Fathead "Where's The Blues Taking Me?"

This is the second Fathead cd I have reviewed. I loved 2007's "Building Full Of Blues." It won a Juno award in 2008 for best blues cd--the second one for the band. The first time I heard "Building" I actually laughed out loud for pure joy. Since I started blogging in 2007 there have been three cds that stand out--when I want to listen to get joyful with the blues these are the discs I go to--Fathead's "Building Full Of Blues," Sean Costello's "Cuttin' In," and John Nemeth's "Magic Touch." Well, Fathead's new disc includes what I loved about the previous release. Again John Mays is on vocals, Al Lerman is on harp and tenor sax, Lance Anderson is on B-3 organ and piano, Omar Tunnoch is on bass. On "Building" Darran Poole was on guitar and Hayden Vialva was on drums--this time around long time member Teddy Leonard is back on guitars and Bucky Berger is on drums. (Poole does deliver a sizzling guest turn on lead guitar on the title track.) So how does it sound? Well, everything still sounds like Fathead, and that's a very good thing. There are 15 tracks here, courtesy of the long-time writing team of Omar Tunnoch and Al Lerman--and again the band executes a wide variety of blues styles. The Electro-Fi Records web site says it like this: "The release demonstrates that the Fathead sound is constantly evolving and provides a generous supply of everything within Fathead’s wide musical sphere including straight up Blues, R&B, 50’s framed Rock & Roll, Funk, Gospel, and even some cabaret Soul/Blues. All selections are delivered with the warmth and accessibility listeners have come to identify with the band." That sounds about right to me. And the band closes things out here with a wonderful cover of Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops."

Fathead is one of the very top blues bands anywhere. Spend some time listening to the Fathead catalog, and you'll remember why you fell for this music in the first place. This new disc is as good as anything they have ever done.

You can buy this cd at http://www.electrofi.com/