Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters: Mercy Me

Guitarist Ronnie Earl digs deep into the blues with his Broadcasters of Dave Limina/p-B3, Diane Blue/voc, Paul Kochanski/b and Forrest Padgett/dr along with a hip horn section of Mark Earley/bs, Mario Perrett/ts and guests Anthony Geraci/p, Peter Ward/g and Tess Ferraiolo/voc.

The width and breath of the album is quite impressive, including a dark rubato of John Coltrane’s “Alabama” featuring “Perrett’s searing tenor, while the horns get Memphis STAXY on a shuffling “Dave’s Groove”. There’s also some nice rural picking around a humming Hammond on “Blues For Ruthy Foster” and some gorgeous gospel feel between Earl and Limina on “A Prayer For Tomorrow”. Even Jackie Wilson’s “High and Higher” has a Sunday morning feel to it, while Blue is upbeat on “Only You Know and I Know” and gloriously agonizing on a slow and simmering read of “Please Send Me Someone To Love”. Earl, for his part, is as tasty as a fresh Krispy Kreme throughout, always making you want a second helping. Gonna like this one!

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