Roomful of Blues - Raisin' A Ruckus
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Roomful of BluesEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2008-01-15
Music Label: Alligator Records
Soundtracks:
- Every Dog Has It's Day
- Lower On Your List of Priorities
- Talkin' To You Eye To Eye
- Big Mamou
- Round It Down
- I Would Be A Sinner
- Black Night
- Boogie Woogie Country Girl
- Solid Jam
- Sweet Petite
- While I Can
- Raisin' A Ruckus
- New Orleans
- Life Has Been Good
Free Music Notes for Raisin' A Ruckus
Free Music Review: Raisin' A Ruckus is one of Roomful's most swinging CDs.
Hit: 4 Stars
Anyone who has listened to a Roomful of Blues CD knows that their music is hard to classify. That doesn't matter to the band's members. All they are concerned with is whether it sounds good, whether you can dance to it, and whether you can feel it. With suave horns that swing off the big band dancehall floors of the '30s and '40s, Raisin' A Ruckus is one of Roomful's most swinging CDs. Since 1967, the multiple award-winning group's combination of swing, rock `n' roll, jump, blues, and soul has earned it just praise. Forty-six band members have come and gone since then without a negative impact on the band's exciting music.
This disc features a new bass player and a new drummer on this disc, but the most obvious newcomer is singer Dave Howard who replaces Mark DuFresne. Howard hails from Rhode Island, the band's home state, and his expressive voice contains a hint of Louis Armstrong. Listen as Howard reveals a state of feeling disturbed on Black Night then uses his voice as the band's fourth horn on Talkin' To You Eye To Eye.
The chosen covers are vintage blues and R&B tunes. You'll swear someone has just put on one of your parents records from the 1950s when you hear their nostalgic version of Big Mamou, the R&B hit by New Orleans artist Smiley Lewis. The Crescent City connection continues on the often covered New Orleans and Eddie Bo's Every Dog Has Its Day, which contains as much fun as a summer beach party. Boogie Woogie Country Girl is loaded with exhausting boogie woogie piano. The song's legendary writer, Doc Pomus, helped land the band their first record deal in the '70s.
Five band members prove they are capable of writing enticing songs that mesh perfectly with the band's extensive repertoire. Each of the eight original songs is a flashback to the big band era, e.g. In The Mood that influenced Roomful. On Talkin' To You Eye To Eye, the three-piece brass section trade licks like guitars do in guitar driven bands. The infectious horn arrangement of Solid Jam will remain etched in your memory. Horns as lively as a New Orleans street funeral procession appear on saxophonist Rich Lataille's instrumental title track. The song, which depicts Lataille's big band and jazz roots, is one of the highlights of the CD. In fact, it should be included on the soundtrack of the next '30s and '40s gangster film to come out of Hollywood.
The rhythms of all 14 songs are so exhilarating; most of the light-hearted lyrics get lost or overshadowed. Life Has Been Good stands out as its lyrics are emotionally heavy and quite touching. It is about expressing true feelings toward your spouse and thanking them for making life so wonderful.
The CD's strength, and in fact the group's greatest asset, is how well the band performs as a cohesive unit. Throughout, the horns hop, the keyboards sway, the vocals enthuse, the guitar rocks, and the band jumps. This record swings more than a number three wood on a golf course. You must experience it for yourself. Put this record on and watch as your house transforms into a building made of horns.
Raisin' A Ruckus Poster
Roomful of Blues, according to Down Beat magazine, is in a class by themselves. With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them the hottest blues band I ve ever heard. Since 1967, the group s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock n roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The band, with a membership that has continued to change and evolve over the years, has always boasted great musicianship featuring a stellar horn section.With a non-stop performance schedule for almost 40 years, Roomful of Blues has earned critical, popular and radio success and a legion of fans around the globe. Twice, the prestigious Down Beat International Critics Poll selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band. Roomful of Blues joined the Alligator Records family with the Grammy-nominated THAT S RIGHT! in 2003, followed by STANDING ROOM ONLY in 2005. Both CDs received massive amounts of critical and popular praise and earned them hordes of new fans around the world. Down Beat described STANDING ROOM ONLY as bold, brassy and highly danceable jump blues with contemporary energy and sophistication...swings with a vengeance. Now they re back with RAISIN A RUCKUS, a foot-stomping CD highlighting the intense vocal and instrumental power of the world s smallest big band.
Even though Roomful of Blues lineup has changed over the years, the band has always been one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. Currently an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. In 2007, singer Dave Howard took over the vocal duties, bringing his gritty and soulful vocals and adding another bright new dimension to their jazzy, jump-blues musical roots. With new members bassist Dima Gorodetsky and drummer Ephraim Lowell and long-time members keyboardist Travis Colby, baritone and tenor saxophonist Mark Earley, tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille (the longest-standing member of the group) and trumpeter Bob Enos, RAISIN A RUCKUS swings with ferocity and rocks with urgency and purpose. Moving effortlessly from originals to carefully chosen covers, the expertly executed songs sizzle from start to finish. Roomful of Blues winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul remains their calling card, as does their ability to fill the dance floor.
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