Little Village artists: Kid Andersen - Spirits / Lisa "Little Baby" Leuschner - Soul - New Double Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent releases, Spirits, by Kid Andersen and Soul, by Lisa "Little Baby" Leuschner released together as a single release (2 discs) and it's great! Opening with slow blues, The Civilized Life, Kid Andersen opens with some of the most powerful music to come out of Greaseland Studio. Andersen is a talented musician across the board and his guitar playing and lead vocals here are really strong. Endre Tarczy on bass, Chris Burns on keys and Mike Rinta on trombone, Dr Aaron Lington  and Stevie Gurr on harmonica add great texture to this excellent opener. Blind Willie Johnson's Nobody's Fault But Mine gets a really nice rework with a slinky feel courtesy Dave LeMieux on drums and Kid on guitar, bass and lead vocal shared with Lisa Leuschner. Check out the outrageous slide guitar work by Kid on Hey, Little Reaper, a Chicago style blues romp with solid harmonica work by Nic Clark and Charlie Musselwhite, coupled with Burns on keys. Very nice. I really love the feel on I Ain't Right with Kid on lead vocal and slide guitar. This track is a loose shuffle and reminiscent of the work that Skydog did with Arthur Conley at Muscle Shoals back in the early 70's. The groove is excellent and horn work by Eric Spaulding, Jack Sanford,  along with Lorenzo Farrell on keys, June Core on drums and Jerry Jemmott really sends this one over the edge. Wrapping Spirits is Ship of Fools, a sauntering soul/jazz track in the vein of early War. The vocal blending by a host of characters is incredible and Jemmott really anchors this track. Excellent closer for disc one. 

Leuschner opens her disc with Mike Schermer's In My Mind's Eye with a warm R&B influenced feel. Smooth, soulful vocals, backed by Kenny Ken Franklin on bass, D'Mar on drums, and clean guitar work by Kid make this a solid opener.  Another R&B track, Donnie Woodruff's I Won't Let That Happen To Me, really has a great feel showcasing Leuschner's voice nicely. With Jemmott setting a deep groove on bass, D'Mar on drums, Jim Pugh on keys, Vicki Randle on percussion and cllean, understated guitar work by Kid, this is a really nice entry. Digging back into Bishops great days with Jo Baker, Rock Bottom is resurrected and is punchy as it was when I first heard it in college. Lisa is backed by James, Dwayne and Walter Morgan on vocals, Rinta, Lington, Scott Jensen on trumpet add in authentic horns and Kid rips a guitar solo that would make Crabshaw proud. Kickass! Infectious, Slipped Through My Fingers, has a strong deep groove courtesy Kid on bass, Latimore on keys and D'Mar on drums. Latimore trades vocals with Lisa on this serious radio track. Wrapping the release is smart little ballad, Family, written and performed by Lisa with the last verse sung by Kid. With only acoustic guitar, keys and bass backing, this is a really nice track with Lisa's voice as pure as it gets, unadorned and straight up. Very nice closer for a tremendous double set. One of the most enjoyable reviews of the year! 

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Etta James - The Montreux Years - New release review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Montreux Years, from Etta James and it's dynamite. Opening with Breakin' Up Somebody's Home, Etta James hits like a truck on lead vocal, supported by Herman Roscoe Ernest III on drums, Ronnie Buttacavoli on trumpet, Bobby Murray on guitar, Josh Sklair on guitar, Bobby Vega on bass, Kraig Kilby on trombone, Richard Howell on sax, David Matthew on keyboards, Donto James on percussion and Claude Nobs on harmonica. Great opener. Emotionally charged, A Lover Is Forever, is a quiet contrast to the opener with James wooing the mic over the electro acoustic guitar work of Murray and Sklair. Very nice. Rockin, Tell Mama, has great drive, with hot vocal by James, backed by Klaus Doldinger on sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Rick Wakeman on keys, David Fathead Newman on sax, Brian Ray on guitar, Richard Tee on keys, Steve Ferrone on drums and David Lowrey on bass. R&B track, Something's Got A Hold On Me gets an uptempo, gospel like feel with backing by Ernst III, Buttacavoli, Murray. Jim Pugh on keys, Sklair on guitar, Vega on bass, Kirby on trombone, Donoto foster on percussion, Howell and Sametto Dennis on vocal. Excellent! Slinky, high stepper, Come To Mama is really great with a strong under pinning by Vega and Ernest III, a scorching guitar solo by Murray and great horn work by Buttacavoli, Kilby and Howell. A string of ballads including At Last, Trust In Me and Sunday Kind of Love is really nice, with james showcasing the jazz styling that made her famous. Very nice. Rolling the blues out big and strong, I Sing The Blues For You is wide open with a full jam by Murray, Sklair, Matthews and Richard Cousins and solid horn backing by Buttacavoli and Kilby. Closing the forst cd is Baby What You Want Me to Do with Brian Ray with a solid guitar solo , Cash McCall on guitar, Tony Cook on drums, Gene Dinwitty with a potent sax solo, fred Beckmeier on bass, Bobby Martin on keys, Keith Johnson on trumpet and Claude Nobs on harmonica. 

Disc 2 is all recorded in July of '75. Opening with a funky, Respect Yourself, James' vocals are gritty and tight, backed by Brian Ray on guitar, Frank Able on keys, Poindexter on sax, Klaus Doldinger on tenor sax, Johnson on tuba and bass trombone and John Paul Jones on bass. Drown In My Own Tears is an excellent soul track in the lines of Aretha '69 or her work at Muscle Shoals. Excellent! An excellent remake of her original track, I'd Rather Go Blind, is included her and she really works hard on that 9+ minute presentation. Very nice. Slow blues, Baby What You Want Me To Do, gives james a great opportunity to stretch thsi famous blues track to new heights. With her powerful vocals and the guitar work of Ray shining, backed by Poindexter, Doldinger, and Johnson, this is really cool. Wrapping the set is TBone Walker's Stormy Mondy with excellent guitar work by Ray and Albe's delicate key strokes setting the pace. The warm sax work of Poindexter prepares the way and james holds nothing back with a stellar vocal performance that pushes the band even further. Excellent closer for an excellent pair of discs.

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