I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Temple of Blues, from Cactus, and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Bukka White's Parchment Farm really rocks. Using Mayall's basic arrangement, Carmine Appice on drums really drives it hard with Billy Sheehan on bass, Jim McCarty on guitar, Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar and Jim Stapley on vocal and harp. Excellent opener. Willie Dixon's Evil gets a real nice heavy makeover with heavy weight drum work by Appice and great guitar lead by McCarty. Dug Pinnick on bass really sets the groove and Dee Snider on lead vocal is outrageous. Coopper and White's country anthem, No Need To Worry is now a slow blues with excellent vocal and guitar phrasing by Warren Haynes with Jorgen Carlsson on bass and Appice on drums. Cactus original (from their 70's album) Big Mama Boogie (Pts 1&2) is a great track with Appice in his own seat at drums and James Caputo on bass. Stapley on vocal and harp does a real nice job and Pat Travers on slide really winds it out when Appice kicks it in gear. Dixon's You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover really kicks it featuring Stapley, Caputo and Appice and featuring Artie Dillon on guitar. Solid. Little Richard's Long Tall Sally gets that real "Cactus" treatment with a dynamic heavy bottom by Appice and Kenny Aaronson, Mark Stein on lead vocal and Fernando Perdomo on guitars. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Guiltless Glider with Tim Owens and Appice tearing it up. This is a great closer for one of the most fun real blues rock CDs to hit my desk in a long time.
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