#387 : Alexis P. Suter Band - Be Love

2019 – Hipbone Records

By Phillip Smith; April 19, 2019

Be Love, the latest album from Alexis P. Suter Band is one hot record.  Suter, who carved out her career in New York, opening for The Levon Helm Band and B.B. King, knocks another recording out of the park with her powerful and soulful voice. Her band consists of Michael Louis (guitar,vocals,bass), Vicki Bell (vocals), and Ray Grappone (drums).

Suter pines for her loved one as she pours a smooth layer of deep Sixties soul on ballad “Lips Hips and Fingertips”.  The song has a warm nostalgic essence about it.  A revving rhythm topped with some bodacious slide guitar brings some fast-paced blues to ”Little Back Rider”.  It really hits the spot.  I love the hip-swinging blues of “Sway”.  This funk-filled line dance number is an absolute favorite.  I love the slow groove and cosmic atmosphere of “Dog Eat Dog”.  There’s a definite George Clinton/Eddie Hazel influence on the front end.  When it come to the title track, “Be Love”, there’s a lot of energy flowing through.  This is a sure-fire blues-rocker that begs to be heard loud.  Filled with horns, keys, and searing guitar, the song jams indeed.

Be Love, from the Alexis P Suter Band is a hit in my book.        

John Ginty- No Filter

2015 –American Showplace Music

By Phillip Smith; Sep 19, 2015

Not only is John Ginty an amazing keyboardist, he surrounds himself with amazing talent and continues to release the most outstanding music I’ve heard.  Ginty returns to Showplace Studios in Dover, NJ with guitarist Mike Buckman, bass player Paul Kuzik, and drummers, Dan Fadel and Andrei Koribanics to record his latest masterpiece of all original songs, No Filter.

The album begins and ends with the funky and very soulful “Fredo”, taking its name from the character Frederico "Fredo" Corleone from Mario Puzo’s Godfather.  The first time we hear the song, it is an instrumental, but when we hear the remix at the end, it takes on a whole new personality.  The one and only Redman throws down rhymes of his own mastery infusing a hip-hop vibe into this wonderful track about backstabbers and losers.   

“Old Shoes”, featuring the magnificent contralto voice of Alexis P. Suter and swampy guitar from Jimmy Bennett, is wonderfully bluesy.  Suter belts this song out with attitude and conviction.  Cara Kelly takes the mic on the colossal R&B track “Battlegrounds”.  Ginty tosses everything he’s got into his performance, bombarding the soul on every level.  While on the topic of ‘soul’, Ginty commandeers the bus and drives us to his chapel for a “Rock ‘n Roll Sunday”.  I love the sound of the B3 on this poppy and spirited track sung by Paul Gerdts.  Now this is my kind of church music.  Amen!

John Ginty - Bad News Travels Live CD/DVD

2014 – American Showplace Music 

By Phillip Smith; Jan 24, 2015

John Ginty’s latest album, Bad News Travels Live, is an electrified bowl of funky blues., New Jersey B-3 master Ginty recorded this twelve track, two disc album this past June, in front of a small audience, at Showplace Studios, in Dover NJ.  His band is composed of guitarist Mike Buckman, bass player Paul Kuzik, and drummers, Dan Fadel and Andrei Koribanics.  Joining Ginty was a superstar cast of guest musicians consisting of Albert Castiglia, Todd Wolfe, Chris Jacobs, Alexis P. Suter, and Jimmy Bennett.   

Saturated with a suitcase full of soul, Ginty’s playing reminds me so much of Booker T Jones.  Dripping of Sixties-era Memphis soul music, “Switch” emits a wave of encompassing good vibrations. “Arrivals” follows suit and continues the vibe.  

Tempos and moods both change when “Black Cat” comes around.  This slow-cooked blues tune, turns into a furious dueling jam between Albert Castiglia’s nitro-fueled guitar licks and Ginty’s ‘too hot to handle’ B-3 sounds.  Castiglia appears again for the Allman Brothers flavored tune, “Damage Control”.  Also lending a hand on that track is guitarist Chris Jacobs and singer Alexis P. Suter, who wonderfully belts out the lyrics with her amazingly deep trademark voice.  Suter also sings on the soulful R&B song, “Seven and the Spirit”.  I like the way it playfully closes out with a homage to both Otis Redding and The Blues Brothers, giving us a little taste of “I Can’t Turn You Loose”.     

“Rock Ridge” embodies the spirit of the late Frank Zappa, with its unique chord progressions and fascinating tempo changes.  A flawless guitar performance from Todd Wolfe and an awe-inspiring display of Ginty’s musical chops, make this a favorite.

I like how the entire cast is gathered together for the finale, “Trinity”.  This jam lasts nearly nine minutes in length, and leaves the listener uplifted, much the same way one would expect to feel exiting an old-time gospel tent revival.  It certainly leaves me with a smile on my face.  Bad News Travels Live is definitely one of the better live recordings I've heard in a while.    

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

Bruce Katz Band - Homecoming

2014 – American Showplace Music

By Phillip Smith; Nov 1, 2014

Just give the Bruce Katz Band’s Homecoming a listen and you will find out rather quickly why he has been nominated three times for the "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year” Blues Music Award.  Legendary keyboardist Katz, is backed by guitarist/vocalist Chris Vitarello and drummer Ralph Rosen.  Special guests on this album include John Hammond, Jimmy Bennett, Marty Ballou, Peter Bennett and Randy Ciarlante. Homecoming is symbolic of Katz’s return to work on his own music, after several years of backing the likes of Gregg Allman and Delbert McClinton.  The music selected for this thirteen track album, is steeped heavily in Blues and Jazz, then delivered via feel-good jams.

Katz brings a new life to Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Santa Fe Blues” as a piano performance piece with a slightly quicker tempo than the original.  With Blues Hall of Famer John Hammond at the helm on vocals, this song has an amazingly authentic bluesy sound.  From the acclaimed Alexis P Suter Band, guitarist Jimmy Bennett and bassist Peter Bennett drop by to jam on Elmore James’ “Wild About You Baby”.  J. Bennett not only rips it up on guitar, but takes the vocal lead on this great cover as well.  

Joining Katz and gang again, J. Bennett sings and plays guitar on one of his own originals “It’s a Bad Time”.  It’s so fun to listen him and Katz playfully dance their instrumentation around in this Coltrane-influenced jam. I love the abundance of jazzy instrumentals Katz scatters about the album, such as “No Brainer”, “The Czar”, and my favorite “Amelia”, which has a vibe that reminds me of Page McConnell from Phish. 

It’s so cool how an album such as Homecoming can exude such positive energy and maintain that output from start to finish.  Honestly, I could listen to this album all day long and not get tired of it at all.     

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

The Alexis P. Suter Band - Love the Way You Roll

2014 – American Showplace Music

By Phillip Smith; Oct 25, 2014

There is something magnificent about listening to The Alexis P. Suter Band’s new album, Love the Way You Roll.  It’s raw, swampy, bluesy and utterly fantastic.  Suter takes full command of her microphone, exquisitely belting out each song as her band, made up of guitarist Jimmy Bennett, drummer Ray Grappone, bassist Peter Bennett, and backing vocalist Vicki Bell, dishes out amazingly tight performances.  Also appearing on the album, is John Ginty with his Hammond B3 in tow.

“Nuthin’ In the World” ushers the listener into this funky energized album heavily steeped in the blues, with catchy hooks and outstanding musicianship. Suter and company shine on “Big Mama” as well.  I love it when J. Bennett breaks out the slide.  It sounds so good alongside Suter’s uniquely styled contralto vocals.  

Title track, “Love the Way You Roll”, is mesmerizing, as it seems to dip into the well of trance blues.  J. Bennett lets each strum of the guitar hang heavy in the air, adding to the psychedelic effect created by the hypnotic framework built by Grappone and P. Bennett.  It’s so cool how this song transforms into the oh-so-familiar “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”.  J. Bennett throws down another great performance on “Gonna’ Love You”. 

One of the most beautiful tracks on the album is “Anything”.  Soulful and slow, this one is so full of emotion it pulls on my heartstrings, much like Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”.  J.Bennett seems to extract tears right out of his guitar, as Sutter immerses herself fully into her performance.   

I can’t help but smile, when I hear the cover of Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips”.  It’s such a happy and fun track to listen to.  Love the Way You Roll, nothing short of a masterpiece, is certain to end up as one of my favorite releases for the year.