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Showing posts with label Talk About That. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talk About That. Show all posts
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Talk About That, from John Mayall and it's diverse with a wealth of blues. Opening with title track, Talk About That, John Mayall steps up with a funky blues track, bucked by Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums. Mayall's vocals are solid with super funky organ and cool bass riffs. Blues rocker, It's Hard Going Up has a nice guitar vamp and cool horn work from Ron Dziubla on sax, Mark Pender on trumpet and Nick Lane on trombone. Funky blues number, The Devil Must Be Laughing has a sweet guitar intro and soloing by Joe Walsh and with it's dark overtones, is one of my favorite tracks on the release. New Orleans flavored, Gimme Some Of That Gumbo, highlights the drum work of Davenport and Mayall's piano playing is super of course with terrific horn work. Athas breaks loose with hot riffs of his own on this one adding flame to an already smoking track. Chicago style blues track, Goin' Away Baby, features light drum work and Mayall on harp and vocal. Very cool! Cards On The Table features Joe Walsh again on slide this time with a cool rolling rhythm. Walsh has a really distinctive style and he lays it out here nicely. Shuffle track, Don't Deny Me has a great swing with crisp riffs from Athas and super rolling piano by Mayall, backed nicely by Pender on trumpet and over a super walking bass line by Rzab. another track with a cool rocking beat is Across The County Line. With Rzab and Davenport setting the stage Mayall really delivers on vocals and piano and Athas nails the guitar lead with super horn punctuation. Very nice. Wrapping the release is You Never Know, an easy piano shuffle with only the basics of bass and drums supporting Mayalls vocals.This is different from the most recent two Mayall releases that I have reviewed but very enjoyable.
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Forty Below
Records Set to Release John Mayall’s Talk About That Album on Vinyl
February 17
Vinyl Package
to Include Free Download Card
LOS ANGELES, CA – Forty Below Records announces a February
17 release date for the vinyl edition of iconic musician and Blues Hall of Fame
member John Mayall’s latest album, Talk About That. Originally
released on CD January 27, the vinyl version will also include a free download
card.
Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards, harmonica and guitar) and
Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky Athas (guitar) as special
guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on two tracks, “The Devil
Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John Mayall compositions.
John Mayall will begin a lengthy European tour in early
February. His most-recent American dates included several days onboard the
“Legends Cruise,” and featured an exciting special guest appearance from
another legend – Todd Rundgren – who jammed on guitar with John and the band on
the Otis Rush classic, “All Your Love.”
Talk About That is drawing rave reviews from
the press and extensive radio airplay. “…Mayall continues to work tirelessly to spread the blues gospel…the 11 tracks
offer a master class in contemporary blues, topped off with a helping of
Mayall’s trademark lyrical wit and even a guest appearance by Joe Walsh”
- People.com.
“Talk About Thatranks with the best.
Some may talk about that statement all day, but in the end, it’s true.
Everything that defines a great album is here. Mayall wrote some songs that
matter, and interspersed three smart covers. His quartet, aided by a trio of
brass as needed, smokes every one with remarkable potency.” – Elmore
Magazine
Watch a special musicUcansee.com
video of the making of Talk about That
Produced by John Mayall (who also designed the album
package) and Forty Below Records president Eric Corne (who also engineered and
mixed), Talk about That was recorded at House of Blues Studio in
Encino, California, and contains 11 tracks: eight originals, plus covers from
Memphis soul music songwriter Bettye Crutcher (“It’s Hard Going Up”), blues
great Jimmy Rogers (“Goin’ Away Baby”) and rock singer/songwriter Jerry Lynn
Williams (“Don’t Deny Me”). The album also showcases a three-piece horn section
that adds extra punch on several tracks, including the infectious New
Orleans-flavored “Gimme Some of that Gumbo.”
“When I first had
the idea for the title track, ‘Talk about That,’ I wanted to write lyrics that
were about aspects of life that were running through my head,” John Mayall
recalled. “I also wanted to give the song a modern groove that would convey the
fun mood driving the piece. Greg and Jay laid down a really infectious
rhythm for me to feature my keyboard chops and bring the song to life with a
really funky feel driving it.”
Throughout
his career, John Mayall has always written timely songs that reflect what he
sees going on in the world around him, whether it’s war, poverty, social
injustice or personal introspection. Such is the case with “The Devil Must Be
Laughing,” which deals with the current political and world climate. And that
incentive also brought him in touch with Joe Walsh, who contributes some
percolating guitar work that melds perfectly with the song’s theme.
“A day
before we recorded ‘The Devil Must Be Laughing,’ we got a message through the
studio owner that Joe Walsh wanted to come by and possibly play on a track or
two as a guest,” Mayall said. “Who was I to say no to that idea! So, Joe
turned up at noon on the appointed day and with only a quick listen, plugged in
and we did the song in one take. The second song closely followed, and
with a smile and a quick photo, Joe was done and on his way. What a kick
for all of us that day!”
For Joe Walsh, playing on a session
with one of his musical heroes held a special place. “It
has been a bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall,” Walsh
said. “John had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another)
with his ‘Bluesbreakers’ albums, and that’s how many of us in the States
became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I
studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a
result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for
years and years, wondering what it would be like.
“Finally got the chance - and he
was the complete gentleman and fine, fine musician I had always hoped he would
be. When you meet a hero who helped shape your career – it’s a wonderful
feeling to find they’re even cooler than you always thought they were.”
Blues Hall of
Fame Member John Mayall Set to Release New CD, Talk about That,on
January 27, 2017, from Forty Below Records
Latest Album
Features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member Joe Walsh as Special Guest on
Two Tracks
LOS ANGELES, CA – Iconic musician and Blues Hall of Fame
member John Mayall will release his latest CD, Talk about That,
on January 27 from Forty Below Records. Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards,
harmonica and guitar) and Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky
Athas (guitar) as special guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on
two tracks, “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John
Mayall compositions. The songs showcase Walsh’s amazing guitar work and are
destined to be two of the many highlights on this new disc. Talk about
That will be available for pre-orders at both Amazon.com and iTunes
starting December 9.
Watch a special preview video of
the making of Talk about That:
Produced by John Mayall (who also designed the album
package) and Forty Below Records president Eric Corne (who also engineered and
mixed), Talk about That was recorded at House of Blues Studio in
Encino, California, and contains 11 tracks: eight originals, plus covers from
Memphis soul music songwriter Bettye Crutcher (“It’s Hard Going Up”), blues
great Jimmy Rogers (“Goin’ Away Baby”) and rock singer/songwriter Jerry Lynn
Williams (“Don’t Deny Me”). The album also showcases a three-piece horn section
that adds extra punch on several tracks, including the infectious New
Orleans-flavored “Gimme Some of that Gumbo.”
“When I first had
the idea for the title track, ‘Talk about That,’ I wanted to write lyrics that
were about aspects of life that were running through my head,” says John
Mayall. “I also wanted to give the song a modern groove that would convey the
fun mood driving the piece. Greg and Jay laid down a really infectious
rhythm for me to feature my keyboard chops and bring the song to life with a
really funky feel driving it.”
Throughout
his career, John Mayall has always written timely songs that reflect what he
sees going on in the world around him, whether it’s war, poverty, social
injustice or personal introspection. Such is the case with “The Devil Must Be
Laughing,” which deals with the current political and world climate. And that
incentive also brought him in touch with Joe Walsh, who contributes some
percolating guitar work that melds perfectly with the song’s theme.
“A day
before we recorded ‘The Devil Must Be Laughing,’ we got a message through the
studio owner that Joe Walsh wanted to come by and possibly play on a track or
two as a guest,” recalls Mayall. “Who was I to say no to that idea! So,
Joe turned up at noon on the appointed day and with only a quick listen,
plugged in and we did the song in one take. The second song closely
followed, and with a smile and a quick photo, Joe was done and on his way.
What a kick for all of us that day!”
For Joe Walsh, playing on a session with one of his musical
heroes also held a special place. “It has been a
bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall,” states Walsh. “John
had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another) with his
‘Bluesbreakers’ albums, and that’s how many of us in the States
became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I
studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a
result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for
years and years, wondering what it would be like.
“Finally got the chance - and he
was the complete gentleman and fine, fine musician I had always hoped he would
be. When you meet a hero who helped shape your career – it’s a wonderful
feeling to find they’re even cooler than you always thought they were.”
The recording sessions for Talk about That also
represent the last recordings with Mayall’s quartet band lineup, as shortly
after they were completed, guitarist Rocky Athas left the band to pursue his
solo career. Starting with the recent fall tour dates of the British blues
“Godfather,” his band became a trio with Mayall, Rzab and Davenport.
In September, John Mayall issued the following statement:
“By now, many of you will have heard the dramatic news that
I will now be performing live shows as a trio. I feel I should explain how it
all came about in a chain of events that led to my decision. Due to
severe storm conditions recently, guitarist Rocky Athas was unable to get out
of Dallas for my recent festival shows that led to my performing as a
trio. Having never performed anywhere or at any time without a guitar
sidekick, I found that I was able to explore new territories in a trio
configuration playing organ, keyboards, harmonica and guitar. Needless to
say I was surprised at how different and stimulating the experience was for me
as a performer.
“When I told Rocky Athas of my decision, he was very
understanding and hopefully his popularity in my band for the past seven years
will be increased as he resumes his solo career. To me it seems fitting
that the final guitar position in my band featured one of the nicest and most
talented guys I’ve known and the best in his field. We all wish him well.
“So now, as Greg Rzab, Jay Davenport and I embark on several
weeks of intensive touring all around the States, we hope you all will enjoy
the fireworks coming your way as my live show calendar brings us to your
expectant ears.”
The John Mayall trio will continue to tour throughout the
fall and into early 2017 in the U.S., followed by a lengthy European tour in
February. The American tour includes several days onboard the “Legends Cruise,”
leaving Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and sailing from January 19 – 23.
