The Brothers Curtis (not to be confused with the Curtis Brothers!) are Curtis Marlatt (guitar and vocals) and Curtis Blake (harp). Marlatt's band, Curtis and the Kicks plied their trade across the US before he wound up in the Twin Cities where the Brothers Curtis were formed when he hooked up with Blake.
"It's You That's Got To Go," the first of three originals, opens the album. There is a good balance between Marlatt and Blake. The harp has plenty of attack where it is required, whilst the Marlatt's guitar playing is crisp and to the point. After this comes the footstomping "That's What The Blues Is All About," before a nice version of "Walkin' By Myself" which reminded me of the one the Nighthawks did several years ago.
The Brothers then slow things down a bit for a couple of tracks. "Trouble In Mind" (credited here to Broonzy rather than Richard Jones) is followed by Charles Brown's "Driftin' Blues" where the invitations to the audience had wondering if some of the album was recorded live. The pace is then picked up again a bit for a fine interpretation of "Who's Been Talking?" where Blake's harp playing has some nice jazzy inflections, and Marlatt borrows from Otis Rush's "All Your Love." This is followed by an inspired version of the Stones' "Satisfaction" which is taken at a slower pace than the original.
A brace of original tunes--the 12-bar workout of "Something's Wrong" and "I Made My Girlfriend My Wife" which chugs along nicely--give way to the closing track, "Prodigal Son" (aka "Poor Boy").
"It's You That's Got To Go" shows the Brothers Curtis to be a good blues band. It is bands like the Brothers Curtis that help to keep the blues alive. If you live in the Twin Cities area, you should check them out; if you don't, take a listen to "It's You That's Got To Go" to hear what they have to offer. You may be pleasantly surprised.
www.curtisbluz.com
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