Harmonica Playboy Mike Lynch is from the Pacific Northwest Area, but on the American side of the border. He is not to be confused with the same-name bassist of Vancouver/Toronto country band Brent Lee & The Outsiders, who now has his own self-titled band.
Overall, Mr. Lynch, on harmonica and vocals, tends to simply complement his excellent band rather than lead them, and in fact he is upstaged by them on numerous tracks. This is an excellent group of �sidemen�, comprised of guitarist Tim Sherman, bassist Howard Hooper, drummer Conrad Ormsby (Paul Plumeri Band/Mike Shrieve of Santana fame) and B3/piano man Ron Weinstein. I haven�t been able to determine if this is the same Ron Weinstein who plays with Seattle�s Crack Sabbath, one of at least two Black Sabbath tribute bands going by that name, but it is ultimately irrelevant here, although I couldn�t resist mentioning a possible connection.
When Mike does take the spotlight with his harmonica, he employs a very subtle but effective breathing technique that results in a very soulful vibrato, especially on �That�s Alright�. The slick, full-blown West Coast shufflin� blues is displayed to perfection here, but with a vocal style resembling a gruffer, choppier version of Jack de Keyzer (especially on �Chicken Heads� and �Never Make a Move Too Soon�, the latter composed by Jennings/Hooper and performed with Ruth Brown by Bonnie Raitt on her Road Tested CD) that mildly contrasts with the smoothness of the instrumentation.
There isn�t really much that is lyrically enlightening or even �soul-licking� on this CD, although the analogy drawn, not to mention the instrumentation, in the slow-blues showcase, �Highway is Like a Woman�, is bound to garner abundant appreciation. While I�m not really convinced to listen to these mostly upbeat and swanky blues shuffles repeatedly, they are enjoyable enough, thanks to the ass-kicking rhythm section, particularly on �Scufflin�� and �Big Town Playboy�. Conversely, though, I was listening to Van Morrison�s �T.B. Sheets� today, and the simple but tantalizing harmonica on that recording still resounds in my head some 10 hours later! |
