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| This second release came out in 1998, two years after their debut, Waiting for Dave, and it�s much more consistent stylistically, i.e. it pretty much rocks your socks off, in one way or another, all the way through! The only exceptions out of the 15 tracks are ��How�ve You Been�, �Stranded on the Mainland� and �The Way It Goes�, all of which would have been better placed at the beginning of the disc, as warm-ups for all the exciting music that follows, or, alternately, as a way to cool off at the end. As it is, �How�ve You Been�, a beautiful soul-filled ballad on its own, is a bit of a party-spoiler, sandwiched in between a signature rockin� boogie, �It�s Only Money�, along the lines of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, and the hard-drivin� funk of �Lose Your Mind�. If 45 rpm�s were still being manufactured, these two songs would have backed each other perfectly!
When Dave Murphy heads into rebel-yell mode, the sound is definitely oriented more towards rock and funk than blues, but in the songwriting and execution, the band adeptly incorporates elements from all of those genres in these new and improved original compositions. Dave and his band members (guitarist Dan Noordermeer, drummer Dan Lockwood and song arranger/bassist Chris Bruce) obviously worked hard on their respective instrumental skills in the two years since Waiting for Dave was released, and I�m proud to say they continue to do so in 2006. As a band, they are all faultless, but Dave should have won a Juno award years ago, just for his head-spinning keyboard skills alone. The track that keeps repeating itself in my mind is �Fast Twitch Blues�, which, even without the vocals, is tailor-made as a theme song for, well, anything to do with a party or other joyful occasion. The band�s other passion for a funky r&b groove is still accounted for here, especially on �Drano for Your Soul�, a whimsically titled song featuring both Mark Armstrong and Gene Hardy alternating on various saxophones. Speaking of that instrument, their unofficial fifth member, Piero Tucci, whom I�ve witnessed playing keyboards and saxophone simultaneously, was the sax player in the above-mentioned �Fast Twitch Blues� as well as on the opening r&b track, �Right This Moment�. Jim Casson, formerly with Downchild, provides extra percussion on the project, as do backing guest vocalists Jaime Keelan and Chris Sutherland. Even when the band strays into hard-rock territory, a la Pearl Jam (on �Lying There�), drummer Dan Lockwood and Chris Bruce are right on the money, filling out the bottom end of the rhythm. It�s a kick-ass tune where Noordermeer gets to rock out on guitar as well, but I would have saved that one, as well as �One Million Bands�, for a subsequent release more readily marketed in that genre. Speaking of subsequent releases, it�s been way too long now since this one was produced (by Dave Murphy himself, but with engineering and other technical assistance from a host of guys, including Andy Pryde, and Everett Ravenstein). Mama, let that boy record some rock'n'roll! |
| MYSTERIOUS JUICE � THE DAVE MURPHY BAND |
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