JACKIE PAYNE STEVE EDMONSON BAND "OVERNIGHT SENSATION" Source: Blues in Britain Magazine Date: 08/2008 Writer: Mick Rainsford

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue – Command Performance
Delta Groove Music DGPCD121
Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band – Overnight Sensation
Delta Groove Music DGPCD123

These latest two releases from the Delta Groove imprint maintain the high standard that the label has set in presenting high quality blues that respect tradition but still retain a modern vitality that will appeal to traditionalists and newer/younger fans alike.

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue features a core band of Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Deanna Bogart and Magic Dick who met, performed and jammed together on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise – enjoying the experience that much that they decided to take the show out on the road, resulting in the live recordings presented on this CD.

The four headliners are joined by Keith Crossant (saxophone), Tom Poole (trumpet), Chris Sandoval (drums) and Scot Sutherland (bass) with guest appearances by Curtis Salgado, Mike Emerson (Hammond B3), Marcia Ball and Elvin Bishop.

With a line-up like that you know that the band will be hot – and they are – blending elements of Chicago blues, R&B, soul and rock’n’roll into a heady mix that cooks, on a high burner, from first track to last.

Brooks opens the proceedings with “Can’t You See” – a horn fired stomper replete with intense vocals, wild Chuck Berry styled guitar and hard rocking piano (Bogart).  He follows this with an impassioned duet with Deanna Bogart on the deeply soulful “See You Hurt No More”, and an excellent reading of Muddy’s “She’s Nineteen Years Old” which he claims as his own with his fiery deep blues vocals and ringing guitar enhance by baying horns and Magic Dick’s superlative harp.

Tommy Castro is at his rock’n’rolling, rhythm’n’bluesin’ best delivering a stomping slab of hard rocking, horn fired R&B on “I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On” – delving deep into the blues as his voice and guitar generate a boiling point intensity on “If I Had A Nickel” – whilst leading the band with typical machismo on the funky R&B stomper “High On The Hog” which allows the whole band – including Elvin Bishop – to stretch out with some wild soloing.

Deanna Bogart’s compellingly soulful vocals and jazz inflected boogie piano take the lead on the funky “Still The Girl In The Band” – whilst she performs a funky blues duet with Brooks on “Will It Go Round The Circles”, a horn fuelled romp replete with fine blues harp and wah-wah. 

Magic Dick takes the lead on the instrumental “Whammer Jammer” laying down some wonderful Rice Miller styled harp in his “Pontiac” mould – whilst his version of Little Walter’s “Tell Me Mama” personifies everything that made the classic 50s ChiTown ensemble sound so appealing.  Curtis Salgado continues in this mould with a stunning rendition of Jimmy Rogers’ “If It Ain’t Me” that is a reminder of what a great blues singer and harp player he is.

That leaves Marcia Ball to lead the whole band through a wild rendition of the rock’n’roll classic “Sea Cruise”.

“Command performance” indeed!

Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson’s second CD for Delta Groove is another eclectic mix of blues, R&B, soul, gospel and even C&W, that literally cooks from first track to last.

On an earlier self released recording, Payne described himself as the last of the “red hot soul singers” – I don’t know about the last but I’d certainly have no argument with “red hot”.  And – in Steve Edmonson – he has a partner whose fretwork displays all of the dexterity, command of tone and phrasing that is associated with all of the giants of blues guitar, with names like T-Bone Walker, Pete Lewis, Cal Green Johnny Heartsman and Matt Murphy springing to mind.

Apart from the two “main men”, the band also comprises Bill Singleton (bass), Nick Otis (drums), Carl green (sax) and Lech Wierzynski (trumpet) – a band that is as tight as it is hot.

The set opens with the title track – a semi-autobiographical tale of a 50 year “Overnight Sensation” – a sleazy and funky horn driven slab of hot soul that comes replete with “red hot” soul/gospel singing and snakey guitar slithering all over the mix.

“Can I Hit It Again”, with it’s slinky guitar and horns, is a wild James Brown inspired slab of overtly funky sexual machismo – “Take A chance On Me” veers into “sweet soul” territory replete with breathy horns – whilst “I Got a Mind To Go To Chicago” with it’s dirty harp (Randy Chortkoff), guitar and vocals proves that Payne is not restricted to soul when using the “red-hot” description.

“Mother-In-Law Blues” with it’s salaciously baying horns, moaning guitar and cascading piano features Payne’s vocals at their agonisingly emotive best – the swinging “Uptown Woman Downtown Man” recalls Payne’s Johnny Otis days with it’s hip vocals and jazz inflected sax – whilst Sam Cooke laced with elements of Al Green springs to mind on the funky “Midnight Friend”.

Add in the impassioned Otis Redding inspired “Your Good thing (Is About To Come To An End)” with it’s chillingly soulful falsetto and baleful horns – the 50’s big band swing of the instrumental “Bringin’ Me Right Back” – “No Money No Honey” with it’s twangy Duane eddy influenced guitar and greasy harp – and the medley of “ She’s Looking Good/I’ve Never Found A Girl” which veers from Isley Brothers inspired funky soul to a meld of Sam Cooke/Reggae/Willie Mitchell – and you have a set guaranteed to delight at all levels.  (www.deltagroovemusic.com)
Ratings 9/9
Mick Rainsford