· THE SONNY MOORMAN GROUP CROSSROADS MOTEL (ATLAS RECORDS)
Crossroads Motel is a fitting title for the latest from the Sonny Moorman Group. The trio has not only visited the cross section between Blues and Rock — they’ve grabbed a room and set up camp for the long haul. (Hope they don’t charge by the hour!) Moorman is a masterly guitarist and vocalist, well versed in Blues’ various forms. But as Crossroads expertly shows, it’s a fool’s move to try to pin Moorman down to just one thing. The album kicks off with the crackle of old vinyl before kicking in full-bore for the slide-guitar and harmonica-drenched “Rainmaker,” which is reminiscent of Alt.Blues revivalist The Black Keys in its riff-and-melody mirror imaging. After throwing stakes down in the Blues, Moorman and Co. jam the gears and skid into “I Forget to Forget You,” a remarkable, highly melodic slab of Heartland Rock that wouldn’t be out of place on your favorite Rock radio station. From there, the trio skips between roadhouse rumble (“Texas Blues”), sky-is-cryin’ balladry (“Last Call”), Hendrixian expansiveness (“Remembering Cal”), creeping, smoky swingers (“Blues After Dark”), monstrous Riff Rock (“Chance We Take For Love,” “House of Thunder”) and reverential acoustic minimalism (“Souled Out”), never sounding like musical tourists at any turn. The Sonny Moorman Group is the full package — ace chops, soulful vocals, proficient songwriting and a daredevilish adventurousness that not only helps make the band dynamic and multifarious, but also gives them a distinct identity in a field where distinctiveness isn’t always evident, let alone celebrated. The Sonny Moorman Group plays Ivey’s Pub Friday and Saturday.
(Mike Breen) Grade: A-
· ILL POETIC ILLUMINATION (DEFINITION MUSIC/ ALL RANGES OF THOUGHT)
Much of recent Rap is one-dimensioned at best; either it debases itself into being a catch-phrase or it spends too much time lamenting its current state, two surefire ways to stamp expiration dates on an album after its anthems become clichés or the self-righteous “real MC burden” bellyaching falls on deaf ears. Given that, an MC faces his or her ultimate battle — delivering a record that declares both a timeless and universal statement. Ill Poetic’s debut CD, Illumination, does both effortlessly, as he follows a formula that every great musician attempts at least once, producing a thematic LP. With light being Illumination’s central theme, Ill Poetic’s clever musings explore light’s omnipotence and come face-to-face with man’s age-old enigmas: God, existence, women and apocalypse. His theme/concept is successful; Illumination’s tracks fluidly interconnect and to judge one separately is like watching a trailer and learning later it wasn’t the most significant scene of the movie. The remarkable thing is, while Ill Poetic doesn’t always find or give answers, by sharing his insecurities, he becomes a scholar who spits his hypothesis. That, and his ability to demonstrate his evolution from short-attention span MC battles to writing an opus that could compel years from now, makes Ill Poetic the protagonist whose story you care about. With countless quotable lines whizzing by, you’ll have hit the “back” button to catch punch lines that may have missed your ear. Three years of observing, deducing, scribbling, erasing and reproducing shaped Illumination into an impressive first statement, and like Ice Cube, Wu Tang Clan and Nas, whose definitive debut albums changed Hip Hop’s aesthetic, Illumination raises the bar of a listener’s expectation. Ill Poetic hosts a CD release party at Top Cat’s on Oct. 19. (Mildred C Fallen) Grade: A
· BOWL AND BUNNS LIVE AT BOWL’S PLACE (BLUE SAPPHIRE PRODUCTIONS)
Bowl and Bunns is comprised of Cincinnati Jazz giants King “Bowl” Reeves and Charlie “Bunns” Wilson. Live At Bowl’s Place is a collection of deceptively simple piano and vibes duets and it is surprisingly engaging fare. Reeves and Wilson conjure complex chord clusters throughout the disc, even ringing a rough edge out of a Grover Washington tune. Reeves is understated and tasteful when stating a melody. But when he launches into a solo, his vibes are suddenly bubbling, unpredictable and sparkling with spontaneity like a pretty woman’s laughter. On the piano, Charlie Wilson is a masterful yet untethered technician whose extended improvisations are wildly adventurous. He regularly deconstructs the key and rhythm of a tune, his hands wandering feverishly across the breadth of the keyboard, unrestricted by rules, theory or expectations. Reeves and Wilson’s original compositions are provocative and strong, holding up quite well alongside some familiar and well-executed standards by Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and others. Over the years, these two highly accomplished gentlemen have played with some of the best. And now the sum of their experiences flows freely through their hands, spilling forth with a glowingly positive life force that is immediately apparent even on first listen. (Available through Blue Sapphire Productions; blue-sapphire2.com) (Ric Hickey) Grade: B-
This article appears in Oct 12-18, 2005.
