Pat Pepin
"In It For The Long
Haul"
Peter "Blewzzman"
Lauro � September 2009
"In It For the Long Haul" is
not just the name of Pat Pepin's latest release. They are the very
words that she lives by and it's a phrase she confidently uses to
describe her career in the music business. In a business that's short
on longevity, those are some tough words. On the other
hand, Pat's a tough gal. Just ask her where she's from and she'll
proudly say "I'm from Maine, where the men are men and the women are too."
With an attitude like that, along with having a mastery over the
tenor sax, outstanding vocal talents and a great songwriting
ability, I believe Pat Pepin may just live up to her motto.
On "In It For the Long Haul"
Pat Pepin on vocals, tenor sax, acoustic guitar, soprano sax and
trombone, is joined by: Bob Colwell on piano, organ, bass and clarinet; Steve
Jones on guitar, bass, dobro, banjo and tambourine; Dave Thibodeau on bass;
Richard Hollis on drums, conga and tambourine; Pat Colwell on lead guitar;
Angela Plato on trumpet. The disc features a dozen tracks, of which
nine are Pat Pepin originals. Showcasing her versatility, the songs
cover many styles of blues.
One of her originals,
"Don't Call Me Baby, Baby", features Pat doing two
of the things she does best..... telling off a man and blowin' the
hell out of her sax, and she may be at discs best on the latter. This one
also features a great rhythm groove and several hot piano highlights.
You'll feel like you're strollin' down
Bourbon Street when "Can't Take it With You" comes on.
This is a nice mix of Cajun Blues and Dixieland Jazz and
showcases Pat's sense of humor in her writing. The lyrics are a
hoot and the horns are hot on this party style sing-a-long.
Be careful if you're driving when
this one comes on. This smokin' Texas style blues will make you feel like
a "Long Haul Trucker", speeding along on I-10 in a rush to get
to San Antonio. This one's a no holds barred jam with
everyone's pedal to the metal. Great lead guitar, fiery rhythm
and flame throwin' sax all highlight this one.
This track has Pat
wondering what a lot of us are wondering these days...."Why
Me?". I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that Pat's
got this jazz lounge, singer thing down pat. This one's all her.
With the band in a smooth and tight jazz groove behind her, she shines on
vocals and sax.
It wouldn't be a Pat Pepin disc without
a song written, or made famous by, the great Etta James. This time she
chose the very beautiful "Sunday Kind Of Love". Once again, it's
her vocals and sultry sax riffs that highlight this soft, slow and
very sexy ballad. The slow dancers are going to just love this one.
Before I tell you about the closing
track, the one referred to as the "bonus novelty track", let me set it
up a bit. Ya see, like many blues musicians, Pat Pepin travels the
country in a van. Hers is a mini RV with a vanity license plate
affectionately displaying it's name - PATIBGO (pictured on the back of the
CD cover). Having - on many occasions - taken advantage of
a major national retailers very relaxed policy towards RVer's,
she was inspired to write "Living At Wal-Mart". It's an
incredibly clever and extremely humorous "jingle" about spending
nights at what she calls "America's free campground". You're just gonna
have to hear it to appreciate it.
Other tracks on "In It For the
Long Haul" include: "Can't Be Satisfied", "Can't Take It With
You", "Till Death Do Us Part", "This Dress", "Left Me Lonely"
and "Ain't What You Got" .
Now that Deanna Bogart has made women
saxophone players winning Blues Music Awards a common thing, could it be
long before another one does? Pat Pepin doesn't think so. If
you want to hear why, check her out at
www.patpepin.com. Hopefully
you'll tell her how and why you're visiting.....the Blewzzman sent you and
you want to buy a copy of "
In It For the Long Haul".
Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
