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| Dicky James & The Blues Flames ~ Hard Rain by Melissa Martinez  Richard "Dicky James" Wagster may not be a musician that you're familiar with, and to be honest, I wasn't either before hearing this CD. In 2008 Dicky (vocals, guitar) formed the Flames with Bob "Icehouse" Freeze (harp), Johnny "Lightning Boy" Beeson (Hammond), Mark "P Funk" Ford (bass), and Will Cox (drums). Hailing from Terre Haute, Indiana the boys take the Chicago Blues and make them their own. The CD has nine original tracks, two covers, and is dedicated to the memory of Pinetop Perkins, a Blues legend. I think Pinetop would be proud of what the band has done on this album. From the opening notes of "A Real Good Blues" to the final notes of the "hidden track" that's not listed on the liner, Dicky James And The Blue Flames prove that they know what they're doing.Let me touch on the covers briefly. We all know that I am NOT a fan of covers, but sometimes they are done well. Such is the case here. "Born Under A Bad Sign" is given a fresh sound that's raw and gritty. B.B. King's "Rock Me" is down and dirty and by far one of my favorite covers of all time. Considering that I am in awe of all B.B. does, that is high praise indeed. Now onto some of the original songs and what stands out to me. "Bulldog Talkin'" has some great slide work and has you groovin'. "Low Down Dirty Dog Blues" is full of great lyrics and great musicianship and truly says "Blues" to me. One track that takes a complete left turn but had me liking it in spite of myself is "Special To Me". It combines the grooves of Chicago with a lyric that is definitely rap. I don't know why it works so damn well, but it does. I'm not a fan of rap, mostly because of the lyrics, but taking a Blues sensibility and combining it with some killer riffs from James makes this a winner. The whole CD is great. There isn't a track that screams filler to me and it isn't all just one style of Blues. Although it's rooted in the Chicago sound, it never grows boring. James delivers raw emotion, and The Blue Flames add serious chops throughout. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |