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Blue Lunch - Sideswiped

Wilberts Records

www.bluelunch.com

15 tracks

\This CD is hot. Like really hot. Blue Lunch is a tight band who mix and match their sounds oh-so-well and really deliver an eclectic sound. Hailing from the Cleveland, Ohio, area, this is their fifth CD and it’s a good one. Led by Bob Frank on guitar, vocals, and harp, they offer a sound similar to Roomful of Blues. His vocal style is jumping and in the style of Duke Robillard. Pete London on vocals and harp offers up a different, echoing higher pitched vocal style that reminds me of our buddy from Madison, Jimmy Voegeli. He and Frank are both superb front men. Raymond DeForest on bass and occasional vocals and Scott Flowers on percussion are solid throughout. Mike Sands keyboard work ranges from elegant and harmonious to full throttle barrelhouse. The horns and brass make these guys larger than life. Keith McKelly on tenor sax, Bob Michael on trombone, and Mike Rubin on trumpet (with Gordon Beadle on the tenor lead on a couple of tracks) add a really nice dimension to the tracks.

The title tracks is an instrumental and they open with it with great success. It sets a hot and fiery mood. The driving guitar and horns backed up by the drums and bass are great. At first I was taken aback by not featuring vocals to start, but they were toying with me. Frank offers a solid, clean sound on the swing track “Which Way to Go?” Very, very solid, perhaps my favorite track overall. They throw in a little Hammond B3 to thicken up the already rich sound. London fronts the band next on “Always Pickin’ on Me”, which is a bouncy, fun and lively track. By rack four they’ve slowed things down with the ballad, “All Things Come”. From fiery hot to low down and sentimental all in 15 minutes, and there are 11 tracks left! They show their versatility and range to start and then aptly continue to showcase their talents.

They offer some eclectic originals and covers. “Monkey Hips and Rice”, “36-22-36”, “Mother-in-Law”, “Don’t Point That Thing at Me”, “Chinese Knockoff” and Too Much Boogie” that offer a lighter side of humor, novelty songs and just enjoyable stuff, all delivered with their big, solid sound. They threw in a second instrumental with a jazzy Bill Doggett/Illinois Jaquet cover of “Doggin’ With Doggett”; it is a swinging number that showcases all the instruments and their talented wielders.

Whether it is traditional blues, swing, boogie woogie, rollicking barrelhouse or down tempo stuff, it is well done and quite professional. I can’t find anything to complain about in this Cleveland band except they need to get on the road and showcase their stuff so more people can find out what great band they are!

Reviewer Steve Jones is secretary of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL.

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