 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
1.
One
More Chance 4:41
(P. Lacocque & R. L. Covington,
Ransart Music, BMI)
2. Excuse
Me 3:52
(K. Davis, Katy-D Pub. Co.,
BMI)
3. Handyman
4:00
(P. Lacocque, Ransart Music,
BMI)
4. These
Men Look Good To Me 2:58
(K.
Davis, Katy-D Pub. Co., BMI)
5. Farewell
To S.P. Leary 5:42
(H. Chuck Goering & Betsy
Pyle, Big Tone Music, BMI)
6. Cornell
Street Boogie 2:38
(H Chuck Goering, Big Tone
Music, BMI)
7. Ghost
Daddy 3:33
(P. Lacocque, Ransart Music,
BMI)
8. Dog
In My Back Yard 5:10
(G. Bazemore, G. Bazemore
Productions, BMI)
9. Don't
Cross Me 4:00
(P. Lacocque & W. Crosby,
Ransart Music, BMI)
10. It
Hurts To Be Lonesome 4:33
(P.
Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
11. Payday
4:44
(P. Lacocque & G. Bazemore,
Ransart Music, BMI)
12. Stay
With Me 3:20
(P. Lacocque, Ransart Music,
BMI)
13. Johnny
Boy 4:07
(P. Lacocque, Ransart Music,
BMI)
14. Please
Don't Cry 4:03
(P. Lacocque, Ransart Music,
BMI)
15. Early
Morning Blues 5:30
(C. Winters, Blue Crane Music,
BMI) |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Mississippi
Heat is a blues band concept. Since its founding in 1991,
through various permutations of musicians, celebration,
joy, death, disagreement, the recording of four albums,
and thousands of gigs throughout North and South America
and Europe, Mississippi Heat has strived for artistic
collaboration where everyone contributes songs, ideas,
solos and voices, and everyone gets a chance to share
the spotlight. Like the best bands, Mississippi Heat is
a cohesive unit where individual personalities are subservient
to the masterful whole.
That having been said, this new Mississippi Heat album
also is a show-case for bandleader Pierre Lacocque —
both behind the scenes as songwriter and producer, and
out in front as a powerful, melodic voice on harmonica.
The constant in Mississippi Heat is Pierre (and even further
behind the scenes, his brother Michel, the band's manager).
The Chicago Reader said, "Lacocque is that rare younger
generation harpist who's absorbed the lessons of subtlety,
silence and solo construction from the masters... as well
as their raucous, hawk-like tonal power" Having arrived
in Chicago from Belgium in 1969, Pierre has emerged as
a sensitive and creative songwriter, a bandleader with
vision, and a budding harmonica legend.
Handyman is Mississippi Heat's fourth album. Like the
three previous CDs —Straight From The Heart (1992),
Learned The Hard Way (1994), and Thunder In My Heart (1995)
— it is chock full of original blues songs performed
by a first rate Chicago blues band. Listen closely, with
your ears and your heart. The vibe is very "up,"
very positive.
"One More Chance" is a blues lover's dream:
the legendary Billy Boy Arnold sings with hot-shot Carl
Weathersby on guitar backed by an awesome supportive cast.
Weathersby spent 15 years with Billy Branch's Sons of
Blues before stepping out on his own with 1996's Don't
Lay Your Blues On Me. This tune combines a healthy midtempo
stomp from the rhythm section, a strikingly sincere vocal
from Billy Boy, and Weathersby's spiky, Albert King influenced
fills and solo. The man lied to his woman, now he wants
to make it tight. Can he do it? Will she let him?
Katherine Davis' confident, assured vocal drives "Excuse
Me" almost as much as the band's insistent, forwarding
moving groove. Davis declares, "Trouble, why do you
come my way? I try to treat you nice, trouble, but I just
won't let you stay." "Handyman" has a hint
of Cajun flavor (BAIVI!), with lots of horns. George Baze's
light hearted sexual boasting is set off by tasty harmonica
and piano solos. (Note: George Baze, long-time member
of Junior Wells' hand and a well-loved Chicago blues musician,
passed away on October 9, 1998, during the mixing of this
album.)
"These Men Look Good To Me" has an attractively
dark tone and another strong groove.
Check out that choral backing! Take me to church! Barrelhousc
Chucks touching and heartfelt "Tribute To SP Leary"
leads right ioto his "Cornell Street Boogie,"
a piano/harmonica duct. Leary, a skilled drummer who worked
with many of Chicago's greats, was the first real deal
blues & shy;man Chuck played with in Chicago. Cornell
Street was where barrelhouse piano man Little Brother
Montgomery lived in Chicago's Hyde Park section. Chuck
wrote this song in Little Brother's house. Montgomery
himself added 12 bars in the center at Chuck's request.
Billy Boy returns to the microphone for "Ghost Daddy,"
with its bouncy rhumba rhythm and a quote from "St.
Louis Blues" in the harp solo. This one tells the
talc of a domineering patriarch, too busy for his wife
and children. Baze's signature tune, "Dog In My Backyard,"
demonstrates the rugged beauty of traditional blues. "Don't
Cross Me" has another stinging solo from Weathersby.
Davis shouts her independent woman's shout: "Don't
you dare cross me, honey. I won't take that at all."
It's hard to believe that Pierre wrote this song fur her.
Davis sings it like it was written on her birth certificate.
The slow and mournful "It Hurts To Be Lonesome"
is the album's first truly sad song. The structure and
melody are similar to the blues classic, "Black Night."
Billy Boy describes the blues as a "war zone in your
own home." Pierre's harmonica cries and subs along
with the vocal. Chuck jumps in with a fleet—fingered
piano solo.
"Payday Is My Day." Now there's a hit if I ever
heard one. Everybody's happy when the eagle flies. Closing
out the album, guest vocalist Zora Young implores "Stay
With Me" (and there's that chorus again), then the
band whips up a fast instrumental called "Johnny
Boy." Pierre gets to stretch out on harp, and there
are wicked piano and guitar solos, too.
The Chicago Sun-Times declared, "Mississippi Heat
proves that you can still write good blues tunes in the
90s." Amen to that. And the 00s, and the 10s, and
the 20s...
Mississippi Heat also shows, once again, that classic
Chicago blues has the resiliency to incorporate contemporary
elements while retaining energy, vitality and the ability
to communicate honestly and directly.
– Niles Frantz, March 1999
Niles is the host of "Comin' Home" on WBEZ 91.5
FM, Chicago. He has written for Living Blues, Blues Revue,
Blues Access, and Blues & Rhythm (UK) magazines and
the All Music Guide to the Blues.
Handyman (Licensed by CrossCut Records - CCD 11064 ).
Two bonus tracks added to original recording (1999).
Personnel: Pierre Lacocque,
Kenneth Smith, Katherine Davis, George Baze, Ike Anderson,
Barrelhouse Chuck. Guest Stars: Billy Boy Arnold, Carl
Weathersby, and Zora
Young. 8-Voice Choir and Horns.
Bonus Tracks Personnel:
Pierre Lacocque, Kenneth Smith, Chris Winters, Stephen
Howard, Jasper Buchanan. |
|
|
|
