Roomful of Blues : News & Reviews
ROOMFUL OF BLUES"Raisin' a Ruckus"Alligator
SAXOPHONIST RICH Lataille has appeared on all 18 Roomful of Blues albums, and he's the only person who can come close to such a claim. The Rhode Island jump-blues outfit has long been a revolving door of musicians; the 39 alumni include Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Greg Piccolo and Sugar Ray Norcia. The band's new album, "Raisin' a Ruckus," introduces a new singer, Dave Howard; a new bassist, Dimitry Gorodetsky; and a new drummer, Ephraim Lowell. The group's longtime trumpeter Bob Enos died in January after the sessions for this disc.
For all those changes, though, the band's sound remains remarkably consistent, recapturing that transitional period of the late '40s and early '50s when American pop music was changing from swing to rock. Now under the sure leadership of guitarist-producer Chris Vachon, the current octet edition of Roomful of Blues swings as convincingly as it rocks.
The new album is marked by a strong Louisiana flavor, thanks to such songs as Eddie Bo's "Every Dog Has Its Day," Charles Sheffield's "I Would Be a Sinner" and Link Davis's "Big Mamou." Even the versions of Big Joe Turner's "Boogie Woogie Country Girl," Gary U.S. Bonds's "New Orleans" and Bethie Vachon's "While I Can" have that New Orleans syncopation, punched up by Roomful's stellar three-man horn section.
HighBars, Lowcars & Guitars May 08
CD: Raisin’ A Ruckus
Artist(s): Roomful of Blues (Alligator RecordsRoomful Of Blues is the first album up and the CD is Raisin’ A Ruckus …man these cats have been around forever and have been knockin’ out the “jump style blues”, it just seems to swing forever. Jump-style is very different than straight ahead Chicago style, or more rock oriented guitar driven blues. I love it. Jump/swing style blues is just a hell of a lot of fun. You put this CD on at a party, turn the dial to “10” and people just start tapin’ their toes, chicks start to shake their junk, people pick up and grin more, that’s what it does. Jump style is a party!!!! The other side of it is, if you are a serious listener…then by all means you can settle down and listen to what the hell these guys are layin’ down, cause man are they are tight and accomplished musicians….Wow!!!! Now according to Down Beat magazine, “Roomful Of Blues “is in a class by themselves”, and I have to agree!! Their tunes are a combination of jumping, brass-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B. It’s no wonder why ol’ Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.” These dudes have been knockin’ it out since 1967 (can ya dig it), the group’s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and soul has earned ‘em five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005).
The band members have changed and evolved over the years, but has always boasted great musicianship, featuring a red-hot horn section, not to mention their piano player and the cleanest guitar player I’ve heard in a long time. They knock out 14 tunes on this CD and not a sleeper among them. The opener, “Every Dog Has It’s Day”, just rips and gets all your attention…..slide it in the CD player and you’ll be walking it over and spinning the volume to “10” wow knock me out!!! I been singin’ the signature lyric from cut four “Big Mamou” for weeks….drivin’ my women….it gets under your skin like that. Actually, they all do. For something different, this album really does it. It swings, it rocks, and generally Raises A Ruckus…you been warned!!! Very cool stuff. If Roomful of Blues does it for ya, they have been recording for years, so there is alot out there. Check out the Alligator web site for more of their great, great work!!!!
Dr. Fuller
Rolling Thunder Performance Products
Listen Up: 'Roomful of Blues'
"Raisin' a Ruckus" (Alligator Records)
Roomful of Blues is deep in the groove on "Raisin' a Ruckus," which introduces new members Dave Howard (vocals/harmonica), Ephraim Lowell (drums) and bassist Dima Gorodetsky.
The 14 songs here include covers of Link Davis' "Big Mamou," the Doc Pomus number "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" and "New Orleans," but the band's rendition of Jessie Mae Robinson's "Black Night" is particularly noteworthy for Chris Vachon's sublime guitar solo.
Rich Lataille's instrumental title track is a sweet playground for sax, trumpet and bass, and Vachon's "Solid Jam" adds spice to the disc. DOWNLOAD: "Black Night."
-- The New York Times
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Raisin' a Ruckus ROOMFUL OF BLUES Producer(s): Chris Vachon |
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| Sunday, March 23, 2008 |
| Scott McLennan |
Over its 41-year-and-running career, Roomful of Blues has seen and done much, from playing with its heroes to introducing newcomers to the swinging sound of big-band blues.
But nothing prepared Roomful of Blues for the shock earlier this year of losing one of its veteran members while on tour. Trumpet player Bob Enos died in his hotel room while the band was performing in Florida. The 60-year-old Enos, who joined Roomful 25 years ago, suffered a fatal heart attack.
“This was a tough one. Nobody expected anything like that,” said Roomful guitarist and leader Chris Vachon.
The guitarist noted that the 2004 passing of trombonist Porky Cohen at age 79 was sad, especially since Cohen was such a popular member of the band during his tenure in the 1980s, but the loss was not shocking.
“He had been gone awhile, and you expect with somebody that age that they will not be around forever,” Vachon said. “But Bob just tuned 60. But, you know, his dad died at 53 of the same thing.”
Roomful has yet to replace Enos, occasionally adding former member John Wolf on trombone to the horn section of sax players Mark Earley and Rich Lataille (the most senior member of the band, having joined in 1970 when founders Duke Robillard and Al Copely introduced horns to their group). But most nights the band instead plays with an unattended music stand set up where the trumpeter would be.
Undeterred, Roomful is soldiering on, motivated to promote “Raisin’ A Ruckus,” an album originally meant to introduce new members, singer Dave Howard, bassist Dimitry Gorodetsky and drummer Ephraim Lowell. The album is also now a fitting tribute to Enos, who worked on the summertime recording sessions and died a week before the album’s release.
Roomful of Blues will be at The Bull Run, Route 2A, Shirley, on Friday.
“Raisin’ a Ruckus” is Roomful’s 15th album (not counting the three it made as the backup band, respectively, for Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Big Joe Turner and Earl King). And this debut outing for the husky-voiced Howard is a way to bring the band right back to the first record Roomful of Blues made in 1977 when Doc Pomus produced the group. The band this time covered Pomus’ “Boogie Woogie Country Girl” and infused the new album with a distinctly New Orleans vibe that New Yorker Pomus occasionally let loose in his prodigious catalog of songs.
Roomful has been enjoying a relationship with stalwart blues label Alligator Records, which released “That’s Right” and “Standing Room Only,” records that rekindled a good deal of interest in the Rhode Island-bred band. Last year, singer Mark Dufresne left the group, prompting a search for someone to step into not only a vast repertoire of concert pieces but also the process of making “Raisin’ a Ruckus.”
Howard proved to be an inspired choice. Rougher sounding than Dufresne, Howard opened yet another window into Roomful of Blues, one from the viewpoint that attitude can count as much as acumen when delivering the blues. Howard ripped up the party anthem “New Orleans” and swaggered through his original rock ’n’ rollers “Sweet Petite” and “Lower on Your List of Priorities.”
Several of the Roomful guys got into the songwriting end of “Raisin’ a Ruckus.” Lataille supplied the title track, a fun instrumental. Keyboard player Travis Colby contributed “Round It Down.” Sax player Mark Earley brought “Talkin’ To You Eye to Eye” to the project. Vachon wrote the wistful “Life Has Been Good,” used to close the record, plus the aptly named “Solid Jam.” And Vachon’s wife, Bethie, stepped in with “While I Can” a strolling duet she sings with Howard.
The originals fit the vintage Crescent City rock spirit conjured with the cover tunes and yielded yet another Roomful gem.
About 50 musicians have passed through Roomful, and Vachon was his typically nonchalant self describing the arrival of Howard, who succeeds an impressive array of musicians such as Sugar Ray Norcia and Greg Piccolo. “He already brought some stuff in with him, so he didn’t have to try and learn and remember everything we did,” Vachon said. “But we all had to learn the old stuff. I remember when I joined. I had like two days to learn 30 tunes. I was a little nervous, but everyone has to do it. If they cut you slack, you’re going to skate.”
And Roomful didn’t come this far by skating.
Roomful of Blues, "Raisin' a Ruckus" (Alligator) Throw on a typical Roomful of Blues album and you're magically transported to a dance hall in contemporary New England. Slip "Raisin' a Ruckus" into the player, though, and you'll feel as if you're in the Sun or Chess studios in the 1950s.
It's a double distinction here. First, you don't need your dancing shoes to have a good time listening to the new album by the venerable eight-piece band. And more importantly, the jump and swing sounds that are synonymous with Roomful of Blues take a back seat to classic rock 'n' roll here.
By not trying too hard to be "America's Best Little Big Band," Roomful can work the "Rocket 88"-style classic-rock groove for all it's worth. It makes for a rollicking good time on Doc Pomus' "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" and the old U.S. Bonds hit "New Orleans," and works equally well on well-crafted originals.
Roomful has undergone numerous personnel changes (more than 50 players have passed through the group, by some estimates) but has retained guitarist Chris Vachon, now the bandleader. This incarnation may prove to be one of the best in its 40-year history.
Jeff Johnson
Anyone who has listened to a Roomful of Blues CD knows that their music is hard to classify. That doesn’t matter to the band’s members. All they are concerned with is whether it sounds good, whether you can dance to it, and whether you can feel it. With suave horns that swing off the big band dancehall floors of the ’30s and ’40s, Raisin’ A Ruckus (Alligator) is one of Roomful’s most swinging CDs. Since 1967, the multiple award-winning group’s combination of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it just praise. 46 band members have come and gone since then without a negative impact on the band’s exciting music.
This disc features a new bass player and a new drummer on this disc, but the most obvious newcomer is singer Dave Howard who replaces Mark DuFresne. Howard hails from Rhode Island, the band’s home state, and his expressive voice contains a hint of Louis Armstrong. Listen as Howard reveals a state of feeling disturbed on "Black Night," then uses his voice as the band’s fourth horn on "Talkin’ To You Eye To Eye."
The chosen covers are vintage blues and R&B tunes. You’ll swear someone has just put on one of your parents records from the 1950s when you hear their nostalgic version of "Big Mamou," the R&B hit by New Orleans artist Smiley Lewis. The Crescent City connection continues on the often covered "New Orleans" and Eddie Bo’s "Every Dog Has Its Day," which contains as much fun as a summer beach party. "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" is loaded with exhausting boogie woogie piano. The song’s legendary writer, Doc Pomus, helped land the band their first record deal in the ’70s.
Five band members prove they are capable of writing enticing songs that mesh perfectly with the band’s extensive repertoire. Each of the eight original songs is a flashback to the big band era, e.g. "In The Mood" that influenced Roomful. On "Talkin’ To You Eye To Eye," the three-piece brass section trade licks like guitars do in guitar driven bands. The infectious horn arrangement of "Solid Jam" will remain etched in your memory. Horns as lively as a New Orleans street funeral procession appear on saxophonist Rich Lataille’s instrumental title track. The song, which depicts Lataille’s big band and jazz roots, is one of the highlights of the CD. In fact, it should be included on the soundtrack of the next ’30s and ’40s gangster film to come out of Hollywood.
The rhythms of all 14 songs are so exhilarating; most of the light-hearted lyrics get lost or overshadowed. "Life Has Been Good" stands out as its lyrics are emotionally heavy and quite touching. It is about expressing true feelings toward your spouse and thanking them for making life so wonderful.
The CD’s strength, and in fact the group’s greatest asset, is how well the band performs as a cohesive unit. Throughout, the horns hop, the keyboards sway, the vocals enthuse, the guitar rocks, and the band jumps. This record swings more than a number three wood on a golf course. You must experience it for yourself. Put this record on and watch as your house transforms into a building made of horns.
--- Tim Holek
Roomful of Blues - Raisin' A Ruckus American Roots |
| Written by Joel Schwelling | |
| Tuesday, 15 January 2008 | |
Eddie seemed to have been dressed by Dizzy Gillespie; beret, soul patch, a nice selection of double-breasted suits, late 50's Thelonious Monk shades and enough over the top cool factor to carry it all out. He also had a most impressive blues and jazz record collection. It's no surprise that Eddie is now a successful comedy writer in LA (I'll lay claim to contributing to his show-biz start by giving him the "Saturday Night Hi-Fi Party" show on WERS-FM in Boston). Eddie, also from Providence, was a friend of the band and of Roomful's founder, the great blues guitarist/singer Duke Robillard. At the time, Duke was playing a big hollow body Gibson and was completely absorbed in the sound of his mentor, the great T-Bone Walker. The most memorable time I had with Eddie was hanging with Duke and Muddy Waters and band during their engagement at Paul's Mall on Boylston Street in Boston. This was sometime in 1976 or 1977. Sadly, I didn't have the presence of mind to have a picture taken. Actually, I was so intimidated by the company I was keeping that I stayed in the background and quietly sipped my two-drink minimum. Roomful of Blues has been through many changes over the intervening years. Yet they have admirably stayed true to their core, while growing in ways that manage to remain authentic and natural. Although tenor and alto player Rich Latille is the only remaining original member, the list of who’s passed through Roomful over the years is most impressive. In addition to Duke Robillard, guitarist Ronnie Earl, singer Lou Ann Baron, keyboardist Ron Levy and blues harp maestro Sugar Ray Nocia have all contributed to the Roomful canon. The remarkable thing about Roomful is just how fresh the band sounds. While they continue to refine the music that has always driven the band---swing driven blues in the mode of T-Bone Walker, Count Basie, Big Joe Turner and Louie Jordan---they also now mine the rich vein of New Orleans rhythms on tracks like “I Would Be a Sinner,” “Solid Jam,” “New Orleans” and “Every Dog Has Its Day.” Also, there’s just purely rocking tracks like “Lower on Your List of Priorities,” “Sweet Petite” and “Big Mamou.” And the title track is a swinging excursion into small ensemble jazz that not only calls to mind the Count Basie small group tracks featuring Lester Young but also the tight arrangements of Ray Charles when David “Fathead” Newman and Hank Crawford populated the horn section. Another quality in common with past editions is the soulful, gritty vocals and harp by Dave Howard. And to be Roomful of Blues you’ve got to have musicians with the following attributes; Chris Vachon supplying the requisite slinky blues guitar, Drummer Ephraim Lowell holding down the backbeat, Travis Colby on the eight to the bar piano action, the empathic horns of the aforementioned Latille, Bob Enos on trumpet and Mark Earley on tenor and baritone sax. And on bass is Dmitry Gorodetsky. Is he Eddie’s son/cousin/brother/uncle? Who knows, but it’s nice to know the spirit of Eddie still lives in Roomful of Blues |
It's hard for me to believe, but my association with Providence, Rhode Island’s Roomful of Blues goes back over 30 years. At the time, I was a college DJ/program director and they were just starting to break out. My introduction to them was due to Eddie Gorodetsky, a fellow student and the hippest cat in town.
Roomful of Blues raises a ruckus with a new album
They've been around for about 40 years, and many of the faces have changed, but not the great music.
They are Roomful of Blues, one of the finest jump and swing blues bands in the land, and there's more of their tasty, horn-driven music on their latest release, "Raisin' A Ruckus" (Alligator), out last week.
Dave Howard, a veteran New England blues singer and harp player, took over the band's vocal chores last year. He brings a gritty flavor to the band's repertoire, throwing a little bluesier flavor around the tracks.
Still, Roomful's sound remains faithful to its heritage. They jump, swing and soar -- and sometimes dig deep soulfully deep. They cover a few standards and write their own standards. They've got stinging guitar solos from Chris Vachon, rollicking keyboards from Travis Colby and the punchy horns with Rich Lataille (one of the band's founders), Mark Earley and Bob Enos, who died Jan. 11, after being with the band since 1981. Only Lataille had been with the band longer.
Their music is so uniformly good, it's hard to pick standout tracks, but I'll list a few that caught my ear right away.
My favorite track, "While I Can" is an R&B-flavored duet with Howard and guest vocalist Bethie Vachon trading soulful vocal licks. Their voices are smooth and sensual. Everything the band does falls into just the right groove, including the other Vachon's ripping guitar break and that incredible horn punch. It reminds me of great old R&B, but with Roomful's big band approach rocking hard behind the voices. It's just a great little song. And you can dance to it. Listen to the vocals lock in as the song opens. Listen to Ms. Vachon stretch out.
"Lower on Your List of Priorities" is not only a great name for song, it swings on its horn-driven riffs as hard as anything here.
"Boogie Woogie Country Girl" is a good old-fashioned tribute to that classic style, with a rollicking piano foundation.
"New Orleans," the old Gary "US" Bonds hit gets a new and lively life.
"Black Night" is a tough but musical take on this fine old standard, showing that band has chops big enough to devour such traditional material.
This is another complete Roomful package that lifts the spirit with the spirit of an American music that was the transition between more traditional blues and the R&B and rock 'n' roll that followed.
That's a fancy way of saying that this music is an awful lot of fun. Enjoy.
Jim White
Roomful of Blues is headed back home, and the timing couldn’t be better. After the very sad and unexpected death of trumpeter Bob Enos on the road in Georgia, the band had to honor a commitment to play a week-long blues cruise. When a family member crosses over, the last thing you want to do is be forced into a social situation. But at two gigs this weekend, sympathetic family, friends, and fans will help the band mourn Enos’s passing. Roomful will also be celebrating the release of their new Alligator outing, Raisin’ a Ruckus. Enos’s studio swan song, Ruckus is another exhilarating batch of uptempo blues, roots, and swing. This time out, singer Dave Howard, guitarist/ bandleader Chris Vachon, and Rich Lataille all contribute memorable tracks. The quality of the material is consistently good and the performance was captured skillfully by Vachon and Jon Duva. The band’s label deal with Alligator suits them beautifully; fingers crossed that it lasts. It’s a match made in blues heaven. And speaking of heaven . . . We’re sure Bob and his trumpet will be watching over the proceedings, an angel with brass, always there, spot-on, pitch-perfect, and rockin’ the night away.
Bob Gulla
Roomful released the disc Raisin’ a Ruckus on Alligator Records earlier this month, and thanks to the combination of classic elements and new blood (Howard, bassist Dimitry Gorodetsky and drummer Ephraim Lowell), they have new energy.
It’s got the classic swing of “Big Mamou,” mixed with the nimble off-kilter horn passages of “Talkin’ to You Eye to Eye.” It’s got the blues ballads “Black Night” and “While I Can,” both with molten guitar solos from Vachon (the latter written and co-sung by his wife, Bethie Vachon). There’s the modified New Orleans beat of “I Would Be a Sinner,” the jazz standard-style “Lie Has Been Good” and the jazzy, tricky urban swing instrumental title track, all under one roof and played with experience and authority. In short, it’s a Roomful record. But with an accomplished banger behind the kit and Howard’s black leather jacket of a voice, it’s their most muscular effort in years. Rick Massimo
Additional personnel: Bethie Vachon (vocals).
The hard-edged, horn-fueled R&B band Roomful of Blues has been going strong since the 1960s, building its reputation with electrifying live shows and an irresistible blend of blues, swing, rock, and soul. RAISIN' A RUCKUS (2008)shows the group has lost none of its punch. New lead singer Dave Howard brings his gruff, growling pipes to the Roomful's brass-tacks charge, and the rhythm section, horns, and lead instruments have never sounded better. With a sound that nods to the jump blues of yesteryear, but with steely contemporary edge, RAISIN' A RUCKUS does precisely what its title suggests. Get your dancing shoes and head for the floor.
Roomful Raisin' a Ruckus in RI
Roomful of Blues has released Raisin' A Ruckus on Alligator Records.
Rhode Island will host two CD release shows. One at The Towers in Narragansett on Friday, Jan 25; and a second on Saturday, Jan 26, at Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland.
There are some supposed "experts" of the New England blues scene, who would never want to be put on the record mind you, that subscribe to the theory that it is of little consequence who is in Roomful of Blues at any given moment. And that's not necessarily said in the pejorative sense. Their consistent quality and repute has never waned over their four-decade history throughout various band lineups. Members have come and gone, many of who have graduated to almost mythical stature - names like Duke Robillard, Al Copley, Ronnie Earl, Porky Cohen, and Greg Piccolo immediately come to mind. But with the 2007 hiring of local blues frontman extraordinnaire Dave Howard, there is something different in the air. The band seems to be going through a rebirth; a truly well-overdue shot of adrenaline if you will. Their sound has a new assertive edge, perhaps not seen since the band's lean primordial days. Although they were never short for good material, Dave brings to the table a wealth of self-penned tunes, that many bands would pay a pretty-penny to record. Lucky for Roomful they now have a hip and prolific in-house composer at the ready.
To document the new lineup, Roomful of Blues has released Raisin' A Ruckus (Alligator Records), a 14-track sojourn through the most effective grooves used within the swing and rock & roll idiom. Under the benevolent leadership of guitarist Chris Vachon, the octet treats the listener to jump-swing, roots rock & roll, and of course rhythm & blues. All sounds herein are executed with the kind of exactitude one would expect from a band whose name is known from Rhode Island to Norway, and all points in between.
Much out of step with the rest of the CD, the opening track "Every Dog Has Its Day" is uncharacteristically corny for the powerhouse. Up until the vocals come snarling in, one would swear they're listening to incidental music played during some hippie party scene in a 1960s lark starring Michael Caine. (For our younger readers, just think Austin Powers). However the record quickly auto-corrects with the Dave Howard original "Lower on Your List of Priorities." Though first released under Howard's last musical incarnation The High Rollers, this updated version is a much-improved interpretation. The song lends itself to the Blues Music Award-winning horn section (formerly W.C. Handy Award), which at this point Roomful could probably execute whilst in a semi-coma. Again, it's Howard's proclivity for irreverence and self-deprecation that sets his songs apart from the usual blues faire: "I can't seem to bring you back around, memories I can't erase - you got me feeling so down, I'm a sentimental mental case."
One of the cooler cover songs on Raisin' a Ruckus is Roomful's take on Smiley Lewis' 1950s romp "Big Mamou." The call-and-response between Dave and the gang is awfully effective in creating a fun atmosphere, and must be even more cogent in a live stage setting. On another cover, "Boogie Woogie Country Girl," the band pays tribute to the quintessential jump-swing-blues pioneer Big Joe Turner. More than simply removed admirers of the man called "The World's Greatest Blues Shouter," Roomful of Blues have had the honor of backing up and recording with Big Joe in 1983, under the production auspices of 1950s & 1960s songwriting legend Doc Pomus ("Turn Me Loose," "Save The Last Dance For Me," "This Magic Moment). Truly amazing resume entries, no matter which way you look it.
Dipping back into Dave Howard's songwriting well, "Sweet Petite" is four minutes of everything this new Roomful of Blues incarnation does best. The jump-swing beat can only be described as infectious. And once again Howard's knack for keeping the lyrics curt, catchy, and creative serves the song perfectly: "Sweet petite you're rolling round my sheets, and it looks like I ain't gonna get no sleep - I'm rolling in my sweet baby's arms, I'm burning burning like a five-alarm - Swallowed up like Jonah in a whale, I'm romping like a cowboy on a trail."
One of the disc's unexpected surprises is "While I Can," a classy New Orleans style blues number written by guitarist Chris Vachon's wife Bethie, who also duets with Dave on the vocals. More than just a blues singer, Bethie Vachon also demonstrates some very cool country undertones in her execution.
To say there's something for everybody on this CD is an absolute understatement. Going from the album's namesake, the jazzy instrumental "Raisin' a Ruckus," written by the band's saxophonist Rich Lataille, to a pulled-back rendering of the Gary US Bonds smash hit "New Orleans," Roomful of Blues continue to do what they've been doing since their inception - showing a versatility and exactness within a musical style than has all-too-often been bastardized over the years by less creditable outfits. They have long since crossed over the threshold from band to institution. I'm confident we will reconvene in 2027 to discuss a new Roomful of Blues CD, with yet another lineup, and all will be right with the state of roots rock & roll.
BY DON DiMUCCIO
Raisin’ A Ruckus-Roomful of Blues Alligator 2007
Roomful of Blues can lay down a rhythm, I guarantee, you hepcat cool swinging loverboys out there. Swing your favorite gal and cut dat rug as these Providencials (RI!) jump and jitter, swing and sway, rock and roll. The voice of NOLA R&B gives this new one a true blue flavor that jams like Fats. Opening with Eddie Bo’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” hot fat horn lines and driving rhythm is the order on tap. Since the last disk, new faces have appeared in the lineup but the core values are consistent. “Talkin’ To You Eye To Eye” swings hard, “Black Night” is cool and deep, “While I Can” strolls Bourbon and the titler bops down the boulevard. “New Orleans” rocks hard and “Life Has Been Good” has Bennie Goodman written all over it. Take your sweetheart down to the corner or out to the Glen Island and swing it. 8 snaves
Doctor Blues
Roomful of Blues, "Raisin' a Ruckus" (Alligator) 3 stars.
During a 40-year-career Rhode Island's Roomful of Blues have gone through a staggering amount of members - 46 at last count.
But in contrast to a lot of acts that lose focus as they change personnel, Roomful of Blues have stayed true to the same brand of smokin' roadhouse jump blues and swing that first brought them to the national stage.
The group's latest, "Raisin' a Ruckus," features a new lead singer in Dave Howard, and his style suits the horn-fueled fury just right on tracks like the playful opener "Every Dog Has Its Day," the piano-pounding "Lower on Your List of Priorities," and the red hot "Boogie Woogie Country Girl."
Longtime members Rich Lataille on tenor and alto sax and Chris Vachon on guitar, have plenty of room to shine, and they do just that on the slow and grinding workout "Black Night." Also well worth checking out is ROB's version of the Gary "U.S." Bonds' smash "New Orleans."
Kevin O’hare
