BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN"
LAURO © OCTOBER 2007
"YEAH BABY!"......OK, now hold on just a minute - that was not meant to
be read as the discs title, that was a reaction. Did you notice the
exclamation point? That's right, "YEAH BABY", the new CD by THE
PREACHERS has the Blewzmann saying "yeah baby".
THE PREACHERS
are a Southern California based upbeat, alternative blues band led by BRIAN
BATCHLEY and DAVID REO, who combined to write all of the discs
tracks. Musician wise, the ensemble on "YEAH BABY" consists of:
BRIAN BATCHLEY on harmonica, vocals and rhythm guitar; DAVID REO on guitar and
vocals; SAM BOLLE on bass; DAXX NEILSEN on drums; JIM CALIRE on piano and organ;
ANGIE MATSON on backup vocals and "meows"; The 24/7 Singers on background vocals
and hand claps.
"YEAH BABY" opens with the title track. It's a hot
shuffle that will surely have you singing along to the chorus
line. Musically, it's an all out jam. The rhythm sections right on
the mark and along with tearing it up on guitar, DAVID's vocals are
outstanding. Great job by ANGIE on the sexy "yeah babies" as
well.
"JIVE STUFF" opens with a "whammer jammer" style intro by BRIAN
on the harp then continues into a very rhythmic six and a half minute takeoff on
"Hand Jive". Great drum work by DAXX on this one.
"LOVE
MY MONKEY" is another smoker. This one starts out fast and never looks
back. Some of the CD's best harp and drum work can be heard right
here. BRIAN'S vocals, along with help from the 24/7 Singers, add
additional highlights to this - one of the discs best tracks.
The
blues don't get any better than what you'll hear on "911". I've
got half the disc to go and have already decided I'm listening to the best track
on it. This is my kinda stuff - great blues harp and gritty, soulful
vocals by BRIAN, plenty of flame throwing guitar riffs by DAVID and the soft and
steady groove of JIM on the Hammond B3 organ, constantly in the
background. This was the best seven minutes of my day.
"24/7" and "BETTY JOE" are two more smokers that will
surely get you shakin'. As with "YEAH BABY", everyone's locked
into a tight groove on both of these shuffles. JIM'S keyboards highlight
both tracks. On "24/7", he's tearing it up on the piano and
on "BETTY JOE", he's once again working his magic on that
Hammond Organ. More good stuff right here.
Fortunately,
for this listener anyway, both of the discs longest tracks were the two low
down and dirty blues numbers. Taking nothing away from the rest
of the band, this one is all about the bandleaders. On "BRING ME A
WOMAN", you will unquestionably hear some of the best guitar, harmonica and
vocal work on the disc. BRIAN and DAVID took it up a notch on this one -
another of "YEAH BABY'S" highlights.
This review has been complimentary written
for your newsletter by Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro, a contributing writer for
BLUESWAX and the Blues Editor at www.Mary4Music.com where you can read many
more CD and live show reviews, view lots of blues photographs and find an
abundance of blues material. I can be reached at
Blewzzman@aol.com 