Just before the two hour concert, Rock Hall of Famer Denny Laine indulged to me that he is working on his musical biography. If the book promises to be as encyclopedic as the smorgasbord of sounds from Monday’s show, the public will get a delicious insight into the vast history of sounds and styles that Laine has been a part of in his long and winding career.
Being a charter member of both the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s Wings, Laine is able to mix in styles from the early 1960s blues scene , the British Invasion with its infectious Mercy Beat as well as post-Beatlemania via the pen of Sir Paul. His team is flexible enough to paint with any brush and color, kept in time with drummer Ben Lecourt, bassist/vocalist Erik Paparozzi, keyboard man and singer Alex Jules and anchored by the indefatigable Brian Pothier, who was the utility man playing electric and acoustic guitars, singing and even blowing a mean harp.
Laine opened up the evening by musically reminding the packed house that the Moody Blues were originally an R&B band, as the band shuffled through “I’ll Go Crazy,” gave a Fabulous Flameout of James Brown’s “Lose Your Money” and got down and dirty with Laine on the harp for a sweaty take of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Can’t Nobody Love You” and took a trip to Chicago’s South Side on “Bye Bye Bird.” However, be it on these earthy bluesbreakers, or on the pop pieces like the infectious “Go Now,” Laine and company reminded what the fuss was all about during the ‘60s British Invasion, as he and his gents added rich textures of vocal harmony to these tunes, even on the more bohemian moments like the Left Bank’d “Boulevard de La Madeleine.”
Even rootsier were the tunes from the UK pub scene, as the folksy “Mull of Kintyre” turned into a singalong in which to raise a pint, and “Say You Don’t Mind” got to the taproot of things with an infectious skiffle beat.
All of these genres came to a head as Laine brought in his material from his stint with Wings. Paparozzi led through a minstrel of voices on “Mamunia,” Jules pumped it up on an exciting “Jet” the team traded off vocal leads as they boogied through “Helen Wheels” beat eight to the bar on “Spirits of Ancient Egypt, and Laine jammed with Pothier on the ax grinding climaxes of the street drama of “1985” and the frantic encore treatment of “Live and Let Die.”
While all of the songs and styles were worthy of praise, the piece of the musical puzzle that an artist from Laine’s generation brings to a world of groaning indie singers is the irresistible vocal blending of voices that added depth to basic blues, bohemia and Beatlemania. Laine showed on Monday night that it’s an art worth restoring
Upcoming shows at Bogies Bar include The Wrecking Crew 08/18, David Garfield 08/20, Denise DeCaro 10/27 and Terry Reid 09/12