You don�t need to be an existential philosopher to figure out where the Dave Murphy Band is coming from � like Kim Mitchell once sang, they ARE a wild party!
This 1996 self-produced debut release sounds just as fresh now, a decade later, with a diverse mix of speed-swing (�The Right Place�), blues, and even a bit of country-rock-pop balladry (�Beauty in the End� and �Same Old Town�), but keyboardist/vocalist Dave�s specialty is funk, funk and more funk! It's not good enough that he's a virtuoso pianist, he's a prolific and unpredictable in his songwriting, as well.
He has an interesting way of composing some of his material, like the car that�s �rolling down the road without a clue� (�Who It Was�), going along in one direction, veering sharply to pass the car ahead of it, and then either getting back in its original lane or driving off in a different direction altogether.
The stand-out tracks, to me, apart from the funk-driven �Suits and Cigars�, �Too Drunk to Funk�, �I Am an Island� and �Take Me Home�, are the rockin� boogie of �Find Out for Yourself� and the extended slow-blues scorcher, �Die with a Bottle�. Waiting for Dave came out around the same time as Jonny Lang�s blockbusting Lie to Me, with the angst-filled vocal stylings from both artists being reminiscent of each other, particularly on this final track. That being said, Dave�s vocal pitch is, generally speaking, more along the lines of James Brown.
His regular sidemen at the time - guitarist Dan Noordermeer (now, along with Dave, in Jeff Healey�s house band, as well), drummer Danny Lockwood (Jamie Oakes, etc.) and bassist Chris Bruce - are joined by guest players Piero Tucci (formerly with The Nomads) on alto sax, Christopher Plock (Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards) on baritone and tenor sax, Joe Reynolds on trumpet, Roly Platt (Ronnie Hawkins, Matt Minglewood, etc.) on harmonica, Atilla Turi on tambourine and Paul Kelly on harmony vocals.
With a musical collective like that, you can�t go wrong. Don�t wait any longer to include this and his follow-up CD, Mysterious Juice, in your collection of classic Canadian recordings. |
