He kicks off the album with “One,
Two Of A Kind,” a good song with something of a classic soul sound to his
vocals, especially on certain lines like “Build
it on up just to tear it on down,” while his lead guitar says blues all the
way. The horns also help give the song that great Stax feel. “One, Two Of A
Kind” is followed by “Bad Reputation,” a fun song with a catchy bass line. It’s
a song about leaving his questionable past behind to focus on being a good man
to his woman. “That’s all done, that’s
all over/I’m all about loving you/Yes, I’m all about loving you.” Do you
think by repeating that line he is more convincing? Or is it a case of
protesting too much? Ah, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
The first time I listened to
this album, the song that started getting me really interested was John
McNamara’s cover of “Ask Me ‘Bout Nothing (But The Blues”), here titled “Ask Me
Nothing (But About The Blues).” It was written by Don Robey and Henry Boozier,
and originally recorded by Bobby Bland. John McNamara delivers an excellent
rendition, with the perfect amount of ache in his voice. “Ask me why does a tree have to shed its leaves/I don’t know, oh I don’t
know/But ask me how does a man feel when he’s got the blues/I’d say, misused,
abused, oh, downhearted and blue/The reason that I know this/Is ‘cause the
blues is all I was left with.” Everything comes together here to create a
powerful and moving version of this song. And it’s followed by another seriously
good track, “Wild Out There,” written by John McNamara. I love songs like this
that have something of a classic R&B quality, both in the music and the vocal
delivery. I love Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, and this song could keep company
with the work of those artists. Something about this kind of music always works
for me. “And the city ain’t been kind/And
I’ve seen a thing or two/I’ve been down so long/Could really use some time with
you.” Yes. And yes, it is certainly wild out there. I love John McNamara’s
vocal performance here, and of course the horns are excellent. This is one of
my favorites.
“Under The Weight Of The Moon”
has such a cool vibe right from the start, with those finger snaps and that
delicious organ, with that blues guitar adding comments, all before the vocals
even come in. “I’m just gonna lie here,
baby/You know it feels so good, feels so good.” Yes, it does. And the
following lines give the CD its title, “Gonna
roll with it, roll with it/I’m gonna roll with it.” This is another of my
favorites. It’s followed by another tune with a good groove, “One Impossible
Night.”
As I mentioned, songs from this
album would feel at home in the company of the work of Sam Cooke and Otis
Redding. Well, John McNamara actually covers an Otis Redding tune, “Security,” delivering
a good rendition. How can you help but dig that groove, those horns, those
excellent vocals? John McNamara follows that with another cover, and actually
another song done by Bobby Bland, “Blind Man,” written by Don Robey and Joe
Scott. He also ends the CD with a cover, this time a song written by Lloyd
Pemberton and Teddy Conyers, “Suffering With The Blues.” This one has been
recorded by several artists over the years, including Joe Medlin, Little Willie
John, Nancy Wilson, James Brown and Lou Rawls. On this CD’s version, John McNamara gives us a
heartfelt, passionate vocal performance. Listen to that heartache. “Why does your love taunt me/And haunt me
through the night/’Cause I know you don’t want me/If you did, you’d be right
here by my side.” Come on, lady, go see the guy already!
CD Track List
- One, Two Of A Kind
- Bad Reputation
- Ask Me Nothing (But About The Blues)
- Wild Out There
- Under The Weight Of The Moon
- One Impossible Night
- Security
- Blind Man
- You Wouldn’t Wanna Know
- Suffering With The Blues
Rollin’ With It is available now on Bahool Records.
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