Chris James and Patrick Rynn--"Stop And Think About It"

This is my favorite cd right now. When I had friends over the other evening, I slipped this cd into the player and conversation just stopped and smiles appeared all around the room. Chris James (vocals and guitar) and Patrick Rynn (bass and 2nd vocal) put a lot of good energy into these songs, an energy that's infectious. They are both stellar musicians in their own right--half of the Blue Four--and they have played together for 18 years. On this disc James and Rynn are both in top form. Here's how well it goes over--my friends couldn't tell whether it was a new cd or a slice of obscure late 50s Chicago Blues. Quite a compliment.

This disc is mostly original songs, and they are good. Then there are some outstanding covers. Bo Diddley's "Confessin' The Blues" and "Mona" are here, along with two from Elmore James--"Hawaiian Boogie" and "Got To Move." And there are several top-flight guests here as well--including Bob Corritore playing harp on five songs, Sam Lay and and Eddie Kobek splitting up the drum chores, David Maxwell and Julien Brunetaud splitting up the piano duties. If you are a fan of the blues and read the credits on the back of your blues cds all of these names will be familiar. This is an all-star quality band making some really good blues music.

This cd is on Earwig Records--you can access it online at http://www.earwigmusic.com/