#449 : Eric Hughes Band - Postcard from Beale Street

2020 – Endless Blues Records

By Phillip Smith; June 13, 2020

The first time I remember seeing Eric Hughes perform was in 2016 at Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grill on Beale Street in Memphis.  Lawler’s was having a soft grand opening and Beale Street was busy with festival-goers waiting for Memphis in May to commence.  Since then, I have made a point to catch him play whenever I am in the Bluff City.  I can usually find him playing at Rum Boogie Café or outdoors over at Central BBQ – Midtown during Sunday lunch.  His performances are engaging and his original songs are spectacular.  Postcard from Beale Street, the sixth release from the Eric Hughes Band, packs ten wonderful original songs spanning a diverse assembly of musical styles rooted in Americana and The Blues.  With Eric on vocals, harmonica, and guitar, the rest of the band consists of his brother Walter Hughes on guitar and backing vocals, bassist Leo Goff, and drummer Brian Aylor.  Also appearing on the album is Rick Steff on keys, Marc Franklin on trumpet, Kirk Smothers on saxophone, and Mick Kolassa on tussolin, spoons, and backing exclamations.

Leading the album off is a scrappy blues song called “Ain’t Whipped Yet”.  Walter’s guitar absolutely sings while Steff keeps it swinging on keys.  Hughes’ nostalgic ode to liquor “Oh Booze!” is simply marvelous.  The arrangement of the horns interestingly assists in capturing the essence of music from the early 20^th century.  Walter breaks out some cool-as-hell Hendrix-like licks on “He’s Just an Alley Cat”.  This infectious blues-rocker is best heard at high volume.  I love “Follow Your Stupid Little Dreams”.  Not only is it a great mantra to live by, this delightful ditty keeps getting stuck in my head.    

The rhythm section is revved and topped with hot blasts of horns in “Fair Weather Friends”.  This rocking upbeat track ironically exposes those who bail on us when the party ends.  It’s Hughes’ storytelling songs like “Blackberry Patch” which define his artistry as a songwriter.  The imagery embedded in the song invokes memories of playing alone outdoors as a child.  I love the use of the resonator guitar on this one.  The song is indeed a favorite.

Eric Hughes has honed his craft by logging over 4,000 live performances on Memphis’ historical Beale Street.  That’s a feat in and of itself.  The music from Postcard from Beale Street is definitely reflective of that, and is a refreshing change of pace to listen to.                   

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : erichughesband.com

#331 : The Eric Hughes Band - Meet Me in Memphis

2017 – Eric Hughes Music

By Phillip Smith; April 28, 2018

If you’ve listened to live music on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee within the past seventeen years, there’s a good chance you’ve heard Eric Hughes on stage performing his unique and captivating blend of blues.  He took up residency on the historic Official Home of the Blues in 2001, and plays there on a regular basis still today.  Meet Me in Memphis, marks his fifth album to date, and is an homage to the city in which he was born and raised.  The Eric Hughes Band consists of Eric Hughes on vocals, guitars, harmonica, and percussion, Walter Hughes on guitars, mandolin, lap-steel, Leo Goff on bass guitar, Brian Aylor on drums, Chris Stephenson on keyboards, Art Edmaiston on saxophone, Marc Franklin on trumpet, along with Susan Marshall and Reba Russell on backing vocals.

The nine track album rolls out the gate, ready for business, with “Freight Train of Pain”.  This southern rocker comes loaded with scads of blues-soaked harp and ripping guitar riffs.  Hearing title track “Meet Me in Memphis” ushers me right to the heart of the Bluff City with a longing for some fine music, tasty barbeque, and a tall glass of sweet tea.  With a robust horn accompaniment, chords, and Steve Cropper-like guitar licks, I love how the song gently taps into the soulful sounds of Stax Records.

Hughes has a gift for incorporating the lost art of story-telling into his songs. A captivating tale of outlaw nature is spun in his western ballad “The Day They Hanged the Kid”.  Franklin, on trumpet, suavely tops the song with a little Spanish seasoning.  With poetic truth, and a shovelful of satire, the troubles of the hipster nation finally get the spotlight in Hughes’ humorously penned “Midtown Blues”.  Once pulled in by Aylor’s caffeinated beat and Goff’s funky bassline on “Here Comes the Boogie Man”, there’s no escape from   Eric’s magnificent harmonica performance and Walter’s wonderfully ominous guitar licks.  

In joyous celebration of one of America’s favorite pastimes, the album closes with “Believe I’m Going Fishing”.  I simply adore this song.  It’s catchy as hell.  In fact, the whole record is that catchy.  Meet Me in Memphis is a terrific album, and a splendid delight.        

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