2016 – Mississippi Delta
Records
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 10, 2016
Jackson, Mississippi
recording artist Stevie J. Blues is
serving up some great tunes on his latest release Back 2 Blues. Incorporating
down-home blues, and hot buttered soul, his music is loaded with outstanding
guitar licks, smooth vocals, funky bass-lines, and old-time gospel-inspired
beats.
A friendly swaying groove, peppered
with blasts of brass from The Jackson
Horns, surrounds Stevie J. as he
invites the world to just show a “Lil’ Mo’ Love”. Holding nothing back, he
then full-on embraces the funk in a classic George Clinton “P-Funk” style on “Good Good”, firing off hot guitar
licks guided by a catchy rhythm laid down by drummer Nick Merisaul and keyboardist Kendrick
Hart. Produced and co-written by the
multi-talented “Saint” Anthony Dalcoe
(Curtis Mayfield, James Brown), this track stands out in
a big positive way.
Gospel-flavored trance beats,
swampy slide guitar and the flowing sounds of Scott Albert Johnson on harp bring a delicious authenticity to “Come
See Me”. One can feel the heartfelt
emotion hanging in the air as Stevie J.
sings about lost love in “Another Jody Song”.
This killer bluesy heartbreaker was written by Omar Cunningham, who also appears on the backing vocals.
Stevie J. rips
it up on guitar, capturing my attention as he enlightens us with the story of his
path to the blues, while being the “Son of a Sanctified Preacher”. This follows
with a spirited performance of “Stranger in the City”, a song dedicated to his late
mother, and featuring Dwayne Watkins
and Dr. MJ Johnson. Back
2 Blues closes out with a terrific instrumental blues jam called “Blues By
the Bay”. I could listen to this all
day.
