Month: February 2013

Norris is an unabashed acolyte of Duane Allman. “Your My Girl” (sic) is a soul ballad that has the late guitarist’s stamp all over it. “It’s Alright,” an uptempo boogie, and “Hard Luck Case,” a slice of swamp jazz/rock thickened by Mike Lynch’s B-3, would both have fit on Eat A Peach.

But Norris is no copycat. His enthusiasm and obvious affection for what he’s doing pop right out of a group jam like “What You Talkin’ ’Bout Willis,” and that’s what keeps his stuff fresh. His sense of fun, like his joy in playing and singing, comes across strong in the original “That Woman’s Trouble,” with over-modulated vocals and no-frills Freddie King guitar part that make it sound like a forgotten classic. “Living Tight” and “Baby Girl” were also co-written by Norris. Like many of the tunes he had a hand in, they may remind you of the days when the Allmans and Delaney & Bonnie and others were bringing Boone’s Farmfueled good times to festival crowds across the country. Yet, Norris is no hippie wannabe or used-to-be. He’s a hard-playing guy with a better than average singing voice working in a tradition, albeit a relatively recent one. Norris’ predecessors like Allman called on their predecessors to amalgamate their own sound, but they laid the groundwork for a new sound, a new tradition. It’s one that Paxton Norris, for one, is doing a dynamite job of carrying on.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

To translate one of the touchstones of popular music is not something most guitarists would attempt, but Timmons and his trio take the Beatles’ classic and turn it into an instrumental rock album that stands on its own merits. In the liner notes, Timmons says he arranged the tunes without going back and listening. Doing it from memory helped in a couple of ways. First, it ensured that the arrangements, while close, were not just slavish copies of the originals. Second, when Timmons interjects something, like tacking Abbey Road’s “I Want You” onto the end of “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite,” it doesn’t detract from the feel. It also helps that he turns that guitar segment into a blues tour de force.

Many listeners would immediately point to the use of horn fanfares and strings on the original record, and on the title cut and its reprise Timmons translates those into flowing guitar lines that simulate the horns perfectly. When he attacks the orchestral part on “A Day In the Life” (quite the challenge these days, what with the great Jeff Beck version), he does it with a slide up the neck of the guitar and arpeggiated notes. On the uptempo middle McCartney segment, his multitasking is nothing short of spectacular.

The record also shows off the skills of Mike Daane on bass and Mitch Marine on drums, and, not surprisingly, proves how well-written the songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band were in the first place. “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” gets a psychedelic treatment only hinted at in the original, but Timmons never deviates far from the melody. “Fixing A Hole” is the perfect example of how he mixes melodies with original Beatles guitar parts. “When I’m Sixty-Four” is given a full-on jazz/ country treatment that never really leaves the whimsical territory staked out by the Fab Four’s version. The project wraps up with the only non-Pepper’s cut, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Timmons and band had been doing the song live, and it’s what actually led to the CD’s concept. The liquid solos and the appearance of “I Am the Walrus” during the fade make it the perfect wrap-up to a great listen.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Cutler’s latest release perfectly navigates that land between jazz and blues that puts it firmly in both camps. It’s an organ-trio record for the most part, with Cutler’s lead and rhythm guitar parts creating nonstop grooves. That’s evident from cut one, “No Greater Love,” with his jazzy jabs and occasional octaves displaying an affinity for Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. Before the tune is over he’s thrown in some quiet, yet dazzling, sweeping licks and then darts in and out of the changes with ease. His comping behind Chip Crawford’s organ soloing is subtle but always felt, driving the tempo.

That’s one of several covers here that range from classic soul to bop. A seven-minute take on “Just My Imagination” waits until halfway through before his percussive soul soloing starts, cutting through chorus after chorus without ever repeating himself or showing off, while staying true to the soul of the Temptations’ original. He even throws in a tasty chord solo that jazzily plays off the song’s original changes. In the only use of an effect on the record, the rhythm guitar is a perfectly placed set of chords through a wah. Cutler also tackles Charlie Parker’s bop excursion “Au Privave,” showing no problem getting through the changes with a great right hand, some perfectly executed bends, chords, and octaves.

Most noticeable in his compositions is his inherent feel for the soul/ jazz vein. It’s obvious that he’s got the chops to do whatever he wants, but the soul exhibited makes it clear where his love lies.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Essentially a super-group of players that just want to have some fun with the music they grew up with, Norah Jones, Jim Campilongo, Lee Alexander, Richard Julian, and Dan Rieser serve up lots of old songs that are plenty worn, but their considerable talents make this sophomore release more than just a fun listen.

From a guitar standpoint, it’s hard to get any better than Campilongo. While the arrangements don’t stray far from versions you already know, he and the band manage to put enough quirks into the tunes to give them a “Willies spin.” Ralph Stanley’s “I Worship You” starts as a honky-tonk lament until some double-time segments with Campilongo’s chicken-pickin’ and a bluesy solo turn it into a somewhat offkilter dance song. The guitarslinger’s harmonics, bends, and picked single notes are the basis for a chugging version of “Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves” that Jones nails vocally. Before the song is over he’s put in a nasty country solo and imitated an 18-wheeler’s horn. “Lovesick Blues,” the Hank Williams chestnut, is done as a lazy country ballad with a blues feel that affords the guitarist his only chance at playing acoustic, and he gives the soloing a jazz twist. The oddest song choice comes in “Foul Owl On The Prowl,” which was originally in the film In the Heat of the Night. It ends up menacing in a cartoon sort of way.

Not a whole lot of new ground is covered, but every cut is enjoyable because of the skills of those involved. And Campilongo is an interesting guitar player no matter what he’s doing, giving each song extra touches that a lesser player wouldn’t.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Texas blues singer Greenleaf has gathered a host of noteworthy guest guitarists to help highlight her considerable virtues and versatility as a writer and singer. Three of the tunes here – “The Beautiful Hat,” “You Don’t Feel That Way,” and “’Cause I’m A Soldier” – show she’s got an artful hand at producing too.

Like Greenleaf, Anson Funderburgh and the rest of the albums’ several producers also go for restrained but dynamically rich arrangements and accompaniment. Greenleaf wrote 10 of the record’s 14 tunes, and each shows a different side of her musical makeup. The aforementioned “Hat” blends country blues and gospel with the high-stepping rhythms of the pre-Dixieland music that was a seminal element of jazz.

“Taking Chances” is Chicago-style blues with Smokin’ Joe Kubek tossing dashes of Otis Rush and Luther Allison into an emotionally charged guitar solo. “Trying To Hold On” is a “Moondance”-flavored piece of nightclub blues with Bob Margolin and Greenleaf’s regular guitarist, Chris James. “Soldier” recalls the socially conscious soul music of the 1960s with John Del Toro Richardson calling up the spirit of Curtis Mayfield to help complete the picture.

Greenleaf’s guest pickers operate in their particular areas of strength, and Greenleaf stays right with them – not jumping from style to style but exploring all angles of her music without losing her singular identity.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.