CD Review
Cool Disposition
Rompin' At The Ribshack
Cold Wind (2003) 03042
13 tracks, 68 minutes.
by Craig Ruskey
Review date: August 2003
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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While the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis/St. Paul might not seem like a hotbed of blues activity, the locale indeed has a lot of history harking back to former Chicago stalwarts like Lazy Bill Lucas and Mojo Buford, on to a young Kim Wilson who started his career there with Aces, Straights & Shuffles, or more recent names like R.J. Mischo, now a California resident. Cool Disposition calls the Twin Cities home, and from the evidence of this 'live' disc, fans have an awful lot to be thankful for. The lineup consists of Mickey Bauer's strong vocals, Harold Tremblay's soaring, Chicago-soaked harp, Dan Schwalbe's smoldering guitar, and the rhythm section of Greg Beach and Dwight Christensen on bass and drums. From Jimmy Rogers' Rock This House, the Wolf's Howling For My Darling, or Little Walter's Mellow Down Easy, the band makes use of Chicago grit along with plenty of West Coast swagger for Lowell Fulson's Reconsider Baby, Jr. Parker's Next Time You See Me, and Roy Brown's Good Rockin' Tonight. Bauer's own Lovin' Glow, Rock Bottom Blues, Too Much Rhythm, and Joyride all show good songwriting skills, but a few of his vocal mannerisms may grate on the nerves now and again. Tremblay's Hurricane Howard is a monster of a South Side Chicago harp instrumental while Slim Harpo's Shake Your Hips ripples with force. The October 2002 crowd at Famous Dave's is relatively in the mix but the CD displays stunning sound throughout its near-70 minutes. Cool Disposition shows just how potent a band can be, whether they hail from a major blues center like Chicago, or not. www.cooldispo.com or www.coldwind.com will provide more info on this and other fine releases.
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