Renee’s musical travels over the
decades have taken her from Cincinnati to a world tour with the U.S.O.,
Boston, Knoxville and finally back home again. She is a seasoned
performer known as much for her manic stage antics and humorously
raunchy lyrics as she is for her rollicking piano chops. And there
isn’t a more cool and professional backing trio in town than Them Bones
(“Lightning” Tim Jacoby on guitar, Roger Bates on drums, Larry Malott
on bass).
The CD has a number of standout tracks, most notably
a big, dark, striking medley of Muddy Waters’ “The Same Thing” and
Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” that both swings and threatens.
Jacoby takes
over with his smoky, soulful vocals and tasty Telecaster The Features
for a seductive version of Albert King’s “I’ll Play the Blues for You.”
But it wouldn’t
be a Cheryl Renee live show without her trademark not-safe-for-kids
playfulness, which is fully on display in her arrangement of Albert
King’s “I Get Evil,” and in Jimmy Witherspoon’s “Drinking Beer.”
Part
of the purpose of a live recording is to capture the energy of the
crowd as well as the band. Recorded earlier this year at “Pickle’s
Blues Extravaganza,” in Lima, Ohio, the CD appears to unfortunately be
strictly a soundboard recording. The band comes through loud and clear,
but you get almost no crowd noise at all. If you strain your ears at
the end of a song, you can faintly hear a bunch of people having a very
good time.
But it’s the music that counts, and this CD clearly reinforces why Cheryl Renee and Them Bones are one of the most consistently entertaining Blues acts the region has to offer. Cheryl’s full schedule with Them Bones can be found at cherylrenee.com.
Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.
