Bluesman
extraordinaire Al
Basile clearly delivers on
his eighth release, Al Basile - The
Goods. Joined by an impressive team of Duke Robillard,
Brad Hellen, Bruce Bears, Mark Teixeira, Doug James,
and The Blind Boys of Alabama - Jimmy Carter, Ben
Moore, Joey Williams, Al Basile - The Goods
will have blues lovers' scrambling to pick up a copy to add to their
collections.
Al Basile - The Goods
Al Basile - The Goods: The Price(I Got to Pay), Along Come the Kid, Lie Down
in Darkness (Raise Up in Light), 1.843 Million, Time Can Wait, I Want to Put it
There, The Itch, Mr. Graham Bell, She's a Taker, Reality Show, Pealing Bells,
Don't Sleep on Santa, Distant Ships
Personnel: Al Basile - vocals, coronet, guiro on Don't Sleep
on Santa; Duke Robillard - guitars; Brad Hellen - bass, Bruce Bears -
keyboards; Mark Teixeira - drums, congas, percussion; Doug James - tenor and
baritone sax, bass clarinet, piccolo on Don't Sleep on Santa; The Blind
Boys of Alabama (Jimmy Carter, Ben Moore, Joey Williams, and Billy Bowers) -
background vocals on Lie Down in Darkness (Raise Up in Light; horn
arrangements by Doug James and Al Basile; vocal arrangement by Joey Williams on
Lie Down in Darkness (Raise Up in Light)
Al Basile - The Goods was produced by Duke Robillard on the Sweetspot Records label.
Al Basil - The Goods opens with the track The Price (I Got to Pay),
which is a tribute to Al's friend, Duke Robillard, which he "originally wrote
(this) for Duke, but it was easy to substitute "horn" for "guitar" in the
lyric, and while I don't play in front of people every night as the song says,
the rest of the lyric captures the attitude - we do pay a price to stay free to
play and sing what we want. But willingly." The song captures the dilemma of
freedom to play balanced with money to make with his lyrics, "I got places - I
got to go, I got people - I have to see, and there's money - I got to make, if
I don't - they won't let me be, I just don't know what's in store, so I guess I
better make some more, cause there's a price I got to pay - if I want to stay
free."
Al introduces his track 1.843
Million in his liner notes writing, "I've been re-watching a lot of film
noir lately, and this song boils a doomed character's last car chase down to
several minutes of musical mayhem in the first person. It was Duke's idea to
take the song into the minor on the outro, and we dressed it up with some
squealing tires, police sirens, and gunfire to punctuate the grim (and
inevitable) denouement. I love to write and sing characters who aren't like me
- it's cheaper than going to (or writing for) the theatre."
Lie Down in Darkness
(Raise Up in Light) is an inspiring
song where hope reigns and features backing vocals by The Blind Boys of
Alabama. Al writes, "Working with The Blind Boys of Alabama was one of the
great experiences of my life - I'm grateful that they found the song
appropriate for them. It uses natural imagery and is spiritually uplifting, but
isn't overtly religious though the lyrics may be heard that way. I got the idea
for the answering voice on the outro in a Memphis
hotel room, where I was staying during the Blues Music Awards. I'll take a good
idea over an award any day."
Al has fun and gets down and
playful, with the track, I Want to Put it There, with his opening
lyrics, "Can't you hear my bull dog barkin', cooped up in the house all day, if
you want to see some happy tail waggin', let ‘im in your yard to play." He
writes that this is "double-entendre blues, New Orleans style. I don't even own a dog. It
was fun playing a plunger solo and an open solo over that groove, though."
Time Can Wait is another catchy tune that dispels the myth that
time cannot wait. When love comes around, grab it any age. His lyrics proclaim,
"They say time waits for no man, and that's been a problem since time began,
That worn-out story keeps getting' told, of how the young get old and the old
get cold, Seems like that tide keeps rollin' in, and time marches over me and
back again, But I'm here to say it's not too late, When it comes to you
darling, time can wait."
Al Basile writes with
tongue-in-cheek and a twinkle in his eye on Don't Sleep on Santa; and
closes out the album with Distant Ships, a song about missed
opportunities and the "what-ifs" of life. Other tracks rounding out the album
include Along Come the Kid, The Itch, Mr. Graham Bell, She's
a Taker, Reality Show, and Pealing Bells.
As always, Al delivers what
he promises on Al Basile - The Goods.
Websites where you can
procure Al Basile - The Goods are Al Basile, Amazon,
Tower Records,
and CD Baby.
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