Scott HENDERSON - Tore Down House 1997

Scott HENDERSON - Tore Down House 1997
Label: Mesa / Bluemoon

Blues

This album resonates with sheer power. Like a steamroller tearing down a house, Scott Henderson and company comes shining through with Tore Down House, a gripping list of songs that beg the listener to truly appreciate the blues. Throughout the compilation, Henderson explores his diverse range of blues improvisation, using a plethora of pedals and effects, but not as so to diminish the full strength of the classic Fender Strat sound. "Dolemite" gets the jam going with a spontaneous free-for-all blues session. "I Hate You" is a romantic, witty ballad seemingly coming from the lost decade of the '50s. "Darling you ruined my life/so I hate you and I always will," sings guest Thelma Houston with chants of "You suck" in the background, granting a message of what one would feel about those who can't stand to be around that certain someone that's destroying their life. "Take this job and shove it./I'm going to guitar school," shouts the fiery Henderson in the rocking blues breaker, "Gittar School." With six other surprises featured on Tore Down House, it's a sure bet the first time listener of this artist's art will become a longtime fan. His band features a splendid group of experienced blues rockers, such as the likes of Pat O'Brien on harmonica, Dave Carpenter on bass, Kirk Covington on drums, Scott Kinsley on keyboards, and a host of sax, trumpet, and other brass players. This is a hands down classic blues album and a must for those who are crazy for the genre.
By Shawn Haney, All Music Guide
**
Scott Henderson- Guitar, Producer, Main Performer
Thelma Houston- Vocals
Dave Carpenter- Bass
Kirk Covington- Drums
Michael Nelson- Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Pat O'Brien- Harmonica
Albert Wing- Flute, Leader, Sax (Tenor), Horn, Sax (Alto)
Masta Edwards- Vocals
Dan Fornero- Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Walt Fowler- Trumpet, Flugelhorn
T.J. Helmerich- Vocals (Background), Mixing, Engineer
Eric Jorgensen- Trombone
Scott Kinsey- Keyboards, Producer
**
01. Dolemite (5:52)
02. Tore Down House (7:37)
03. Metermaid (4:29)
04. I Hate You (4:38)
05. Gittar School (5:10)
06. Xanax (5:38)
07. Continuum (4:00)
08. You Get off on Me (3:53)
09. Mocha (7:29)
10. Harpoon (6:46)
11. Same as You (4:36)
**
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Scott HENDERSON - Dog Party 1994

Scott HENDERSON - Dog Party 1994
Label: Mesa / Bluemoon

Blues

This is Henderson's first album from 1994. I can see why this cd got so many rave reviews after it came out. It's filled with more than enough killer hooks and mind-blowing guitar work to fill any void left by Stevie Ray. But like most all blues rock albums I listen to nowadays, I often tend to focus more on the music and overlook the lyrics. Because after all, most modern day blues artists like to keep it simple when it comes to adding those cumberson words to their music. But this one isn't that typical "my baby left me and I lost my job" type of blues album. First of all, as you might have deduced from the title, this cd deals with dogs. That's right, all the music here refers to the trials and tribulations of a typical day in the life of a dog. But if you listen a little closer, you'll see that all those animal instincts and nasty habits that you're average canine tends to have without apology, can also be applied to humans. Henderson cross-references this stuff in such a clever way that I couldn't help but laugh from seeing myself and some of my doggy tendencies in some of these songs. But, getting back to the music: From the first tune on, this cd will grab you by the lobes of your ears and suck you right in. The opener "Hole Diggin" is an instrumental played at a fast and furious pace with a lot of SRV style to it. After this it only gets better with the slow burnin' "Fence Climbin' Blues". Man, I can't emphasize enough how good a player Henderson is. He's got about 3 minutes of solo guitar work in this song that left me sittin' with my headphones on and my jaw locked on open. Technically, with his jazz background and all, there may not be a better guitar player playing today. And I'm not overstating the fact. I've had this cd for a while, and it never ceases to amaze me. As for the rest of the music, you get the idea, it's all good. And he even does a finger snappin' cover of "Hound Dog" that's enough to make any dog do a 4 paw strut across the floor. The only thing else I can say is get your grubby claws on this and don't let go. "Dog Party" definitly gets an enthusiastic 5 barks up.
By  Patrick Earley.
**
Scott Henderson- Guitar
Kirk Covington- Drums, Vocals
Linda Zig Zegarelli- Harmonica
Richard Ruse- Bass
Erin McGuire- Vocals
Scott Kinsey- Keyboards
Willie Scrub Scoggins- Guitar
Thibdeau Tovato- Guitar
Keith "Mr.Big D" Wyatt- Guitar
T.J. Helmerich- Guitar
Mike Whitman- Saxophone
Stan "Be Bop" Martin- Trumpet
Pat O'Brien- Harmonica
**
01. Hole Diggin' (4:19)
02. Fence Climbin' Blues (6:54)
03. Dog Party (6:42)
04. Same as You (5:09)
05. Milk Bone (5:40)
06. Hell Bent Pup (5:20)
07. Hound Dog (4:03)
08. Dog Walk (5:09)
09. Smelly Ol' Dog Blues (7:55)
10. Too Many Gittars (4:38)
**
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Scott HENDERSON - Well To The Bone 2002 (REPOST)

Scott HENDERSON - Well To The Bone 2002
Label: Blues Bureau Int'l
Recorded at Tommy Tedesco Studio, Hollywood, California.

Blues

Scott Henderson is nothing if not unpredictable. In Tribal Tech and Vital Tech Tones he has distinguished himself as an endlessly creative performer with impeccable musicianship. Well to the Bone also bears a heavy dose of creativity, to be sure, yet many of the selections come off as oddly disconcerting. Despite its label, the disc has been filed away here at AAJ under Fusion instead of Blues because even adamant blues non-purists might shake their heads in confusion.
“Lady P” typifies the experimental side of Henderson’s mutant blues, its constant rhythmic shifts making it nearly impossible to pin down the meter from one bar to the next. Wade Durham’s vocals recall Corey Glover of Living Colour as much as anyone else, and the vocal reverb on “Devil Boy” seems a misguided attempt to pass him off as Jimi Hendrix. Durham sounds like he takes himself too seriously. Thelma Houston fares much better on the straightforward title blues and “Lola Fay.”

Not everything is hot and heavy. “Ashes” is pretty in an off-kilter way, and “Rituals” ends the album on a pleasant note. Of course, there is a good deal of humor involved as well, never more so than on the fun-paced “Hillbilly in the Band,” where the sound of a barking dog keeps interrupting Henderson’s solo. Kicked off by a chant sample, “Sultan’s Boogie” is just about what you’d expect, a hard groove laid over a Middle Eastern mode.

The big problem here might be the sameness of tempo and Henderson’s guitar timbre, which makes much of the disc sound like it’s all cut from the same cloth. It’s the same sort of problem that John Scofield used to have before he expanded his horizons. Odd for Henderson to seem stuck in a rut since he doesn’t evince that problem within his other bands, but it certainly holds him back here. Not a bad album by any means, but not as rich in variety as we’ve grown to expect from him.
By Todd S. Jenkins. AAJ.
**
Scott Henderson is one of those guitar players that makes you want to skip practice because, what's the point? You'll never be that damn good on the guitar. His latest CD "Well to the Bone," is the evolutionary follow up to 1997's "Tore Down House." While "Tore Down House" was a marriage of Blues and Fusion, "Well to the Bone" is Fusion-Blues. Imagine Stevie Ray Vaughn jamming with Weather Report.
Blues purists look elsewhere. This recording is flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet right over their heads. It's Incendiary! Earthy blues concepts. Rubbery whammy bar phrasing. Playing inside, outside, over a cerebral hot bed of progressions that take you on a journey. Twisted, soulful, sometimes dreamy songs full of humor, longing, and even incest. Maximum strength liquid Strat tones caress as well as scream throughout.

One song in particular "Ashes," a somber ballad that erupts into a psychotropic gospel dirge at a wake, blends Hendrix/Mayfield style rhythms with the kind of soloing that could only come from a supreme being.

The divine and utterly soulful Thelma Houston returns along with new comer Wade Durham to more than deliver the vocal goods. Kirk Covington on drums, John Humphrey on bass, and Scott Kinsey on percussion, swing with soul and precision without ever sounding metronomic. For those with an open mind who like a lot of adventure and unpredictability in their blues, this CD is a must own.
By Oscar Jordan.
**
Scott Henderson- Guitar
Kirk Covington- Drums
John Humphrey- Bass
With special guests:
Thelma Houston- Vocals (selected tracks)
Scott Kinsey- Electronic percussion

01. Lady P (7:14)
02. Hillbilly in the Sand (5:06)
03. Devil Boy (6:41)
04. Lola Fay (6:24)
05. Well to the Bone (4:50)
06. Ashes (6:53)
07. Sultan's Boogie (6:30)
08. Day's Da Way it go (6:54)
09. That Hurts (6:16)
10. Rituals (8:01)
**
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