DENNIS
GRUENLING
"I JUST KEEP LOVIN'
HIM"
(A TRIBUTE TO LITTLE
WALTER)
BACKBENDER
RECORDS
BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN"
LAURO © JULY 2008
Using several
harmonica maestros on a disc dedicated to one of the all time harmonica
giants - LITTLE WALTER - seems like a fitting thing to do and that's exactly
what DENNIS GRUENLING did. Being a formidable player himself, on
"I JUST KEEP LOVIN' HIM", DENNIS GRUENLING is joined by: KIM
WILSON, RICK ESTRIN and STEVE GUYGER - all LITTLE WALTER enthusiasts -
on harmonica and vocals; DAVE GROSS, BILL HUNT, RUSTY ZINN and BOB WELSH on
guitar; SCOT HORNICK, STEVE WOLF and KEDAR ROY on bass; MIKE BRAM and MARTY
DODSON on drums; DOUG "BIG DADDY" SASFAI on sax; "Choice" and - last
but certainly not least - MRS GRUENLING - GINA FOX on
vocals.
Attempting to avoid
this tribute from being a compilation of overdone covers of LITTLE WALTERS'
greatest hits, DENNIS chose some of the legends more obscure works. The
list includes "UP THE LINE", "LOVIN' MAN", "I GOT TO GO", "HOT SHOT", "TOO
YOUNG TO KNOW", "CORBELLA", "IF YOU WERE MINE", "MY LITTLE MACHINE", "TEENAGE
BEAT", "AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU", "TEMPERATURE", "ONE OF THESE MORNINGS", "THAT'S
IT" and "YOU'RE SWEET".
Not being a vocalist
himself, DENNIS distributed that duty equally amongst the four band
mates that are. "LOVIN' MAN" is one that features STEVE
GUYGER singing like one of the many great Chicago bluesmen he's backed up over
the years, with him and DENNIS both getting in their share of hot licks on the
harp.
"HOT SHOT"
is a hot instrumental. This one features DENINIS solely, and quite
aptly, handling the harp work, great rhythm from MIKE and SCOT on the drums
and standup bass, and sharp, steady guitar from DAVE.
RICK ESTRIN, with
clearly one of the most distinguishable voices, takes over the
microphone on "TOO YOUNG TO KNOW". On this track, the
man, who's magnetism is surpassed by none, also provides some of the best harp
work heard on the disc.
Doing what seems to
come naturally to her, GINA heats it up a bit on "IF YOU WERE
MINE". Sultry is a word that - if not careful - can easily become
redundant when GINA'S the topic. This one also features tremendous
sax work from BIG DADDY, DAVE GROSS at discs best on guitar and
DENNIS showing why he is quickly earning himself a spot on many peoples
"favorite harp players" short list.
Oddly enough,
"TEENAGE BEAT" - an instrumental track - which features DENNIS,
RICK and KIM all kickin' it on harp, is highlighted by the rhythm section.
STEVE and MARTY are absolutely on fire on this
one.
It's KIM's turn to
lead on "AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU", and when he's leading you can never go
wrong. Being one of the most soulful white singers these ears have ever
heard and certainly one of the best at blowin' a harp, automatically make this
another of the discs best.
The two of you
reading this that aren't harp fans need not pay further attention.
However, the rest of you need to head on over to www.dennisgruenling.com and grab
yourself a copy of "I JUST KEEP LOVIN' HIM". While you're
there you just might look into taking some harp lessons. Who
knows, maybe in 20 - 30 years I'll be saying all this good stuff about
you.
By the way, with the
conclusion of this review, I have just - for the first time
ever, reviewed back to back discs by husband and wife. Having
said that, I'd like to add that it has been a pleasure working with MR. and MRS.
GRUENLING.
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
