Roomful Of Blues

Roomful Of Blues - Watch You When You Go - 2001 - Rounder

Quite a good album from the great funk/soul jump blues band, Roomful Of Blues. However, Roomful Of Blues have released stronger albums. At one time, ROB included musicians like Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard , Ron Levy, and Greg Piccolo. Some of ROB' best albums were recorded with artists like these. "Watch You When You Go" should not be compared with ROB' other albums like "Raisin' A Ruckus" or "Dance All Night" The album has a lot of merit as regards musicianship. There is some great sax from Rich Lataille, and also some good guitar work from Chris Vachon. The "Tower of Power" style funk, and soul element is still there, but to a lesser degree than most of the band's other albums, and the Stax soul influence can still be heard in "Your Love Was Never There" which is one of the better tracks. However, overall, many of the tracks have a "sameness" about them, and the album lacks that spark of originality. For a better ideaa of Roomful Of Blues' talents, listen to the bands "Dressed Up to Get Messed Up" or "There Goes the Neighborhood" albums.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Roll Me Over Odom 4:01
2 The Salt of My Tears Vachon 3:49
3 You Give Me Nothin' But the Blues Longmire 3:08
4 Your Love Was Never There King 4:33
5 Watch You When You Go Enright 3:42
6 Over My Head Vachon 4:05
7 Backlash Unknown 5:45
8 Fair Weather Friend Vachon 4:34
9 Wait and See Bartholomew, Domino 2:59
10 Where's Bubba? Lataille 5:34

BAND

Mac Odum (vocals);
Chris Vachon (guitar)
Thom Enright (bass)
Hank Walther (keyboards)
Chris Lemp (drums)
Rich Lataille (tenor saxophone)
Bob Enos (trumpet);
Ray Gennari (trombone)

REVIEW

The new CD finds New Englands favorite blues band travelling down a more soulful road. Led by the powerful vocals of Mac Odum, this decades old band (they formed in 1968) covers blues, R&B, a little rock, and a touch of jazz throughout these ten songs. The CD kicks off with "Roll Me Over," a full frontal assault of horns and guitar. The song maintains a groovy beat as Odum sings about his woman, who's never too tired to fulfill his primal urges. The next songs come full of horns, mix in a little lounge drumming, and Buddy Guy style guitar jamming by Chris Vacon, who also produced the disc. Odum's rich vocals are especially soulful and full of emotion as he continues singing about women, relationships and that sweet undercurrent of sex that laces throughout most of the songs. The title track is a healthy stomp and roll, as Odum sings "I hate it when you leave me, but I love to watch you when you go." "Over My Head" has a raunchy blues guitar snap a la Keith Richards, and the upbeat melodies can almost make this a pop song. Bouncy beats continue with "Backlash," with its jump blues guitar. This instrumental is devoid of horns, giving it a classic strut feel. The CD does not let up on the soulful pieces. "Fair Weather Friend" is a strong R&B tune that plays like an old Motown hit. The CD closes with "Wheres Bubba?," which has nothing to do with Southern redneck rock, but instead is a smooth jazz rendering. Roomful Of Blues covers a lot of ground in these songs: jump, swing, jazz, soul, and R&B. Personally, I would have preferred more classic blues, like "Backlash", but this is a band that keeps changing and keeps moving forward by expertly playing what they know. With each member change comes a new knowledge of a new sound. This time around, it's more soul and swing than blues, but it's done so professionally that I don't think, most purists will mind. © Roi J. Tamkin, © 1991-2009 Ink 19

ABOUT ROOMFUL OF BLUES

Formed: 1967 in Providence RI.. For over 40 years, Roomful of Blues has carried the torch for a big band blues sound, and the list of talents that have passed through the band's doors throughout the years is a veritable who's who of successful blues artists. Although they began as a conventional blues-rock band, Roomful of Blues quickly evolved into a traditionally-oriented, R&B influenced jump blues band with a horn section that blew like nobody's business, and a run of superior guitarists that would be the envy of any other band. - The Knickerbocker Years:- Guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley formed Roomful of Blues in 1967 with drummer Fran Christina and bassist Larry Peduzzi. The band began playing the NE club circuit, but really caught on with audiences after Robillard added a pair of sax players in 1970, and another in '71, moving the band's sound towards the jump blues. After a couple of years of onstage practice, the band landed a residency at the Knickerbocker Cafe in Westerly, Rhode Island. As the club's house band, Roomful of Blues knocked out nightly sets of their own infectious tunes as well as backing touring blues artists performing at the club. The band would use the Knickerbocker as its home base for 15 years. - Paving The Way:- Famed songwriter Doc Pomus helped Roomful of Blues grab a record deal; the band's self-titled debut album was released in 1977. Two years later they followed up with the acclaimed Let's Have A Party. Although Robillard would leave to pursue a solo career, the band's moderate success on record and overwhelming popularity as a live draw paved the way for later bands like the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. Roomful of Blues also earned a reputation as a top-notch studio band, performing on albums by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Big Joe Turner, Earl King and even Pat Benatar. Regardless of the changes in personnel, the basic Roomful of Blues sound has remained remarkably the same over the years. Talents as diverse as guitarist Ronnie Earl, singer Lou Ann Barton, and vocalist/harpist Curtis Salgado paid their dues with Roomful of Blues. Recommended Albums: The lively R&B big band sound of Let's Have A Party is virtually a Roomful of Blues trademark, but the 2008 romp Raisin' A Ruckus proved that the band could still jump-n-jive with the best of them. © Reverend Keith A. Gordon, © 2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company

BIO (Wikipedia)

Roomful of Blues is a horn-driven musical band that plays jump blues. The group was formed in Westerly, Rhode Island in 1967 by guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley. Since then, the band has been continually touring and recording. Their debut album, Roomful of Blues, known as "The first Album" on the CD version, was produced by Doc Pomus and Joel Dorn in 1978. They have toured and recorded with great blues artists such as Big Joe Turner, Eddie Vinson, Earl King and others, and the horn section has been in great demand for recordings with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pat Benatar, Colin James and Mitch Woods, to name just a few. Count Basie referred to them as "the hottest blues band I've ever known". Their album with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1983, as it did the one with Big Joe Turner, Blues Train, in 1984. Their recording Turn it On! Turn it Up! 1995 was also nominated. Throughout four decades of continuous touring and recording, the band's line-up has experienced many changes. It is said that more than 50 musicians have been playing in the band. Some of them have achieved a successful solo career. Of note, Porky Cohen, whose career began in the '40s and included playing in the bands of Charlie Barnet, Artie Shaw, Lucky Millinder, Tommy Dorsey and others, was in the band. Rich Lataille, alto and tenor saxophone, is the only remaining member from the original line-up.