When You Needed Me - The City Boys Allstars - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, When You Needed Me, by The City Boys Allstars on CD and Vinyl! This is a fine package with funky jazz abounding. CBA is Mike Merola (guitars), Al MacDowell (bass),Robbie Clores (keys), Nick Saya (drums), Daniel Sadownick (percussion), Horace Scott II (vocal), Angel Rissoff (vocals), Bil Kurz (vocals), Tony kadleck (trumpet), Lew Soloff (trumpet), Andy Snitzer (sax), Blue Lou Marini (sax) and Tom Bones Malone (Bari sax and trombone). The release opens with Funky Peaches, a heavy brass based walking jazz instrumental tune. Kadleck and Soloff play some hot trumpet riffs on this track to start the groove. The title track, When You Needed Me, is a warm jazz track with really smooth flowing sax solos and cool vocalsl. Casanova has a Latin beat and lead guitar along the lines of a Santana track. This is a track that could easily get a bit of airplay with a strong hook and solid backing from vocalists and horns. Snows of July has a cocky strut and clever harmonies with horn punctuation. Merola plays a particularly nice guitar solo on this track. The Vow is a heartfelt balled accompanied primarily by Clores on piano and backed by a solid horn section. Last Night The Bottle Let me Down is a swinging vocal track with nice trumpet punctuation. Clores plays some real nice piano lead on this track and a countrified guitar solo by guest guitarist and writer /lead vocalist on this track-----Robert Ross.  More Where That Came From has a lot of commercial appeal as a RnB track and vocals are right on. Merola takes a ride on the Freddie King train with Stumble /Hideaway. The horn section compliments the fancy finger work with tight accentuation. Billie Holiday's God Bless The Child gets a warm new jazz cover with solid vocals from CBA. Nice job! Drift Away made popular by Dobie Gray (and later Uncle Kracker)as well as others is covered here and nicely done. Testimony takes the band back to the light funk and the trumpet lead. This is one of the coolest tracks on the release with each part of the band throwing in a riff almost in sequence as opposed to one section running the show. The Whole Story opens with a really hot bass riff from MacDowell and a moving funk track. This track has something special in not only the vocal lead and harmonies but also with the general arrangement. Really nice.

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