2023 – Junkyard Dog
Productions
By Phillip Smith; July 15, 2023
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
Sunday Morning Sessions, the new album from Jimmy Bennett (Bennett Brothers, Alexis P. Suiter, John Ginty, Bruce Katz) stole my heart from the first listen. Bennett, an original member of Levon Helm's Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York, began writing this record on Easter Sunday 2020 as a response to the beginning days of the Coronavirus outbreak. That day, he wrote, recorded, and posted a video for his new song “Easter Morning Melody” on Facebook. The positive response he received encouraged him to keep moving forward, spawning the Sunday Morning Sessions which he continues producing today. This record is a tribute to those Sunday sessions and to the listeners who tune in. Produced by John Ginty at Shark Tank Studio in Sarasota, Florida, the album features Bennett on acoustic guitar, dobro, and vocals, with Ginty on Vintage Vibe piano, Hammond organ, and drums.
Bennett begins the listening experience with the instrumental title-track “Easter Morning Melody”. Its bright melody rolls off his guitar on waves of bliss and flows like a soft breeze on a sunny Spring day. With dobro and slide in hand, Bennett captivates me with “Snow Sliding”. Ginty holds this swampy instrumental treat down with a steady, thunderous beat and it sounds magnificent. Bennett shares a simple but profound insight about life in “Bay Ridge Blues”. I find this infectious song repeatedly bouncing around my head. I’m quite taken by the song “Mr. Charlie”. This character-driven, story-telling ditty has a Beatles-esque charm with a deliverance reminiscent of The Band. Bennett’s guitar prowess truly shines on the instrumental “Broken River Stream”. It is an amazing listen. I love the singer/songwriter approach to his cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. Recorded with just Bennett on vocals and guitar, this ‘Man in Black’ classic sounds fresh and rootsy.
I absolutely adore this album. The songs of Jimmy Bennett’s Sunday Morning Sessions seem to connect directly right into the soul.
For more information about Jimmy Bennett visit the website :
https://www.thebennettbrothersband.com/
Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews mentioning Jimmy Bennett at :
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Jimmy+Bennett
