I like Jimmy Thackery and have been a fan of his for a number of years.
He doesn't have the best voice, tending towards a gravely sound, but he
is a killer guitar player and always puts on a great live show. Having
said that, I have mixed feelings towards his latest CD. He's brought
back the horns from his last CD and he still has the killer guitar work,
but something is missing on about half the songs on this CD.
'My Searching Is Over' opens with saxophone and guitar work that has an
early 60's sound to it. The vocal is low in the mix. This is a rocking
tune with lots of horns and guitar work. Think Blues Brothers with Horns
on this one.
'I Still Want To Be Your Man' has a Creedence Clearwater Revival sound
to the rhythm guitar work. It has a late 60's sound to it, only darker.
This is a medium speed tune that just doesn't seem to get going.
'It's All Wrong But It's All Right' has a late 50's sound to it. It
sounds almost like a tarted up gospel song with a mix of late 50's
do-wop sound and early 60's stroll dance song. The singing on this tune
is pretty good.
'Where'd My Good Friend Go' again has a late 50's, early 60's sound to
it. Sort of a mix of Motown and blues.
'We Got It', the title cut has a gospel sound to it, particularly in the
chorus. Lots of horns and gospel inspired singing on this one.
'Blue Dog Prowl' is the only instrumental on the CD and is my favorite
cut. It has a pretty cool groove to it, similar to the old Peter Gunn
Theme. The guitar and sax really work together on this tune well. The
guitar work is bluesy and varied enough to keep it interesting. This
would make a great tune for a movie background.
'Dangerous Highway' again digs into the late 50's and early 60's sound.
This would be called a slow dance number back then.
'Big Fat Woman' opens with a guitar lick that sounds like it's directly off a Creedence Clearwater Revival recording. The song is darker sounding of course but the style and format are similar.
Bottom Line: This isn't a bad release by any means. Jimmy's singing is mixed, sounding much better on the slower songs when he avoids the gravely vocals. The musicianship is excellent all around as expected with someone of Thackery's talent. If you like your music with Gospel, late 50's and early 60's influences, and a good dose of sax and horns, then you should like this release. If your a Jimmy Thackery fan, then of
course this is a required purchase. If you like your blues mixed with a solid dose of rock and roll, then you might want to look elsewhere. I give it two out of four stars.
Jimmy Thackery - guitar and vocals
The Drivers are:
Ken Faltinson -- bass, B3, piano
Mark Stutso -- drums and vocals
Jimmy Carpenter -- saxophones
Reba Russell -- backup vocals
And the Cate Brothers are:
Ernie Cate -- keyboards and vocal
Earl Cate -- guitar and backup vocal
Web sites:
www.jimmythackery.com
www.telarc.com
Simply click on the CD cover at left to order this CD NOW!
This review is copyright © 2002 by Robert T. Murphy, and Blues On Stage at: www.mnblues.com, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission.
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