Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Marty D. Spikener’s On Call Band – help! I need some GOOD BLUES!

Hello!

This CD review was originally published in the April 6, 2017 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Marty D. Spikener’s On Call Band – help! I need some GOOD BLUES!

Self Release

https://www.facebook.com/MDSOCB/

9 tracks / 38:55

Marty D. Spikener has been playing the blues for almost 40 years, and the St. Louis club scene is much richer with him perched behind his drum kit and growling out perfectly timed vocals. Marty D. Spikener’s On Call Band performs both originals and cover tunes, and their new album, help! I need some GOOD BLUES!, is a fine sampling of blues, rhythm and blues, and just a little touch of jazz.

The On Call Band includes Spikener, as well as Chuck Loeb on harmonica and vocals and Doc Evans on bass, while Ryan Waked and Solomon Haynes share the guitar work. Paul Niehaus IV cut this disc at the Blue Lotus Studio (also in St. Louis), and it sounds like it may have been recorded live. I say this because there is a cool dynamic and a noticeable energy between the artists as they run through this 40-minute set, which works out well for the music they chose for the set list.

Two-thirds of the songs on this disc are covers, and the On Call Band starts things off with a neat re-do of Don Robey’s “Ain’t That Loving You,” which was originally released by Bobby Bland in 1962. This is a straight-up electric blues tune that allows the throaty and soulful vocals to shine. Waked and Haynes each deliver clean guitar solos, and Loeb goes for a dirtier sound with his harp. Next up is the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s “Born in Chicago,” which is faithful to the original, but here it is played at a slower tempo, giving it a Latin feel.

The other covers are a diverse collection of American tunes, including a soulful take on John Hiatt’s “Feels Like Rain,” and the Louis Armstrong-inspired vocals on James Harman’s hilarious “Tall Skinny Woman.” But the standout is “Lord Help Me to Hold Out,” which was originally recorded in 1969 by Harrison Johnson and the Los Angeles Community Choir. This acoustic gospel song has a wonderful interplay between the harmonica and the inspirational vocals, while the backline of Evans and Spikener hold everything together.

The three tunes that Marty wrote are solid, the first of which is the funky “Good Blues,” and this song offers up the opinion that the blues does not have to be a stone-cold bummer. Guest artist Bobby Schneck (Santana and Slash) provides the stunning guitar solo while the tone of Waked and Haynes’ rhythm guitars set the mood perfectly. Then there is the sobering “Guns of St. Louis,” a soulful plea for peace and sanity in the Gateway City. And the last of the originals is the light-hearted “Pill for That,” which is chock-full of slick drum fills courtesy of Mr. Spikener.

Wrapping up this disc is “Walkin’ with Grover,” a tribute to Grover Washington’s 1975 soul/jazz chart-topper, “Mister Magic.” There are no horns to be found on this instrumental, but the guitars and Loeb’s harmonica fill in nicely. The band pushes the tempo more than the original, and Evans’ walking bass line transforms this song into more of a blues tune, though there is still an obvious jazz influence. Each player gets a chance to shine on this track, making this the perfect outro for the set.

It is really cool that Marty D. Spikener’s On Call Band documented their sound so that listeners outside of the Show Me State can hear their music. help! I need some GOOD BLUES! Is a solid package, and it would be neat to here more from these fellows, so hopefully they will be heading back to the studio soon. But In the meantime, head on over to the band’s Facebook page to hear them for yourself and to find out where they are playing next!

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: John Long – Stand Your Ground

Hello!

This CD review was originally published in the November 10, 2016 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

John Long – Stand Your Ground

Delta Groove Music

www.johnlongblues.com

www.deltagroovemusic.com

13 tracks / 52:54

John Long is a fine bluesman, and the path he took to where he is today was not the easy one, but he ended up in the right place. Growing up in St. Louis, he sought out the blues at a young age, and it certainly did not hurt that his mom was a guitar teacher or that his brother, Claude, was also a bluesman. By his teens, John was playing out and started exploring the intricacies of pre-war blues. In the early 1970s, Long moved to Chicago where he mentored under a new father figure, Homesick James Williamson, who was a protégé of none other than Elmore James.

In the forty years since then, John has continued his journey, honing his craft and writing solid material, earning a BMA nomination for his debut album, and eventually moving back to Springfield, Missouri. His new Delta Groove Music album, Stand Your Ground, is a really cool collection of original and classic acoustic blues. Long did most of the heavy lifting here, writing eight of the thirteen tracks, singing all of the vocals, and taking on all of the harp and guitar parts. He was joined on a few of the tracks by a handful of tight and very experienced musicians from Southern California, including Fred Kaplan on piano, Bill Stuve on upright bass, and Washington Rucker behind the drum kit.

This disc was cut in only two days at Audiogrand in North Hollywood, California, and the resulting music has a very natural and live feel. First up is a tribute to Long’s mentor, and the message of James Williamson’s “Baby Please Set a Date” is the timeless story of a man who does not want to wait another day to be with his lady. Long’s voice is perfectly worn, and his inflection and tone hearken back to the early days of blues music. Fred Kaplan’s piano work fits in wonderfully on this track, as he carries over his years of experience from Hollywood Fats’ band.

The remaining cover tunes are sequenced near the end of Stand Your Ground, and Long does not screw around at all with Blind Willie Johnson’s 1920s gospel blues song, “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole.” John takes this one on as a solo effort with his jangly slide acoustic, and he displays a lot of vocal versatility, adding in a wicked warble that is to die for. There is also a slow-tempo version of Thomas Dorsey’s “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” with a neat drum accompaniment from Rucker, and harp-heavy take on Blind Willie McTell’s “Climbing High Mountains” (big time falsetto here!).

But this is not a cover album, and Long’s originals are well written and stand up well to the blues masters’ songs that he chose for the mix. His guitar playing on these songs is fascinating, as he is innovative and goes far beyond what pre-war players did with their instruments, but he never loses the vintage vibe. “Red Hawk” is a prime example of this, as he uses a lot of double stops, harmonics, and descending patterns that sound amazing on his resonator guitar. Long also covers subjects that were not song-worthy back in the 1920s or 1930s, and he can write a tune about living with Parkinson’s disease (“No Flowers For Me”), and have it fit in perfectly with the classic material. The same can be said for “One Earth, Many Colors,” which carries a beautiful message of inclusion.

The originals are righteous enough that the title track turns out to be one of the standout songs on the album. “Stand Your Ground” brings Stuve and Rucker back on stage and these two fellows really click, contributing a fat and woody bass tone, as well as lovely rhythms on the drums. The melody is very catchy, and the lyrics are about a father’s advice to his son, not the controversial Florida law.

John ends his set with his original “Suitcase Stomp,” and as it is only two minutes long it is a neat coda to this project. This is a fun and rowdy song, and Long get the chance to shine on his harp and guitar one last time before he leaves the stage.

John Long has the pre-war blues sound and feel nailed down tight, and he is able to carry this mood over to more modern lyrics with no awkwardness or feeling that things are contrived. Stand Your Ground works on a lot of levels, including its content, musicianship, and production. If you dig classic blues and want to hear something fresh, Stand Your Ground would definitely be a wise purchase.