The blues, along
with some funk and Zydeco, have never been in better hands than that of
Elvin
Bishop and his 1959 Gibson Stereo ES 345 Guitar, on the release Elvin Bishop - Red Dog Speaks.
The
release contains Elvin's cutting wit, powerful blues grooves, and an
all-star
cast of musicians.
Elvin Bishop -
Red Dog Speaks
Red Dog Speaks: Red Dog Speaks; Neighbor Neighbor;
Fat & Sassy; Barbecue Boogie; Many Rives to Cross; Blues Cruise; Doo-Wop
Medley; Get Your Hand Out of My Pocket; His Eye is On the Sparrow; Clean
Livin'; Midnight Hour Blues
Personnel: Elvin Bishop: Vocals, Guitar; John Németh:
Vocals, Harmonica; Roy Gaines: Vocals, Guitar; Tommy Castro: Guitar; Ronnie
Baker Brooks: Vocals, Guitar; Stanley "Buckwheat Zydeco" Dural: Accordion; Kid
Andersen: Guitar; Mike Schemer: Rhythm Guitar; Bob Welsh: Piano; Ruth Davies:
Bass; June Core: Drums; Bobby Cochrane: Drums; Ed Earley: Trombone, Vocals;
Snakebite: Tenor Saxophone; Sir Reginald Master Dural: Rubboard; Tom Poole:
Trumpet; R. C. Carrier: Rubboard; Terry Hanck: Tenor Saxophone
Elvin Bishop - Red Dog Speaks was produced by Elvin
Bishop and Steve Savage
and released on the Delta Groove
Music label. Elvin Bishop has traveled many miles since his smash 1976
hit Fooled Around and Fell in Love, and
he has accumulated stories, wisdom, and a cutting sense of humor that he
expresses through his '59 Gibson Stereo ES 345 Guitar, lovingly named Red Dog. A
blues veteran of 45 years, he is the epitome of someone who truly loves what he is doing. He uses "Red Dog" as a ventriloquist would use his puppet,
sometimes you are not sure who is really talking.
The opening track Red
Dog Speaks is a sassy slide guitar at its best with Red Dog whimpering some
hot licks while Elvin introduces us to his alter ego. The track is full of
playful lyrics smothered with a sultry groove and demonstrates that Elvin
Bishop and Red Dog are one in the same. John Németh carries the lyrics on the
track Neighbor Neighbor, which has a
funky beat with a brash horn section.
Opening the door to the cutting wit of Elvin Bishop is the
track Fat & Sassy where Elvin
sings about his love of food, his testiness with doctors who warn about "eating
bad," and his desire to enjoy life to its fullest, now. The track contains
blazing guitar riffs and a fat and sassy horn section that complements a
pounding piano and drum bass line. The track Barbecue Boggie is pure boogie-woogie and will have you nodding your
head in time with the song. The band lays a deep blues sound to the cover track
Many Rivers to Cross, and John
Németh's vocals are edgy and emotional as they play off the raw blues
arrangement. The track Blues Cruise, recorded
live during a Blues Cruise, is carried by the Zydeco sound of Stanley Dural
along with some blazing guitar riffs from Tommy Castro and Ronnie Baker Brooks,
and a bluesy harmonica by John Németh.
Other tracks include Doo-Wop
Medley, a look back at the sound of the 50's with Elvin leaning on the
slide guitar fashioning a catchy groove; Get
Your Hand Out of My Pocket, a tight arrangement that brings the band
together in a rousing rendition that is the highlight of the release; His Eye is On the Sparrow, featuring
more of the exemplary slide guitar work from Elvin; Clean Livin' covered solo by Elvin on vocals and guitar that includes
that signature Elvin wit in the lyrics "it wasn't clean livin', that is one
thing I know;" and the release closes with the track Midnight Hour Blues, a slow blues arrangement
that lets the listener down gently after a joy ride through the blues with
Elvin and Red Dog.
Websites where you can procure Elvin Bishop - Red Dog
Speaks are AOL
Music, LimeWire
Store, Amazon,
iTunes,
and CD Universe.
© August 2010. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com.
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