| MUSIC NEWS (CDs, BOOKS, ART, ETC.) |
 |
| TO RETURN TO THE CD REVIEW INDEX, |
| WANTED...FOUND - TRIPLE TROUBLE (Lloyd Jones/Jimmy Hall/Tommy Castro) (Now receiving play on www.galaxie.ca) |
| I have put off writing a review of this CD for several weeks without quite understanding why. What I have discovered is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and any verbal praise I could come up with for it would be grossly understated - simple as that. Other than "Sometimes", the opening song, written by Lloyd Jones, which clearly demonstrates the close inter-relationship among country, blues and rock music, this hot collection of killer tracks spans all three of these genres and mostly every hybrid in between. With the focus on uptempo r&b and blues-rock, there is also a "Whole Lotta [Funky] Soul", a mid-CD classic composed by Mark Bryan Gilbert and Tommy Castro. Mr. Castro's covers of Russell/Blackwell's "Me and My Guitar" and "Hard Luck Case", written by Tommy's saxman, Keith Crossan, on Tommy's own CDs, inspired Toronto's Coldsweat to record them as well, a band I credit with putting Mr. Castro's name on the map in this part of Canada. The only true justice paid to an all-star trio of brick-house vocalist-musicians (Jimmy Hall, Lloyd Jones and Tommy Castro), along with Stevie Ray Vaughan bandmembers Chris Layton (drums), Tommy Shannon (bass) and Reese Wynans (B-3), is to LISTEN to them do what they do best - play and sing! Chris and Tommy were both members of the sorely-missed Arc Angels Band (�Living in a Dream�), who then on to form Double Trouble, also with Reese Wynans, so it's really "Sextuple Trouble" in this case. The only "trouble" you're going to have here, though, is deciding which of these 11 tracks turn your crank the most! Sandwiched in between the numerous high-voltage soul/r&b - "If That Ain't Love", "Love Will" and "Whole Lotta Soul" - are the only two slowed-down Blues - the awesomely extended "Be Careful With a Fool" (Joe Josea/Riley B. King) and Lennon/McCartney's "Help", admirably emulating but certainly not surpassing the late Isaac Scott's brilliant Blues rendition on his swansong CD, "Listen to the Blues". Lloyd Jones' "Raised in the Country" also raised the musical spectre of the late Dave Conant, whose interpretative and original country-blues became (and remain) instant favourites of mine. You might have trouble deciding which vocalist you prefer, as well, but considering they are all appealing, the decision may be irrelevant. Having said that, I was totally blown away by a sexually provocative recording by the Wet Willie band of "Macon Georgia Hambone Blooze", with Jimmy Hall on lead vocals! This track can be heard on Wet Willie's website (click here to access it). Shakira Productions' Triple Trouble - Wanted�Found is a top-drawer musical accomplishment that no music lover should be without! |
 |