JACKIE PAYNE STEVE EDMONSON BAND "MASTER OF THE GAME" Source: Blues Critic Date: 10/2006 Writer: Dylann DeAnna

Soul + Blues = "Soul Blues". Simple enough but it's not that simple. Ray Charles once said any music is "Soul" if you sing it with feeling. But too often journalists label any music with a black singer as "Soul". That's ludicrous for not everybody has "Soul". But I'll digress because Jackie Payne does have it...and in abundance. A Gospel-hewn, gritty voice that masters both Soul and Blues games. This new Delta Groove Productions release, "Master Of The Game", is the epitome of deep-in-yo-gut Southern Soul, Staxy Funk and raucous Blues.

Oh, and pardon me for neglecting to mention the co-star master chord cutter Steve Edmonson. This guitarist and his band (Bill Singletary, Nick Otis, Carl Green and John Middleton) are a perfect match for Payne. Edmonson first worked with Jackie as producer on "Soulful Blues", a collaboration with Bay area guitarist Kenny "Blue" Ray. This lead to the first Payne-Edmonson outing, the mighty fine "Partners In The Blues". This new one is even better with ten dynamite originals and three choice covers. Picking a single must be migraine-inducing for these folks since so many cuts stand out. My picks would be "Sweet Landlady" and "A Fool Named Me". A concise, cheeky Downhome Blues, "Landlady" has Payne singing, "I got a sweet landlady I love to pay my rent on time/See she takes the rent on trade/I don't have to spend one dime!" A tart solo by Edmonson, sharp horn blasts by Green and Middleton (dubbed the "Sweet Meet Horns") and icy slick B-3 courtesy of John Thomas punctuate this gem. Meanwhile "Fool" is a pure Southern Soul propelled by Wurlitzer, a horn backdrop and an aching vocal by Payne. Inspired. Payne proves he's got that special (and elusive) something singers like Otis Redding and Bobby "Blue" Bland possess. Equally magnificent is "Warm Rain Fallin,'" which captures the same mood as "Cruisin.'" Great sax lead by Green. Blues pounders like "Mean Evil Woman", "The Real Deal", "Woman In Kansas City" could cause dance riots in local juke joints as will Funk/Blues numbers like "Black Cat Roun' My Do" and the title track.

Of the covers we have a quickened "A Nickel & A Nail", an appropriately moody "I'll Take Care Of You" and a sprite "Just The One (I've Been Looking For)" that is already gaining airplay in the South. This is turning out to be the best year for Soul Blues in recent memory now thanks in large measure to Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson's "Master Of The Game". Buy it now I tells ya!