Gary U.S. Bonds certainly has some famous friends - among the guests on “Back In 20” are Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, and former Allman Brother Dickey Betts. Yet somehow Bonds has remained one of those shadowy figures that linger at the edges of American music, one whose name and fame extend beyond the reach of their music.
It’s not as if he’s prolific; the title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to how long it’s been since his last recording. He hasn’t had much of a hit since the chart-topping “Quarter To Three” way back in the early sixties. Blame that, at least in part, on prevailing trends that insist upon easy categorization for marketing purposes. And Bonds’ music isn’t easy to categorize. A blend of gritty blues, hard-driving R&B, and flat-out rock ‘n’ roll, it might best be described as ‘roadhouse music.’ But Bonds is from New Jersey, not Texas, so there’s just a bit more funk and a little less country in the mix – think of him as a cross between Southside Johnny and Texan Delbert McClinton, whose brassy swagger and energetic delivery are rivaled on Bonds’ cover of “Every Time I Roll The Dice.” Other covers include Keb Mo’s “She Just Wants To Dance,” an achingly yearning version of Otis Redding’s immortal “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” that rivals the composer’s own, and a rollicking “Fannie Mae,” here a duet with Southside Johnny (who also contributes harmonica).
The originals range from the hard-driving “Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks” which kicks things off in a big way, to the uptown blues of “Murder In The First Degree” (not to be confused with several other songs with the same or similar titles). “Bitch/Dumb Ass,” a duet with Phoebe Snow, isn’t at all what one might expect – it takes a while to get there, but by song’s end it’s apparent the ‘bitch’ really is a female dog and the ‘dumb ass’ really is a donkey.
“Nothing But Blue” is another uptown rocker with lots of brass, as is “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.” The funk on “She Chose To Be My Lady is a little unconvincing, but that may have more to do with production than anything else – and that’s the disc’s only problem. Somehow the sound lacks certain oomph. Whether it’s in the mix or the mastering, the various elements just don’t seem fully integrated – separation’s one thing, but here Bonds’ voice is a little too far out front and the horns seem curiously ‘outside’ the mix. It’s not offensive, but some of the punch that should be there, given the size of the band (horns, keys, background singers) is lacking.
Still, production aside, this is a killer disc. Not entirely blues, perhaps, but those who enjoy the music of either McClinton or Southside Johnny will find much to like here. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another twenty years for another fine helping of greasy rock ‘n’ roll from Mr. Bonds!
MC Records
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