#395 : Big Daddy Wilson - Deep in My Soul

2019 – Ruf Records

By Phillip Smith; June 11, 2019

Deep in My Soul, the latest album from the Big Daddy Wilson, is a magnificent platter of soulful blues.  This North Carolina born bluesman who now calls Northern Germany his home, trekked back to the U.S. to begin working with Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines.  Recording began at Gaines’ Bessie Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee, and wrapped up at the legendary FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  With Laura Chavez onboard playing guitar, Wilson’s killer rhythm section is comprised of Memphians Dave Smith on bass, and Steve Potts on drums.

With a soulful Memphis Stax vibe, the album begins with “I Know”.  Chavez immerses herself into Steve Cropper-mode and the rest of the band follows suit.  With additional accompaniment from Brad Guin and Ken Waters, aka The Alabama Horns, the stage is perfectly set for Wilson’s deep, engaging vocals.  “Tripping On You” is another terrific track saturated in the funky, soulful sound of Stax.  It is purely delightful.  The inescapable hook of “Ain’t Got No Money” keeps me on the line while I gush over the slide guitar.  I absolutely love the funky riffs, soul-wrenching vocals, and an infectious groove on title track “Deep in My Soul”.  Ominous and seductive, “Voodoo” is one cool-as-hell blues-soaked track.  It’s as if it were pulled right out of a Mississippi swamp.

This album from Big Daddy Wilson scores high on all levels, and I highly recommend it.        

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For more information about the artist, visit this website: https://www.bigdaddywilson.com

Tommy Talton - Until After Then

2014 – Hittin’ the Note

By Phillip Smith; Nov 22, 2014

I just can’t seem to get enough of singer/songwriter Tommy Talton’s (Cowboy, ex-We the People) latest album, Until After Then.  Not straying too far from his wheelhouse, based on country/southern rock, Talton masterfully walks the listener through this elegantly constructed album using a medley of different themes and musical styles.   

Talton is all revved up and ready to change the world for the better, in title track, “Until After Then”.  Snazzy guitar licks, and catchy hooks reminiscent of Todd Rundgren’s “We Gotta Get You a Woman” bring this track to the forefront. “Real Sugar” is a fun one too. It cleverly lambasts the food industry with its quirky lyrics, knocking the habitual inclusion of synthetic ingredients and additives like high fructose corn syrup and polysorbate 60 into our food.  This track is served with a nice big slice of funk with accompaniment from Kelvin Holly on wah-wah guitar, Brad Guin on sax, and Ken Watters on trumpet.  Still on track with changing the world, “Mr. Love” slows it down a notch to provide a poppy commentary about gun control in a Paul McCartney-esque style.    

I have a soft spot for “My O My”, a cool and fragile little love song about living life “two as one”. Talton beautifully plays this one on acoustic guitar. The track that really puts the smile on my face though, is the bonus track, “Surfin’ the Levee”.  This is a homage to seventies rock, like that heard from bands such as the Allman Brothers and Deep Purple.  Kenny Head attacks the organ much the same way as Edgar Winter, giving an outstanding performance, as Talton throws out tasty groovy licks from his guitar.   

I immensely enjoy the lyrical and stylistic twists and turns that present themselves while listening to this album.  Until After Then is a delight to hear.

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