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| PAIN AND THE GLORY - JEROME GODBOO |
| I don�t know much about technical aspects of gear, but everyone knows there�s a mile of difference between listening to an AM and FM radio station, sound-wise. On this disc, Jerome�s previous �lightness� of sound takes on a much �heavier� tone throughout, care of his �holy grail� (Little Walter�s amp), unselfishly provided by Mark �Bird� Stafford. His enthusiasm for the gift, made apparent in the liner notes, made me think of that movie kid who so badly wanted a specific bb-gun rifle for Christmas and nothing else would do. I believe this gesture qualifies Mark for musical sainthood. With Pain and the Glory, Jerome puts �paid� to his almighty dues, and then some (so, give him his g-damn money!). With this disc, I feel he has finally reached the higher ground, in no short measure with the backing of his long-time musical friends - guitarist Damian Arokium, drummer Al Webster and heavy-duty bassists Leo Valvassori, Alec Fraser and Ben Richardson, a fellow Phantoms player who is heading off to Texas. Alec Fraser�s reputation as a producer will not only remain intact with this disc but will probably have Liquid Toronto (his studio�s new name) booked solidly for the next decade or so � it�s already been quoted in the August 2004 WBS Bluesletter CD review of Paul Oscher�s Alone with the Blues as �a little studio with a big blues sound�. A couple of the tracks here � John Mayall�s funky but laid-back �My Little Girl� and the band composition, �The Night I Slept Outside� - are reprised from his Live in Tel Aviv 2002 CD, at which point he was already veering more towards his love for rockin� blues and gradually leaving behind his trademark funk, these two tracks being the exceptions. Jerome has been spending the past year gigging and recording with his �little blues brother�, Jimmy Bowskill, who is repaid the favour here, with a slide guitar contribution on the Jagger/Richards-penned �Ventilator Blues�, but not before we get an intro sample of Metallica�s �Sandman�! �Ventilator Blues� signals the beginning of the explosive but somewhat muffled sound favoured by Siegel-Schwall and Big Sugar. Marking a darker, questioning side to his lyrics, he continues with an original track, �Goddamn Money�, and you�d better believe that whoever�s demanding that money wants it pretty bad! Creem�s �Strange Brew� is covered admirably, with Damian garnering some serious attention on electric guitar, but �Strange Things� (Mayfield) is vaguely threatening, backed with a sinuously-hammering blues-harp and deep vocals, and Al Webster pound-rolling the drumsticks. The rhythm section and harp are downright menacing on �Pain and the Glory�. Leo Valvassori, who figures prominently throughout, stomps through this early Pink Floyd-like trance-march. �Evil� pretty much follows the same theme, but the pace is picked up a notch. Good soundtrack material for a film on urban violence. �Help Me�, practically a given in Jerome�s live performances, precedes an urgently confessional blues-rockin� original, �I Gave You Mo� (than I could afford)�. An exquisite slow blues called �Evening�, by the incredibly prolific Mr. Aaron Thibeault (T-Bone) Walker, provides a classy ending for Jerome�s full-range vocals. Another nugget to add to my "solid gold" Godboo collection! |
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