CD Review
Kenny Neal
"Alligator Deluxe Edition"
Alligator Records (ALCD 5604)
by Dave Thomas
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I like this kind of release because you get all the best songs from Kenny's first 5 albums, all nicely packaged together on 1 CD. Maybe you can say its Alligator cashing in, now that Kenny has gone to another label, but I disagree. I think the good thing is we can hear how Kenny Neal has progressed since his first album in 1988. The other good thing is, if you've just discovered Kenny then what better introduction than this album. The first track "Caught In The Jaws Of A Vise" is a great opening number from his 3rd album Walking On Fire. There is a lovely chugging thrust to
the song and a guitar solo that just seems to float through the air, with some nice horns taking over towards the end. Next up is "The Knife Don't Cut No More" which is a slower almost walking pace track that shows off Kenny's brilliant guitar playing and singing. The third track is taken from his first album Big News From Baton Rouge, "Outside Looking In," and shows us why Alligator gave him his big chance. The song demonstrates that he had real talent right from the word go. The track is rich with horn arrangements and guitar playing, Kenny's singing sounds a little rough, but I like his voice this way. "Hoodoo Moon" comes up next and this really does sound like he is in a Louisiana swamp at night with some great harp playing from Kenny. "The
Truth Hurts," starts with a short guitar solo and rolls along very nicely with the horn section lead by Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker playing a major part in the song. The sixth track is a laid back affair, "Caught Your Back Door Man," which starts with a nice guitar and keeps that relaxed pace all the way. "Evalina" is a funky little tune that rolls along effortlessly with some nice harp work from Kenny. "Baby Bee" is a real walking pace effort with a somewhat basic feel to the song.
This is defiantly a value for the money CD as we are at the half way stage. Track nine is a real swinging affair "Neal And Prey," with a lovely solo on the keyboards from Lucky Peterson. "Any Fool Will Do" slows the pace down to a stroll, but as always, shows what a good guitarist Kenny is. "Lightning's Gonna Strike" has a driving beat with a strong drum led rhythm section with Kenny's guitar playing set against it. "Morning After" starts with a talking count in then goes into some good harp playing and gritty singing. Kenny is solo on this track playing acoustic to accompany himself. "The Son I Never Knew" is a love song and Kenny handles it nice and gentle. We come to my personal favorite next with the song "Howling At The Moon." Kenny blows a real midnight kind of feel on the harp and you can imagine him singing and playing in some deep swamp in Louisiana. "Change My Way Of Livin'," a song written by Kenny's father Raful Neal, is handled with lots of respect and feel. I have to admit it's a lovely swaying song, you can't help but rock side to side with the beat. The final track, "Believe In Yourself," is a real scorcher that moves along at a good pace, a fitting way to end this first class album. The album as a whole is hard to beat; it shows why Kenny is one of the best young breed of bluesmen on the scene at the turn of the century. Kenny is defiantly going to be leading the blues world into the year 2000. Buy the album if you are new to the blues scene or even if you've been around for awhile. It doesn't get any better.
This review is copyright © 1999 by Dave Thomas, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.
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