Billy Pierce - Shapes of Soul

2016 –  Got Slide Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 3, 2016

The tunes on Billy Pierce’s latest album, Shapes of Soul is chock full of New Orleans-rooted jams topped off with some of the best slide guitar around.  Pierce’s band includes the multi-talented bassist/producer Charlie Wooton, drummer Doug Balote, and keyboardist Keiko Komaki.  Special guests include the magnificent trombonists of Bonerama ( Mark Mullins, Craig Klein, and Greg Hicks), Mike Zito, Jason Ricci, Jeff T. Watkins, and Michael Doucet.   

Pierce sings about struggling with money in “Paycheck to Paycheck”, an electric song with a smooth jazz vibe, featuring a terrific performance by the guys in Bonerama.  Harp player Jason Ricci dishes out a captivating performance on “Me and the Misses”.  Title track “Shapes of Soul” is a wondrous instrumental in which Keiko Komaki ‘s piano performance beautifully compliments Pierce’s slide guitar.  “Delta Queen”, a torch song for the southern man is immersed in a cool groove and slathered with scrumptious slide as well.  The contrasting guitars from Zito and Pierce sound amazing on “Tears of Joy”.  I love the way this song takes a hard right turn into the land of controlled chaos.  This song turns into one tasty jam when Balote ups the tempo and Komaki attacks the B3 with full force.  Massive waves of funk and infectious grooves make “Katrina” a definite standout.

 I get a little hypnotized with each and every listen to this delightful instrumental.

Pierce carefully explores the music acknowledged for its southern roots, and creates beautiful micro-blends of jazz, blues, and country which lay the foundation for Shapes of Soul.    

Deanna Bogart - Just a Wish Away…

2014 – Blind Pig Records

By Phillip Smith; July 12, 2014

Deanna Bogart keeps getting better and better.  Her latest release, Just a Wish Away is an instant classic featuring outstanding songwriting and superb performances. Capturing the creativity of Carole King, the spunk of Bonnie Raitt, and the vocal style of Christine McVie, Bogart seizes the listener’s attention quickly. Enlisting bassist Charlie Wooton, and New Orleans’s favorite horn section Bonerama, makes the album even more alluring.

I absolutely love “Back and Forth Kid”.  Beautifully played, this heartfelt song about growing up under lousy conditions sports an instant familiarity, as if it were a song heard a million times before.   “What is Love Supposed To Do” a pretty song of longing and dusting off old memories, also has a certain familiarity to it.  Marty Rifkin on steel guitar brings a nice little smidge of country to the song.         

Bogart breaks loose on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Tightrope”, hitting the ivories with full force to give the song new life as a piano-centric tune.  Without SRV’s signature guitar present, my brain took a little time to absorb what the song actually was the first time I heard it.  Going deep, Bogart teams up with Chris Jacobs, taking on JD Souther’s “If You Have Crying Eyes”, from his Black Rose album. Jacobs plays guitar and covers the other half of the vocals in this duet.  The two have great chemistry together, and sound as if they have been performing together for years. 

Sure to be a live staple, Deanna takes a turn to the funky side with Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime”. Wooton’s bass breaks loose on this track and Bonerama tops it off with their cool blasts of brass. 

Deanna Bogart’s talents are many, and this new album is very enjoyable.  Take the plunge and give Just a Wish Away… a listen.

Billy Pierce & Friends - Take Me Back to the Delta

By Phillip Smith; April 5, 2014

Listening to the new album, Take Me to the Delta from Billy Pierce & Friends is like taking a mini musical vacation to New Orleans.  The songs are marinated in a Cajun-style country blues sauce and served buffet-style, so as to make sure everyone gets a little of what they have to offer.  Along with Pierce, who handles the vocals and slide guitar, is bassist Chris Miller and drummer Billy Meyers.  Joining the band is a multitude of guest musicians which include the likes of Sonny Landreth, Charlie Wooton, Waylon Thibodeaux and the guys from Bonerama.

Title track, “Take Me Back to the Delta” is a bluesy treat.  With guests Landreth on slide, Wooton on bass, and Thibodeaux fiddling away, you can’t go wrong. This one is just plain fun.  I really like the instrumental, “Song For Sonny”.  This is my favorite.  It pretty much falls into the category of trance blues.  Guest drummer Johnny Digiovanni, keeps a steady interesting beat running throughout the song as Pierce plays some bodacious slide guitar. I would love to hear a full album of more songs like this one.  Coming in at number two, is “Rooster”, a song about putting stuff behind you and letting go.  Jimmy Carpenter’s sax playing surely contributes to the cool factor.  While on the subject of cool factors, check out Wooten’s funky bass track on “Big Joe”.  It goes really well with that cool swampy slide Pierce lays down.      

A couple of notable covers to mention are Big Bill Broonzy’s “Key to the Highway”, and Hank Williams Sr.’s “Jambalaya”.  Like Heinz ketchup, the Broonzy cover is ‘Slow Good’.  Bonerama provides the horns and Johnny Neel tickles the ivories, giving this a really nice authentic New Orleans sound.  And we all know, no trip to The Big Easy is complete without a big bowl of the aforementioned Jambalaya.  This bowl is spiced up with help from Thibodeaux, Digiovanni, and Henry Ramato on accordion.  

Take Me Back to the Delta has some really cool musical components, and fans of both Blues and Zydeco music are encouraged to check this album out.