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| CD REVIEWS |
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| RIDE AND ROLL - JOHNNY MAX BAND (2005) |
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| Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents, �cuz Johnny Max is gonna take you on some wild rides! His vocal engine�s revved and ready to impress on the barrelhousin� strut of the band�s original �Please Don�t Go�, ignited to the max by Kevin Higgins� guitar, Duncan McBain�s drumkit, Uli Bohnet�s bass guitar and Martin Aucoin�s keyboard. Moving right along, we shuffle off to Johnny and Kevin�s �Brown�s Line� (an actual west-end location in Toronto, Ontario) before putting pedal to the metal on the manic title track, composed by the legendary Brownie McGee. Strangely enough, the pace then slows right down to sail through the beautifully dramatic �Angel of Mercy�. I don�t think I�ve ever heard such abject poverty expressed so eloquently. The track was composed by Homer Banks and Raymond Jackson and covered by Albert King and Ms. Frankye Kelly (the latter in a more jazzed-up vein). That one�s followed by a catchy rhythm and blues original called �Whatcha Gonna Do� and then the gears are switched completely by a traditional acoustic gospel spiritual called �Walking in Jerusalem�. Johnny Max (a.k.a. John McAneney) injects a lot of vocal soul into the otherwise guitar-funky �Long Gone Train�, another of his and Kevin�s collaborations about living for the present. Martin Aucoin gets to noodle creatively on another original, �I Heard a Rumour�, whose basic melody and rhythm lines seem influenced by John Lee Hooker. Next comes one of my favourites, �[My Baby�s] Mad at Me�, a mid-tempo swing shuffle. Actually, that�s something I like about the Johnny Max Band � there�s nothing too fast and nothing too slow. It�s all very relaxed but musically interesting at the same time. My all-time favourite is the big blues swagger of Bukka White�s �Shake �Em Down� � ooh, is that hot or what? A perfect pairing of piano and slide guitar tailor-made for exotic dancing, whether you�re a pro at it or not. While I dug Robert Plant�s vocal interpretation, this one is more sensual than tormented. Big-city meets suburbia in �Mimico Bus�, a funky blues-rock mix that could thumb its nose at Golden Earring�s classic theme song, �Radar Love�. I got another exquisite slide guitar fix on �Junko Partner� (a.k.a. Junco Partner), an apparently very popular song by (producer) Bobby Shad and the Badmen that has been covered by the likes of James Booker, Mike Bloomfield, the Derek Trucks Band and, perhaps most appropriately, Carlos Del Junco. Nice military touch on the drums during the outro. The last official song (yet another excellent original) is �I Like Women�, a solid, bouncy little head-boppin� funkster that would catch the ear of anyone lucky enough to hear this cranking out the windows of a souped-up T-Bird (as opposed to the dirty old station wagon on the CD cover). The musical ride eases to a smooth stop with an uncredited, a cappella gospel chant sung by Johnny (with clapping accompaniment) probably known as �True Religion�. Erstwhile music performer (bass, guitar, vocals) Alec Fraser has scored yet another production coup with the Johnny Max Band�s Ride and Roll. Add it to your own collection of favourites. |
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