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| Darrel Andrews: Spider Soul  Darrel Andrews began his lifelong musical journey in Louisiana playing the Trumpet. When Andrews was in school music was not a part of the curriculum and there was no band room so he often found himself outside with other band members practicing under an oak tree. That kind of determination and perseverance would pay dividends in the years to come. During the 70's, the late great Ray Charles sponsored a recording session of seven of Andrews' tunes, and two tunes were recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland. There would be many more defining moments in the career of Darrel Andrews and fast forwarding to present day brings us to his latest achievement Spider Soul.A tune titled "Spider Soul, " originally released in 1971, garnered tremendous interest recently, and inspired Andrews to re-record the tune along with many others he had composed in the 60s and 70s. Now there is a wonderful album with the same title available, which brings all of those songs to life again. The CD offers 14 tracks filled with home cooked rhythm & blues and soul, reminiscent of Isaac Hayes and the like. Andrews’ musicality and sensibilities drive each track while his past shines brightly through the instruments and his contagious vocal exercises. Ironically, the one tune that got all the attention and spurred this project on was the title track, an instrumental gem. Booker T & The MGs and Jimmy Smith (one of the pioneers of the Hammond Organ sound) come to mind while getting your groove on listening to the track. The rest of the album is pure sweet pop, soul, and R & B vocals. There are times in life when bringing up the past can be a good thing and it was a blessing for this artist and everyone that will be listening to the CD. Andrews also found Stretch The Skies, a full service independent musician’s resource to help bring him into the present day to market his CD. Their Music Button technology is part of selling and tracking the release as it gains momentum for the artist. The marriage of new technologies and music are no longer strange bedfellows, they are necessary for the success of an independent artist. It looks like Mr. Andrews is off to a great start. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |