompson became a featured member of the Hawks in 1989, along with keyboardist Dave Murphy, sax-player Rick Morrison, guitarists Bobby Watson and Al Manning and harmonica-player Roly Platt, so he was a relatively newer addition to the Hawks. Six years later, Buzz recorded this knock-out solo d�but, live at Peterborough�s Red Dog Tavern no less, with Ronnie�s full blessing and utmost respect. While Buzz is cited by Ronnie as �one of the greatest R&B singers alive today� (and that ain�t no lie), his instrumental dexterity has also been recorded with The Band, Jeff Healey, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins as well. He�s got a well-rounded bag of musical tastes, that�s for sure. Find Out for Yourself�Live at the Red Dog is the quintessential action-filled tribute to Rhythm and Blues, documenting for posterity Buzz�s seriously excellent vocal emulation of James Brown. Beginning with a plea to �Help Me� (R. Bass and S. Williamson), he gets the best and plenty of it from George Bertok on keyboards, JP Hovercraft on bass and background vocals and John Crown on drums. Brown�s greatest hits are superbly covered to perfection, along with funk/soul gems from the Isley Brothers (�It�s Your Thing�), Otis Redding (�Can�t Turn You Loose�, Ray Charles (�I Believe to My Soul�) and, naturally, a lively version of �Sir� Mack Rice�s originally-rejected �Mustang Sally�, first recorded by the Rascals in 1967. Speaking of the Rascals, their former keyboardist, Felix Cavaliere, is also covered on �Come On Up�. The 14-track CD was crisply produced by Andy Pryde, Mike Kerwin and Mike Logan and also introduces us to Buzz�s compositional skills, featuring the exquisite title track (a down-tempo soul song with a blues feeling) and the vengeful but funky �Cut Me Up� (and I�ll bleed all over you). The only track I wasn�t previously familiar with was �Barbie Lee�, a jumped-up boogie-woogie, and the only one I didn�t really care for, vocally-speaking, was Ben E. King�s classic �Stand By Me� (Sorry, Buzz. As a bass player once told me, some songs are just too sacred to even attempt to cover). Don't take my word for it, though - find out for yourself what a collector's item this is! For more information and concert announcements, go to www.BuzzThompson.ca. |
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