I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live On Beale Street: A Tribute To Bobby "Blue" Bland. from Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band and it's terrific! Opening with R&B track, Up And Down World, Chris Stephenson has the lead on vocal and keys, with Rodd Bland on drums, Jackie Clark on bass, Harold Smith on guitar, Marc Franklin and Scott Thompson on trumpet and Kirk Smothers on sax. Great opener. Ashton Riker is on lead vocal on St. James Infirmary and really works it. I've always like this track and this remake works really nicely. Jerome Chism has the mic on R&B track, I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me) with a particularly strong drum rhythm and tight horn backing. Chism's vocals work perfectly on this track and I really like the activity of Bland on drums who really pushes the beat. Excellent! Slower blues, Soon As The Weather Breaks, is one of my favorites on the release with punched horns and suspenseful organ work by Stephenson and really tasty guitar soloing by Smith. Blands' drum work is really tight and strong without being overly showy. Very nice. Wrapping the release is funky blues, Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time, with Chism on lead vocal. Clark and Bland really have a fun time with this one creating an amazing bottom and the interplay between Stephenson on keys and Thompson, Franklin and Smothers is magic with a particularly nice sax solo by Smothers and a hot bass workout by Clark to close the set. This is a really exciting release with only one flaw...it ends to fast.
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