Greenwell Records artist: Smoky Greenwell - South Louisiana Blues - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, South Louisiana Blues, from Smoky Greenwell and it's solid. Opening with Animal Angels, a modern blues based rocker, features Smoky Greenwell on harp and lead vocals, Jack Kolb on guitar, David Hyde on bass, Joe Krown on B3 and Doug Belote on drums. With slippery slide work by Kolb and harp work by Greenwell, a cool opener. Canned Heat's Let's Work Together, maintains the community feel with Greenwell on lead vocal and harp adding Johnny Neel on piano and Lynn Drury and Dana Abbott on backing vocals. Boogie Twist is a hot smoker with Greenwell on harp and sax, Kolb throwing down on guitar, Neel on B3 and a super driving bottom by Belote and Hyde. Very cool. Lonesome Lonely Blues has a more moderate pace featuring nice piano work from Krown, warm sax work from Greenwell and clean guitar soloing by Kolb. Shuffle track, You Can't Take It With You, has a real nice Chicago groove and traditional blue style harp. Nice. Pick It Up has a bit of a Boogaloo feel making it a particularly cool track on feel. Think a James Brown instrumental... featuring harp. Swing track, I Had A Dream Last Night, has a sweet bass line by Hyde and features really nice lead guitar work by Kolb and sweet harp lines by Greenwell. Very cool. Jimmy Reed style, I'm Glad She's Mine, has a real nice lope and features Greenwell on sax as well as lead vocals and clean guitar lines from Kolb. Willie Dixon's Two Headed Woman, gets nicely into the Chicago groove with a minimal of adornment. Nice harp work and a cool melodic solo by Kolb and a few "electric" bends give this track a cool sting. The Hunch is one of the most complex tracks on the release with organ, sax and harp in tandem sounding a bit like a War track. As an instrumental, Neel on organ takes a nice solo as does Greenwell and Kolb. Possibly my favorite track on the release. Bob Dylan's Dirt Road Blues is an easy shuffle with light country styling on drums, guitar and harp. Nice change up. Wrapping the release is Lee Allen's Walking With Mr. Lee, a nice jazz style blues number. With Greenwell showing some of his best sax chops on the release, this is a great closer for a pleasurable release.


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