Hues of blues…
Bill Blue sings, plays an ominous sounding guitar with resonator teaming with a rotating rhythm team and horn section on this gritty set of stompers. You get a strut not unlike “Poke Salad Annie” on a swampy “Hunker Down” while Blue howls at the moon on the stark and dark Do What I Do Don’t Do What I Say”. Ominous street corner voicings not unlike vintage Tom Waits gravel on for “Closing Time” and the long shadowed “Indianola”. Some fun is cooking with a boogie-ing guitar on “Mojolation” and the humming B3er “Carolina Time”. Dirt under the nails for this guy-did he take lessons on a chain gang?
Sugar blue sings and plays a hurricane of a harp as he teams with a core unit of Rico Mcfarland/g, Johnny B. Gayden-Joewaun Scott-Ilaria Lantieri/b, brady Williams-Yan Bodhoo/dr and Damiano D ella Torre/key along with some guests. He sears over some thick Bo Diddley riffs on “And The Devil Too” and blows a class IV on funky read of The Beatles’ “Day Tripper”. Max DeBernardi’s dobro gives some rural moods to a folksy “Good Old Days” and midnight toned story “Bonnie And Clyde” with some nice chorus work by Afrika Ri on the churchy “We’ll Be Allright”. Blues from both sides of the tracks.
Rott’n Dan plays a nasty little harmonica, while Lightnin’ Willy growls and hits the guitar on this casual duet collection mostly originals. There are a pair of instrumentals, with the team cooking like a calliope on “The Lightnin’ Rag” and a cooking on a clever read of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz”. Other than that, you get some wailing wind on “Good Gravy”, some howling harmonica on “100 Days Or More” and a slow train wailing on “Coliseum station Blues”. Willy tells a story on “Delia” and gives an back porch read on the informal “I’m Satisfied” while the two get jivey on “My Belle”. A nice pair of faded jeans to listen to.
Mick Kolassa plays 6 & 12 string guitars, a baritone guitar, a baritone ukulele and a banjolele (dare I ask?) while singing along with accompaniment from David Dunavent/g-sl-bj, Seth Hill-Bill Ruffinob, Eric Hughes/harp and Alice Hasen/vi on a mix of originals and covers. The use of Hasen’s violin is a folksy plus as Kolassa barks like a carney on “Jelly Roll Baker” and a bluesy read of the classic “St. James Infirmary”. His own tunes are as clever as anything Randy Newman ever penned, such as “Text Me Baby” and “Recycle Me” while he gives a slow and clever read of The Beatles’ pop tune “Help”. A slow boogie on “Bad Things” and a pick and grinner for “Cake Walk Into Town” shows he knows he knows his frets. A real charmer.