Kid Bangham & Amyl Justin

Kid Bangham & Amyl Justin - Pressure Cooker - 1997 - Tone-Cool

Right from the opening chords of DANGER ZONE you feel in your bones that you are in for a high quality ride in a fine vehicle. Listening to this reminded me of the thrill of the first time I got to drive my friends Vincent Black Lighting. It had a name I recognized, a reputation for drawing wind faster than you could breathe, but that was about all I knew. There was so much more to it than I imagined, just as this disc can rock you further, there is a lot of power used with sensitivity that is to be found in its varied paces. The singing is real, and the voice has the conviction that only comes from the time spent living life thoroughly, one moment at a time. The band is tight, with everyone attending to their own business and adjusts to the moods of each cut. A favorite cut is THE LONELY ONE, just give a listen to the pain percolating from the vocals. The song writing is strong and Kid Bangham had a hand in either writing, or co-writing 10 of the 13 songs here. Whether rocking out, immersed in the blues, or venturing into some Motor City R&B, the band stays firm and unyielding in its delivery of the goods. At times the sound gets a little thin and needs more at the bottom end. This aside it is a fine disc. Where is this duo going ? I'm not sure but it seems a fine ride to be on what ever direction it takes. © 2009-2011 Bob Gottlieb, all rights reserved http://rascalsfair.com/html/b/BanghamKidJustinPresCooker.html

Young blues guitar slinger teams up with rough-hewn soul singer from the Motor City for a set of rockin' blues in a kind of Stevie Ray Vaughan-meets-Rod Stewart (or maybe, more accurately, David Lee Roth) vein. Most of this will appeal more to rock fans than hardcore blues fans, although straight shuffles like "Face Down In The Blues" and Bangham's slow blues instrumental "My Turn To Talk" should register with both camps. Bangham also scores big points with guitar fanatics with his revved-up Hammond B-3 organ-fueled instrumental romp, "Kid Stuff." © Bill Milkowski © 1999–2011 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved http://jazztimes.com/articles/10188-pressure-cooker-kid-bangham-amyl-justin

Kid Bangham spent 10 years in Providence's Sugar Ray (Norcia) and the Bluetones before helping Duke Robillard fill Jimmie Vaughan's shoes in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. After four and a half years, he left the band to be near his daughter in Boston. So unless you're fortunate enough to be part of the Boston-Providence blues axis, you haven't heard much from the skinny guitarist with the Lyle Lovett hairdo -- until now. Bangham and Amyl Justin, a Detroit-based singer who spent some time in Matt "Guitar" Murphy's band before moving to Boston, have teamed up to record Pressure Cooker, an engaging mix of blue-eyed soul, rock and, of course, blues. Bangham plays in the same league with Vaughan (check out the brief guitar solo on "No Justice"), Robillard and Ronnie Earl, a group that prefers finesse over brawn. Collaborator Justin's sound is harder to pin down: He's sort of a cross between Darrell Nulisch and Mitch Ryder. Clearly, both were both influenced by American soul music and the '60s British Invasion. Their Little Richard-esque version of "Rocket In My Pocket" has a Paul McCartney flavor to it, while "Shoot Me" conjures up fun memories of the Faces soon after Rod Stewart came on board. There's also the James Brown-like "Big Man Around Town" and a cover of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog." Elsewhere, Bangham leads the way on a pair of instrumentals, the romping "Kid Stuff" and slow-burning "My Turn to Talk." Justin takes over on a pair of beautiful ballads, "Lonely One" and "Let's Do It Over." Fortunately, Justin and Bangham are capable songwriters, a trait that's especially apparent on "Shoot Me," which includes the telling line: "Girl, I'm giving you permission/You got the ammunition/Just shoot me." There are a couple misfires. Neither "Danger Zone," a straight-ahead rocker, nor "Hurricane Jane," a stab at 1970s funk, add much to an otherwise delightful outing. © Dave Ranney © 1998 by Blues Access, Boulder, CO, USA http://www.bluesaccess.com/No_32/reviews/bangham.html

There are many great blues guitar players currently inhabiting the modern scene, but just as many of them aren't very convincing vocalists despite their command of the instrument. Some settle for a hotshot sideman role; others, like Ronnie Earl, opt for an all-instrumental approach, while still others like Jimmie Vaughan find their voice later in their careers. Former Fabulous Thunderbirds and James Harman Band axeman Kid Bangham has chosen a different route on this disc, a genuine collaboration with white Detroit soul singer Amyl Justin. The sound is California guitar gunslinger blues wedded to solid, emotive vocals that makes for an interesting amalgam of its own. The soul workouts ("I Wouldn't Treat a Dog" and "Big Man Around Town") balance out the blues excursions (Bangham's instrumental "My Turn to Talk"), and neither artist gets in the other's way. It also scores big points for having a high quotient of original material from Bangham and Justin, with "No Justice," "Lonely One" and "I Go Crazy" being particular standouts. Utilizing a loose, revolving rhythm section throughout, the result is an album that combines cohesiveness and versatility with loads of emotional commitment, a pretty unbeatable combination. © Cub Koda © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/pressure-cooker-r315230/review

A great album from Detroit singer Amyl Justin, best known as vocalist with the Boston based Motor City Rhythm Kings, and Kid Bangham, an exceptional guitarist, and former player with the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Rhode Island-based Sugar Ray and the Bluetones. During the '80s, Kid played authentic '50's blues music in the style of artists like Frankie Lee Sims, and Elmore James, while at the same time, creating his own brand of potent and inventive blues music. Kid and Amyl penned six of the album's thirteen tracks. The shuffling "Face Down in the Blues", and the Earl King inspired "Big Man in Town" are great tracks, and exemplify the style of the whole album. This album has blues, soul, funk, Gospel, and great horns. Albums as good as this are uncommon in today's music scene. Kid, himself said, "You know, I really haven't taken the market, and where I fit into it, into consideration with any of this. After the T-Birds, I'm very aware that music is reduced to a kind of sport in this country. So I think I might have an easier time if I tried more mainstream, marketable stuff. But that's not what I'm about." Artists helping out include Ron Levy on organ, Jacques Raymond on bass, Craig MacIntyre on drums, Scott Shetler on sax, and many more. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to the Fabulous Thunderbird's "Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk" album featuring Kid Bangham, and buy Peter Malick's "Sons Of The Jet Age" album featuring Amyl Justin. In 2009, Doug "Kid" Bangham was running the Carver School of Music in Carver, Massachusetts. Read an interview with him @ http://www.barrelhouseblues.com/kid_bangham.htm Support real music!

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Danger Zone - Bangham, Jordan, Wilson 3:49
2 Shoot Me - Bangham, Justin 3:10
3 Face Down in the Blues - Bangham, Justin 3:37
4 I Wouldn't Treat a Dog - Barri, Omartian, Price, Price, Walsh 4:15
5 Big Man Around Town - Bangham, Justin 2:40
6 My Turn to Talk - Bangham 3:44
7 No Justice - Bangham, Justin 4:03
8 Hurricane Jane - Bangham, Justin 3:18
9 Lonely One - Bangham, Justin 4:23
10 Kid Stuff - Bangham 3:56
11 Let's Do It Over - Oldham, Penn 3:26
12 I Go Crazy - Bangham, Clarke 3:45
13 Rocket in My Pocket - Logsdon, McAlpin 2:36

MUSICIANS

Kid Bangham - Guitar
George Lewis - Rhythm Guitar on Track 6
Dave Clark - Bass on Tracks 4,13: Dean Cassell - Bass on Tracks 1,2,10: Jon Ross - Bass on Track 7: John Rider - Bass on Track 6: Jacques Raymond - Bass on Tracks 3,5,8,9,11,12
Bruce Bears - Piano on Track 7
George Papageorge - Organ on Tracks 1,8,10: Ron Levy - Organ on Tracks 3,5: Tom West - Organ on Track 4, & Piano on Track 13
Alizon Lissance - Piano on Tracks 2,9,11
Craig MacIntyre - Drums on Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12: Steve Brown - Drums on Tracks 4, 7, 13: Jordan Lash - Drums on Track 6
Scott Shetler - Tenor Sax on Tracks 2,5,11: Horn Arrangements
Barry Fleisher - Baritone Sax on Tracks 2, 5: Gordon "Sax" Beadle - Baritone Sax on Track 11
Keiichi Hashimoto - Trumpet on Tracks 2, 5
Richard Rosenblatt - Harmonica on Track 12
Amyl Justin - Vocals
The Wealthy Street Full Ground Choraleers: (Reverand Winston Chester Kingfield, Deacon Cleveland C. Akron, Stumpy James Short) - Background Vocals on Track 11