| CD REVIEW |
| SWEET TASTE - HARRISON KENNEDY |
 |
| TO RETURN TO THE CD REVIEW INDEX, |
 |
| When vocalist and songwriter Harrison Kennedy released �Sweet Taste� in 2003, accompanied by fellow Hamiltonians Brian Lee Griffith (acoustic and slide guitars), erstwhile drummer Tone Valcic (percussion), Keith Lindsay (keyboards), Peter Rihbnay (bass guitar), Bruno Farrugia (drums) and Les Smith (harmonica), the CD deservedly scored nominations for both a Maple Blues Award and a Juno.
While there are many derivations (gospel, soul, funk, rhythm & blues) and ethnic influences (African, Latin and modern North American progressions) presented here, it�s blues music all the way. For the most part, it�s upbeat and midtempo in pace but the stronger variations are well-placed in the ordering of the songs. More than half of these songs were previously recorded in a solo, stripped-down acoustic fashion on a preceding demo CD, entitled The Dog on Guard, i.e. �Commercial Tools�, �I Ain�t No Puppy (Baby)�, �Sweet Taste�, �Sylvie�, �You Left�, �Ain�t That Enough� (formerly titled �That�s Enuff�). The only version that wasn�t improved upon here is �Commercial Tools�, mostly because the vocals and harmonica were recorded at distortion level. Perhaps Harrison just needed to put a bit more distance between himself and the microphone to compensate for the increased power he puts into his performance here. Otherwise, the production, by Grant Marshall, is flawless. The title track was reworked as a Latin rumba, with some great classical guitar fingering by the woefully under-exposed Griffith and zippy keyboard noodling by Lindsay, which brought to the fore the sexual innuendo of the lyrics. �Direct Hit� and �Mungumbo Man� are relaxed but funky, danceable hits with cheerfully melodious harmonica licks not unlike that played by Toronto bluesharpists Carlos Del Junco and Jerome Godboo. The smooth rhythmic groove (with perfectly blended bass lines and bongo drums) continues with �One Time Affair�, also complemented with Clapton-like guitar riffs. �You Left� flows right into the mix but is a bit slower in pace. �Ain�t That Enough� is another one of my favourites here. The pace is slowed down just slightly to give it that necessary barrelhousin� sassiness on slide guitar and harmonica. It�s classic lyrics are memorable: �Blues ain�t something that you choose, that�s the news; it chooses you.� Oh, yeah. �Ain�t No Puppy� stays fairly close to its original version on The Dog on Guard, but is instrumentally orchestrated to a grand vaudevillian shuffle. Harrison demonstrates his astonishing mastery of vocal ventriloquism and lyricism here. The Hammond-swathed slow-blues of �I Can Feel You Leaving� is the best example of his soulful vocal dynamics and range (imagine a combination of Ben E. King, Barry White and Sam Cooke). I could (and did) listen to those beautiful minor chord patterns repeatedly without tiring of them. The only cover of the album (�I�m the Chairman�) pays tribute to Kennedy�s prior claim to fame as a member of Detroit�s Chairmen of the Board, founded by Holland-Dozier-Holland. Although it�s not Kennedy�s composition, he did sing the lead vocals on this particular hit for the band, and makes it his own, injecting a full-throttle, sort of �80s New Wave percussive groove without losing the skiffle rhythm. �Sylvie� retains its historic roots essence from the original recording, but there are added female background vocals that may or may not have been provided by Sharon Musgrave. Strangely, there is no credit cited for them in the liner notes (although that would be typical of that very modest lady). This superb musical experience closes with an exquisite gospel composition of Kennedy�s called �Bending Down Low�. Sweet Taste should go down in history as the best all-time �Made in Hamilton� blues recording (except for the 1983 Albert King/�Little Stevie� Ray Vaughan live recording for CHCH TV). |
 |