| CD REVIEW |
| LIVE AT THE DOWNHOME - GHOST MOUNTAIN RHYTHM & BLUES |
| This exciting and entertaining R&B band based near Asheville, North Carolina, was captured in action at the Downhome Pickin' Parlour in Johnson City, Tennessee, for WETS-FM's Little Chicago Blues Festival (2001). Bandleader J.P. Delanoye (guitar, harmonica and vocals) is joined by Tim Malone on bass, Les Plemmons on drums and last, but certainly not least, Jerry Sams on keyboards. Three of J.P.'s highly impressive original compositions are sandwiched between fabulous covers by the likes of Junior Wells ("Yonders Wall"), Allen Toussaint ("Play Something Sweet"), Fenton Robinson "Loan Me a Dime" (the longest at almost 8 minutes and the only slow-blues track, with a momentary uptempo jazz interlude streaking through it), as well as Buckwheat Zydeco and Albert Collins. It's an extremely listenable recording with diverse styles of playing being performed. While J.P.'s strong vocals start off sounding a bit gruff, they gradually smooth themselves out into a fullness befitting the tunes. The CD is certainly not mislabeled, with the emphasis being on rhythm, especially on the funky-sounding "Can I Change My Mind" (Desperanza-Wolfolk) which harkens back to the good old days of Sam & Dave, the Blues Brothers and Tower of Power, featuring Michael Guzalak on tenor sax, clarinet, vocals and percussion, relying instead on a latin-inflected guitar break in the style of Carlos Santana. The first original, "Tennessee Line", coined as an Appalacian mambo, is pleasingly familiar and instantly brings Robert Cray to mind. Immediately following is a big-bang boogie-woogie showcase for all four players ("Talkin' My Language") - very catchy! Outdoing that track, though, is a rockin' shuffle called "Transmitter". It's got a very cleverly lyricized chorus which goes, "I'm a transmitter; You know I've got 100,000 watts of radiated love; Won't you tune into my signal, baby, coming in from above; I'm an antenna; Won't you tune in on my frequency; I'm transmitting from the mountains right down to the sea". He further pleads, "I just want to vibrate your speaker phones", which is a great line in itself! As if that particular tune doesn't get your toes tapping, the band follows up this track with "Zydeco Boogaloo", a true-to-form cover from the master of the genre and a personal favourite of mine, Buckwheat Zydeco! The boys get into "jam" mode on Snooks Eaglin's "Well, Well, Well" and then frost the cake with Albert Collins' "If You Love Me Like You Say"! Top marks should be awarded for this faultless production by Ghost Mountain and Phil Leonard, and I heartily endorse its promotion! They are apparently scheduled to play at recurring gigs in North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee. Give them a listen in person or on-line at www.ghostmtn.net! They'll make you feel right at home! |
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