Peaches Staten - Live At Legends

Peaches Staten - Live At Legends
2010, Swississippi Records

Peaches Staten is a powerhouse blues vocalist and zydeco washboard player who's also dabbled in Brazilian music and most anything else she's come in contact with. A versatile singer with a worldly sense about her, Staten takes command of a stage the second she steps on it. On her album Live At Legends, released September 21, 2010, Staten rocks the mic for nine songs recorded at Buddy Guy's Legends (the last live show recorded before its closing). With a backing band of Mike Wheeler (bass); Larry Williams (guitar); Brian James (keys) and Cleo Cole (drums), it isn't so much a question of whether Staten will bring down the roof, but when.

Live At Legends opens with "Long Distance Call", a dynamic R&B number about missing someone far away. Staten fills the song with an angst and longing that's palpable while maintaining a toughness that's surprising. Larry Williams fills in with some raucous guitar solos while Mike Wheeler completes the percussion with complex rhythms in the bass line. Staten slows things down a bit with "Don't Rush Me", a mellow pop/R&B tune that will remind many of Tina Turner. That's really only fair to say if you acknowledge that Staten's voice is bigger and more complete than Turner's; Staten has that same rough edge to her voice, but there's a lot more depth to her sound. Staten introduces "Must Be Love" as a song Chico Banks wrote for Mavis Staples, and proceeds to launch into the most inspired version of the song since Staples herself gave it voice.

"Gotta Find My Man" is a Zydeco number and features "Swississippi" Chris Harper on harmonica. Staten shows her chops on the washboard while belting out a vocal line that will send chills down your spine. Staten's band is in top form here as well, bending and flexing musically as if one creature rather than four (five with Harper) distinct personalities. Not to sell short the comparisons, Staten tackles Tina Turner's "I Know You Love Me", once again matching, at the very least, the original and perhaps even surpassing Turner with a rendition as hot as an oven rack. Chris Harper throws off harmonica licks like solar flares and Mike Wheeler wreaks havoc with his bass.

Staten launches into "Rather Go Blind", burning through every line of the torch song with a deep intensity and storyteller's touch. "Rather Go Blind" is the bravura performance of the album, with Staten holding court and recounting the depths of heartache in a conversational singing style that's absolutely brilliant. Staten adds an exclamation point onto this performance with the Moon Martin penned "Bad Case Of Loving You". Originally made famous by Robert Palmer, "Bad Case Of Loving You" is remade in Staten's hands into an instant blues classic. A bit of Texas blues rears its head in the slinky "Hole In The Wall", with a call-and-response chorus that highlights Staten's rough-and-tumble vocal style. The energy is sky high here, and carries over into the closing number, a cover of Alberta Adams' "Keep On Keepin' On". Brian James goes to town on the piano, and Harper acts as aural tease in contrast to Staten's voice, but Peaches Staten leaves no doubt about who owns the stage.

Peaches Staten has a solid following outside of the United States. It's hard to imagine how she has thus far failed to catch on here given her dynamic stage presence. If Live At Legends is any indication whatsoever, crowds of people will show up as long as Staten continues to perform. In an era where ProTools can airbrush every vocal blemish out of existence, the presence of vocalists like Staten remind us of where we came from; and why the style of music she purveys perseveres in spite of the social mores of the moment. Live At Legends is essential listening, particularly if you make music yourself. Staten is a performer in every sense of the word.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Peaches Staten at www.myspace.com/peachesstaten.  Live At Legends drops September 21, 2010.  You can pre-order the CD from Amazon.com.  Expect wide availability after the release date.

Treasa Levasseur - Low Fidelity

Treasa Levasseur - Low Fidelity
2010, Slim Chicken Enterprises

Treasa LeVasseur’s mouth has been a blessing and a curse. It’s gotten the Toronto resident into trouble over the years and it’s taken her some wonderful places. The woman with a voice that recalls some of the great female vocalists in blues and R&B was recently honored with a Juno Award nomination for her newest album, Low Fidelity. LeVasseur’s sophomore album finds her digging more deeply into Mississippi blues and the sounds of the Stax label, with the same stunning voice that turned heads on her debut, Not A Straight Line.

Low Fidelity opens with a healthy dose of classic R&B and soul in "Help Me Over", a danceable opener with a serious melody and a meaty vocal line that Levasseur wrings every bit of emotion out of. Levasseur has a voice you could melt butter on, a sexy alto with both power and polish. "Good Ones Never Share" laments the trade-off between the good life and the easy life in terms of human relations and sexuality. It's a great blend of blues, rock and soul and Levasseur isn't afraid to get down and dirty with her amazing pipes. "Talk To Me Babe" is a classic soul ballad about working things out in a relationship. Levasseur turns a corner with "Low Fidelity", a kiss-off song to a player with a melody line you won't be able to get out of your head.

On "Big Fat Mouth" Levasseur bemoans all she might have missed because of an inability to filter her thoughts from the spoken word. On an album where highlights are difficult to single out, "Big Fat Mouth" is a standout track. "Give Me Just One" heads for classic rhythm and blues in a song about taking what you can get, romantically. Levasseur is vocally stunning, but her backing band steals the show with a technically flawless and inspired musical performance. Technically flawless can be achieved through re-recording and post-production, but the performance on the album achieves magic. "Rest Of The Ride" is the sort of love song that might have spent weeks at the top of the charts at one time. As it is it might be the perfect wedding song, and seems destined to for mix tapes everywhere. Levasseur's performance is heartfelt and warm. Loosening up a bit, "Stuck In Soulsville" is a funky and gritty bit of musical fun that leads into the closing track, "Amen". "Amen" is a blend of gospel, R&B and soul that celebrates spirituality in all of its many forms; Sort of a classic sounding closing track with a twist.

Treasa Levasseur may have been born in the wrong era. Release Low Fidelity circa 1968 and you might have a multi-platinum juggernaut on your hands. Levasseur's sound is more vital than many of the legacy acts still trying to recreate their 1960's and 1970's glory days, and her voice is a dream. The voice, tremendous songwriting, and a crack band are all part of the recipe for success, but the chemistry LeVasseur has with her band and the obvious joy they took in creating Low Fidelity inject the album with the sort of magic you can't fake. Low Fidelity is an amazing effort, a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Don't miss it.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Treasa LeVasseur at http://www.treasalevasseur.com/ or www.myspace.com/treasalevasseur.  Low Fidelity is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  You can also find the album on iTunes.

Review: Various Artists - Oh Happy Day

Various Artists - Oh Happy Day
2009, EMI Gospel

So the idea is that you take a selection of classic Gospel tunes, a cross-section of popular Gospel artists, and pair them with big name artists from the popular music realm. I was skeptical of this when I first read about, because some of the pop artists involved were ones I never would have thought of being on a Gospel tribute album. The collection is called Oh Happy Day and was released earlier this year on EMI Gospel Records. Suffice it to say that there are some pleasant surprises here as well as some puzzling and downright disappointing efforts here.

Oh Happy Day opens with Johnny Lang & The Fisk Jubilee Singers on I Believe, a funk-driven gospel work with great blues guitar work and an absolutely inspired vocal from Lang. This is the perfect opening to the album, as Lang brings all the energy of a revival meeting right from the opening notes. I wasn't certain what to make of 3 Doors Down being included here, but their version of Presence of The Lord with Soul Children of Chicago was solid. Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters break out some rocking 1970's electric blues on Higher Ground. The energy here is over the top and through the roof in the best Gospel tradition.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the album is Jon Bon Jovi's Keep The Faith with the Washington Youth Choir. This is a different side of Bon Jovi than I've seen before, fitting his voice into the Southern Gospel/Blues style like it was a second skin. I wasn't impressed with Al Green & Heather Headley's People Get Ready. Vocally their performance is impeccable, but the song is a call to action and the energy level on this rendition reflected anything but; sounding more like a lullaby than reveille. Perhaps the most anticipated duet on the album is Waiting For My Child To Come Home, featuring Mavis Staples and Patty Griffin. Neither singer disappoints, as the mix of their voices together is downright heavenly. Michael McDonald teams with the West Angeles Cogic Mass Choir on Storm Before The Calm. I personally have never been a big fan of McDonald, but he gives a solid performance here.

Angelique Kidjo tackles Bob Marley's Redemption Song with the best vocal performance on the album, although the song itself is a questionable inclusion on a disc of Gospel tunes. Aaron Neville is Aaron Neville on A Change Is Gonna Come. The title track features Queen Latifah and Jubilation performing in a mid-tempo, lyric style. Latifah gives a moving performance but doesn't open the song the way some might. The album closes out with a true wow moment. Joss Stone and Buick Audra pair up on This Little Light Of Mine. Each singer is a vocal powerhouse in her own right, and they manage to not try to overpower one another here. The acoustic blues arrangement is topper, featuring harmonica work that is worth the price of the CD on its own.

Oh Happy Day is a pleasant surprise. While not quite expecting a disaster, I was highly skeptical that the concept would work going in. It not only works but excels in opening up a genre of music that is often shunned in the popular realm and showing us aspects of a few performers we might not have seen before. Make sure you take some time to check out Oh Happy Day. You'll be glad you did.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Oh Happy Day is a Walmart Exclusive release. You can pick it up in any Walmart store or at http://www.walmart.com/, or you can download the album through Amazon MP3.

Review: Jason Harrod - Bright As You Are

Jason Harrod - Bright As You Are
2007, Jason Harrod

Jason Harrod is familiar to many as one half of folk/pop duo Harrod And Funck, but has drawn rave reviews since setting out solo. Harrod's latest CD, Bright As You mixes Americana, Southern Rock and Blues across ten impressive tracks. Assisted by a top notch backing band featuring Phil Madeira (Mavis Staples, Al Green, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller), Harrod has created what has to be an early favorite for consideration on year-end Americana/Rock lists.

Bright As You Are opens with The Sun Is Up, a great bit of upbeat Americana. Harrod reminds me of a cross between Francis Dunnery and Del Amitri here, on what may be the best and most obvious potential single on the album. Kickin' Mule breaks out in a Southern Rock/Blues hybrid that is instantly memorable. Messed Up Everywhere Blues is a strong concert tune, with Harrod sounding a bit like Peter Gabriel on vocals. Night Fall On Me is a fun listen and For Your Time is a great straight-up folk song with both heart and mind in the composition. My favorite track on the disc is My Mad Girlfriend. This rocker with real pop sensibility has universal appeal and is destined to become a fan favorite.

Jason Harrod has some great things going for him. His songs are catchy and memorable, his voice is a pleasure to listen to, and he appears to have a touch for writing that is accessible and likable. Bright As You Are is highly recommended as a great listen; Jason Harrod is one of those artists you'll find yourself gravitating toward and looking for that next release. Excellent.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jason Harrod at www.myspace.com/jasonharrodmusic or http://www.jasonharrod.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Bright As You Are.

Review: Erik "Eski" Scott - Other Planets

Erik Scott - Other Planets
2008, Eskimusic Productions

Erik "Eski" Scott has a long history of raising a ruckus. After sixteen years raising the rough reveille of youth with Sonia Dada, Scott has taken a little break to pursue other musical avenues. Along the way he's played with Alice Cooper, Flo & Eddie, Kim Carnes and Mavis and Pop Staples, just to name a few. Erik Scott's latest release, Other Planets, finds him dabbling with steel guitar, melodic bass and what he terms as "interstellar strings". Tranquility abounds on Other Planets, but that wild energy that has run through everything Scott has touched over the years is here, deep within the still waters of this musical moment.

Bartalk is built of the sort of ups and downs one might see in any microcosm of society. A bar is as good a random sample as any, and Scott captures the swell and release of human interaction perfectly in rise and fall of the musical passages within. Guitar and keyboard carry on the main conversation here, while passersby (keyboard, bass, drums) provide the background noise and occasionally spill over into the main conversation. The sonic imagery is almost perfect. Sundogs takes its name from the scientific phenomenon called a parhelion. Parhelia are the mock suns you sometimes see to either side of the actual sun usually shortly after sunrise or shortly before sunset. Sun Dogs were debated as portents in the middle ages, and have even been used as signed to start wars. They are coronal objects that result from sunlight reflecting off of ice crystals in the atmosphere; illusions. Scott's musical interpretation seems to play with the concept of illusion while perhaps implying a purpose unknown or unseen.

Peace On Saturn is one of the most pleasant surprises I've heard on an instrumental album in some time. Scott uses pedal steel here in an almost ambient setting that could be described as some sort of "heavenly" country music. The pedal steel sighs and wails its way across a serene musical landscape provided mostly by a conversation between bass and guitar. Despues De Guerro is my favorite track on the disc because it perfects the theme that Scott seems to be trying to draw out of all the songs on Other Planets. It's music as a conversation between instruments. This concept was put forth bluntly on the opening track, but the underlying theme is not so much of instruments playing together as conversing. On Despues De Guerro Scott achieves a near-perfect conversation where guitar, bass, drums and pedal steel all find perfect rhythm, pacing and content and lift the whole project to enlightened speech. (Not to mention that Pink Floyd fans will be very pleased with some of the passages in this one).

Not to drive a point too hard, but Erik Scott brings out his inner Floyd in flashes on Bassque Revolution (particularly in the opening). Bass is the primary voice in this wonderful composition, taking center stage while piano and keys egg it on and trill laughter throughout. Make sure to listen carefully to Foggy Bridges when you get there. The opening distorts sound like fog distorts sights seen in the distance, but the bass leads you where you need to go and the piano is as beautiful as sunlight illuminating the world through the mist. Bathing Maui comes across as a bit of a musical joke, delivered with a wink and a smile. Chaos ensues both in the tub and in the music, although in a much more refined fashion that fans of Scott may be used to. Bass guitar provides the laugh track for this one, while the keyboard suggests the sense of adventure that any dog owner will recognize come bath time. Scott gets full into the space rock ethic with Aliens Made Me Do This, the closing track to the album. Space age strings and a mischievous bass line make for quite a listen.

Erik Scott has always been known for his raucous side as part of Sonia Dada. On Other Planets he shows us a much more musically mature aspect that is both surprising and welcome. Instrumental rock albums always end up having something of a limited reach, but this is far and away one of the best instrumental rock albums I've come across. In the art of composition Scott has found a voice, one that speaks clearly and quietly to the listener. You must listen carefully to hear this voice, but the reward is well worth the effort. We here at Wildy's World sincerely hope for the continued vitality and success of Sonia Dada, but we also hope that Erik Scott continues to find time to explore his instrumental muse.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Erik Scott at http://www.erikscottbass.com/. You can purchase a copy of Other Planets at www.cdbaby.com/cd/erikscott or http://www.wishingwellonline.com/