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| GATHER 'ROUND - POLLY O'KEARY & THE RHYTHM METHOD CD Review by Diane Wells |
| When I received this CD and took a cursory listen to it, I just had to go back and listen to Polly�s previous live recording with Colonel & Doubleshot for a bit of a refresher. Unlike the former recording, which was an �in-yer-face� full blast of rockin� blues, this team of players takes a much more subtle approach in its music-making. This is a good thing for bass guitarist Ms. O�Keary because, although she is quite capable of belting out the tunes, her voice is much more seductive when kept at an even pace. I was thrilled with the opening song, �Gather �Round Me Angels�, a sensuous Delta slide blues, naturally accompanied by the mournful strains of a blues harp, played by guest Paul Green, and filled out with luscious B3 choral strains by band member Norm Bellas. This song is a perfect example of keeping within one�s own vocal boundaries. Speaking of choral, Polly invited three members of the Martin Luther King Baptist Gospel Choir to provide vocal backup on �Nobody�s Fault But Mine� - no, it�s not the Led Zeppelin number, but a Sister Rosetta Thorpe composition. Polly and the band prove on this one that you don�t necessarily have to be a churchgoer to project some spirituality into your music and make it thoroughly enjoyable. Polly has also enlisted award-winning Les Merrihew to lay down his right-on tactile skills on the drumkit, but most importantly, she has hired a clean-sounding guitarist (CJ Woodbury) who doesn�t feel the need to blast it up to �11� to be heard and appreciated. Ms. O�Keary�s strength lies in her songwriting, notably on smouldering slow blues like �Don�t Make Me Suffer� and �Can�t Tell the Nighttime from the Day�, on which Paul Green and Norm Bella are again very effective on harmonica and B3, respectively. Guest player Joey St. John also jazzes it up with some powerful saxophone work. I loved �Let�s Get Drunk and Cry�, a sassy little shuffle for �sisters�, which is memorable for the line about shopping for �some booze and a new pair of shoes�, but there was a bit of a vocal train-wreck at the end of this otherwise great song. Apart from the many slow blues, Polly has also composed a great little upbeat R&B number, �Take It to My Baby�, which again features Joey adding the requisite horns. Not one to hog the limelight to herself, Polly hands over the lead mike to CJ, still doubling on very tasteful guitar strains, on �I Wouldn�t Treat a Dog the Way You Treated Me� - nicely done in both respects! The CD closes with a brassy reprisal of �How Come You�re Never Here (When I Get Home�), of which song the Colonel appears to have forfeited his co-authorship with Ms. O�Keary, as indicated on his Live with Polly O�Keary CD. As the saying goes, �Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.� Ouch. |
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