Monday, October 26, 2009

Omar Kent DYKES & Jimmie VAUGHAN - On The Jimmy Reed Highway 2007


Omar Kent DYKES & Jimmie VAUGHAN - On The Jimmy Reed Highway 2007

Blues

On paper, it must have seemed like a match made in heaven for German blues label Ruf Records. Combine gravel-throated vocalist Omar Kent Dykes, frontman for Texas blues-rock institution Omar & the Howlers, with extraordinary guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, formerly of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, for a tribute album to blues giant Jimmy Reed. 'Nuff said.
Dykes & Vaughan Succeed.
Lofty conceptual albums - especially tributes - often tend to fall flat on their face when the execution fails to meet the high standard of creative expectations. In the case of On The Jimmy Reed Highway, however, Dykes and Vaughan succeed beyond the listener's wildest dreams. On this entertaining tribute disc, the talented duo don't try to recreate the Reed songbook for the modern era as much as they transport the listener back in time to the mid-1950s Chicago blues scene with their reverent, but highly-rocking interpretations of classic Reed material.
The story of singer and songwriter Jimmy Reed is, perhaps, one of the most bittersweet in a blues genre filled with heartbreak and tragedy. After several missteps and false starts at launching a music career in Chicago during the early-1950s, Reed was introduced to the fledgling Vee-Jay Records label by bluesman Albert King. Recording with musical partner Eddie Taylor, and sporting songs often co-written by his wife Mary (Reed was said to be functionally illiterate), the blue singer reeled off a string of 14 R&B chart hits, eleven of which also hit the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
Although most blues historians consider Reed to be a minor figure in the Chicago blues pantheon, his position as a popular artist is unassailable. Although he was a merely average guitarist and harmonica player (in a city littered with talented head-cutters), Reed possessed a warm, friendly voice with a way of lyrical phrasing and a sense of melody that appealed to record buyers. At his peak, Reed outsold contemporaries like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and many of his songs - admittedly simple tunes that touched upon universal themes of life and romance - have become blues standards, covered by artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Jr. and the Rolling Stones.
Rocking & Rolling On The Jimmy Reed Highway
With On The Jimmy Reed Highway, Dykes and Vaughan celebrate the overwhelming achievements, not the tragedies of Reed's short life. The rockabilly-tinged Dykes' original, "Jimmy Reed Highway," sets the stage for what would follow. Dykes honors Reed's influence with this rollicking tribute song, name checking bluesmen like Lightning Slim, Lazy Lester, and Reed's longtime partner, Eddie Taylor. Lou Ann Barton provides her welcome backing vocals while Vaughan injects a muscular guitar solo.
The rest of the track listing consists of songs that Reed either wrote or popularized, including R&B chart hits like "Big Boss Man," "Baby What You Want Me To Do," and "Bright Lights Big City" (the two combined here as a swinging medley). Dykes and Vaughan also tackle lesser-known Reed fare like "Good Lover," presented here with a thick guitar tone and Barton's brassy vocals juxtaposed against Dykes' earthy growl. The slow-paced, sultry "Caress Me Baby" also features Barton and vintage mouth harp work courtesy of blues legend James Cotton.
The swaggering rhythm of "You Upset My Mind" is supported by a soulful vocal performance by Dykes, and blasting harmonica from Vaughan's former bandmate Kim Wilson. "I'll Change My Style" is an infectious R&B ballad with Vaughan's great guitar resonance and tone behind the vocals. Other songs feature guest spots from skilled harmonica player Gary Primich and singer, harp-player, and Texas roots-music legend Delbert McClinton.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
If you're a mark for the Chicago blues, grab a copy of On The Jimmy Reed Highway today - do not stop, and do not pass go. You'll thank the Reverend later. If you're new to the blues, you'll find Omar Kent Dykes, Jimmie Vaughan and friends to be engaging hosts, providing an excellent introduction to the form with On The Jimmy Reed Highway. After listening to these passionate renditions from the Jimmy Reed songbook, you'll be a blues fan for life. (Ruf Records)
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The nominal frontman of the Austin, Texas-based swamp-rock unit Omar & the Howlers, singer/guitarist Omar Dykes was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1950 (not coincidentally also the birthplace of Bo Diddley, whose signature beat informed much of Dykes' music as well). Weaned on his mother's eclectic collection of country, rock & roll and soul records, he began venturing into area juke joints during his early teen years, and upon learning the guitar returned to these same clubs to launch his performing career. After graduating high school, Dykes wandered about Mississippi for a few years before finally relocating to Austin in 1976; there he was befriended by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a short time later set about forming the Howlers, who made their debut in 1980 with Big Leg Beat. After 1984's I Told You So, the group signed to Columbia for 1987's Hard Times in the Land of Plenty; although their major-label tenure was short-lived, Omar & the Howlers remained an Austin fixture throughout the years to come, also attracting a large European cult audience. By Jason Ankeny.
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About this title: Some tribute projects to earlier greats seek to modernize and update their music. This project, co-led by singer Omar Kent Dykes and guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, instead focuses on revitalizing the music of Jimmy Reed in traditional settings. While not closely copying the original recordings, these new renditions are very much "in the tradition." With his deep and low voice, Dykes does justice to the lyrics and feelings in the music; Vaughan has plenty of fine guitar solos; and the guest spots of singer Lou Ann Barton and either Kim Wilson, James Cotton, Gary Primich, or Delbert McClinton on harmonica add to both the variety and the power of the music. As with the best tribute projects, this one will send listeners back to Jimmy Reed's original records while also standing by itself as a heartfelt and relevant homage to the great bluesman. By Scott Yanow. AMG.
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James Cotton, Delbert McClinton, Kim Wilson, Lou Ann Barton, George Rains, Derek O'Brien, Gary Primich, Wes Starr, Ronnie James, Barry Bimh, Jay Moeller.
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01. Jimmy Reed Highway     4:04  
02. Baby What You Want Me To Do/bright Lights Big City    5:10  
03. Big Boss Man    3:10  
04. Good Lover    3:07  
05. Caress Me Baby    5:09  
06. Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth    4:01  
07. You Upset My Mind    3:16  
08. I'll Change My Style    3:46  
09. Bad Boy    4:01  
10. Baby, What's Wrong    3:15  
11. Hush, Hush    3:01  
12. You Made Me Laugh    3:49  
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