Terry Evans

Terry Evans - Blues For Thought - 1994 - Point Blank

Ex-Ry Cooder alum and studio veteran vocalist Terry Evans, immediately following his split with partner Bobby King and just prior to his series of great recordings on Audioquest, tracked this 1993 solo effort "Blues For Thought" for the Pointblank/Virgin label and subsequently met with great praise for both sonics and performance. Producer (and guitarist for this date) Ry Cooder creates a fine R&B tinged collection featuring the strong, soulful voice of Evans with support from the likes of drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, and R&B guitar legend Robert Ward. © amazon.com

Terry Evans was a back-up vocalist for the great Ry Cooder and sang on many of Ry's albums. "Blues For Thought" is Terry's first solo release, with Ry Cooder producing, and playing guitar. Ry's playing is brilliant throughout. .Listen to his guitar work on "Get Your Lies Straight". Pure magic! Terry Evans' vocals are outstanding and the back up band is fabulous, especially Joachim Cooder's percussion, and Hutch Hutchinson's basswork. "I Want to be Close to You", "That's the Way Love Turned Out for Me", and Johnny Otis' "So Fine" are all stand out tracks, but there isn't a dud track on the album. This is one of the best soul/blues/R&B albums released in the nineties, and is HR by A.O.O.F.C. The album is somewhat overlooked, and needs a wider audience. Support Terry Evans, and buy his "Mississippi Magic" album. Don't forget to give Ry Cooder's classic "Bop Till You Drop", and "Paris Texas" albums a listen

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Too Many Cooks Willie Dixon
Hey Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut Bo Diddley
Shakespeare Didn't Quote That Terry Evans
Natcha Bone Lover Terry Evans
That's the Way Love Turned out for Me Ry Cooder, Quinton Claunch, Dave Hall
So Fine Johnny Otis
Get Your Lies Straight Denise LaSalle, Ora Jones
Live, Love and Be Friends Terry Evans
Honey Boy Terry Evans
I Want to Be Close to You, God Terry Evans

MUSICIANS

Terry Evans (Guitar (Acoustic), (Vocals)
Ry Cooder (Guitar), (Guitar (Acoustic),(Guitar (Electric), (Oud)
Robert Ward (Guitar (Electric)
James "Hutch" Hutchinson, Larry Taylor (Bass)
Spooner Oldham (Organ), (Piano)
Art Hillary, Frankie Ford (Piano)
Jim Keltner (Drums)
Joachim Cooder (Percussion)
Gil Bernal (Sax (Tenor)
The Paramount Singers (Vocals), Arnold McCutler (Vocals)
Arnold McCuller (Vocals (Background), (Harmony Vocals)
Ray Williams (Vocals (Background)

REVIEW

Produced by Evans' former employer Ry Cooder, Blues for Thought often sounds like a Cooder album with a great singer. Better yet, Cooder has retained the services of some A-list studio cats, but manages to make them sound like drunken denizens of a Mississippi roadhouse. With the legendary Jim Keltner leading the way with his powerhouse thwacka-thwacka, and Cooder laying down his usual ultra-soulful licks, Evans and company groove mightily though a collection of first-rate material, including blues classics and Evans originals that sound like classics. Highlights are numerous, but one is the second song, "Hey Mama, Keep You Big Mouth Shut," which is almost assuredly the only version of a Bo Diddley tune to feature an oud. "That's the Way Love Turned Out for Me" is also a gem; a soul ballad featuring some absolutely gorgeous Cooder slide guitar, the tune allows Evans to show that he is much more than just a gruff blues shouter. Sonically, the record is a sweet audiophile pleasure, with lots of open space; natural reverb; and nasty, nasty guitar tones. Perhaps the only area in which Blues for Thought is lacking is the performance of Evans himself. Make no mistake, he's an amazingly powerful and sublimely tasteful singer, but he somehow comes off as a bit one-dimensional. He hits all the right moves, but, unlike the greatest blues, soul, and gospel singers, just doesn't seem to be especially emotionally invested in the tunes; it's fun, to be sure, but just not as gut-wrenching as it could be. That said, there is enough great musicianship and prime Ry Cooder guitar playing to make the disc a very worthwhile listen. © Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide



BIO

Terry Evans eventually became a soulful, gospel-flavored vocalist fronting a band, but his career took many steps to reach that pinnacle. Like many blues artists, his first exposure to music was in church, where he sang in the junior choir. As is often the case, his parents allowed him to sing only gospel, but on the sneak, he listened to blues artists such as Elmore James, Little Walter, Albert King, and B.B. King. His first break was as a member of a Southern vocal group, the Knights. From there, he moved to Southern California and began picking up guitar and writing songs. Among the songs he wrote were "Love Is a Precious Thing," which was recorded by Pops Staples, and "Hop, Skip, and Jump," recorded by Louie Jordan. In the '70s, he performed as a duo with Bobby King, performing on the chitlin circuit to purvey their brand of Stax-styled soul and gospel. A hard-working performer, Evans continued with King while at the same time working as a background vocalist for Ry Cooder, both on Cooder's albums and in the touring band. Evans' breakthrough came during the movie Crossroads, where he sang lead on "Down in Mississippi" and the title piece during the film. In 1993, Evans released his first solo album, Blues for Thought, on Pointblank. While providing backing vocal tracks for Lloyd Jones' Trouble Monkey, he attracted the attention of record producer Joe Harley, who then signed Evans to Audioquest. Evans recorded two fine albums with Harley, Puttin' It Down and Come to the River. Walk That Walk followed in early 2000; Mississippi Magic was issued a year later. © Char Ham, All Music Guide