I’m always excited to hear whatever new material Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters decide to release. Rise Up, the band’s new album, is interesting in that it mixes some live recordings from last year with material recorded during sessions at Ronnie Earl’s home back in March (just before the pandemic started getting serious) and other material recorded at the studio in Acton, Massachusetts. The tracks are also a mix of instrumentals and vocal numbers, original compositions and covers. And the music here addresses the state of our country in this strange and ugly and yet hopeful year of 2020, with tracks titled “Blues For George Floyd” and “Black Lives Matter.” The band is made up of Ronnie Earl on guitar, Dave Limina on piano and organ, Diane Blue on vocals, Forrest Padgett on drums, Paul Kochanski on bass, and Peter Ward on guitar. There is a whole lot of great blues on this disc, nearly eighty minutes of it, in fact.
The album opens with a gentle, yet strong instrumental rendition of “I Shall Not Be Moved” performed on guitar, a good choice for this troubled year. The band then comes in on a live version of “Higher Love,” an original tune written by Ronnie Earl and previously included on his Father’s Day album. This one has an easygoing groove and some fantastic stuff on keys, the song becoming a good jam. Though at the heart of this track is the vocal performance by Diane Blue, which is powerful. The lyrics mention “a love supreme,” which was the title of a John Coltrane album, and at the end include the line “Your love is lifting me higher,” a little nod to the Jackie Wilson song “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher.”
This country has had a serious case of the blues for the last four years, and this year in particular has been a damn horror show, with trouble upon trouble, each day bringing more heartache. Many things went horribly wrong, one of the worst being George Floyd’s murder by the police. Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters give us “Blues For George Floyd,” a tune that addresses and expresses the pain of the nation and in some way works to relieve it. Some good work on organ begins this track, which is another original number written by Ronnie Earl. And that lead on guitar is wonderful, each note deliberate and meaningful. This instrumental is an excellent, slow blues number, blues you can sink into, blues you can wrap around yourself. That’s followed by a cover of Fenton Robinson’s “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” a live track featuring Diane Blue on vocals. I love the way she delivers the lines “I’d be a fool to say it’s over/His beautiful picture still enters my mind.” That passion is irresistible. We then get another delicious blues instrumental, “Blues For Lucky Peterson,” composed by Ronnie Earl. That guitar has a lot to say, and is given the space necessary to say it. At more than ten minutes, this live track is a wonderful exploration dedicated to another excellent blues guitarist. You can hear how that guitar work impresses the crowd. And then toward the end the organ gets wild. Oh yes, this is one delicious tune.
Diane Blue gives us a playful performance on the cover of Eddie Taylor’s “Big Town Playboy.” Yeah, she totally owns this one. Just listen to the way she delivers lines like “Then all you want to do, darling, is fuss and fight/You go ahead, boy, that’s one thing I don’t enjoy.” The energy is just right on “Albert’s Stomp,” another original composition. It is an instrumental, though nearly halfway through, the audience is addressed: “Are you feeling good this evening, ladies and gentlemen?” Oh man, remember going to see live music? I miss the hell out of it. For once, I want to be asked how I’m feeling by musicians, and I want to respond with a joyful shout. That’s followed by a cover of Lil Green’s “Romance In The Dark,” here titled “In The Dark.” Diane Blue’s delivery here is cool and seductive. “We’re going to dance/And we’ll find romance, lord, in the dark.” Oh, I don’t doubt it. This track seems almost able to deliver that romance on its own. Close your eyes, and you can immerse yourself in it.
Magic Sam’s “All Your Love” features another tasty blues groove, with Diane Blue delivering the goods vocally again. And Ronnie Earl’s guitar is singing too, matching that style, that passion, and stretching out. This track is more than eight minutes. These guys are in no hurry to get there, because the journey is so fine. I like the play between the two guitars. That’s followed by a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Lord Protect My Child.” Bob Dylan has certainly written a lot of songs. This is one I had forgotten about. It was included on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1 – 3, which was released in 1991. Here we get some bluesy gospel vibes, with Diane Blue’s passionate vocal approach and that great work on organ. Then things start hopping and rocking on a totally enjoyable rendition of “Mess Around,” featuring some absolutely wonderful stuff on piano that is certain to raise your spirits. That’s followed by “Talking To Mr. Bromberg,” the last of the original instrumental tracks to pay respects to specific musicians, in this case David Bromberg. This track features yet more excellent work on guitar.
One thing that has been made painfully clear to everyone this year is the country’s systemic racism, something that must be addressed by the next administration (because obviously the white supremacist in the White House now isn’t going to do anything about it). Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters offer a seriously good and soulful blues number titled “Black Lives Matter,” co-written by Diane Blue, who is as passionate here as ever. “Baby, when will I see you again?” she asks. The lyrics at first may not seem to directly address the topic, but then in the second half there is a spoken word section, which includes the line “Black lives matter.” We then get a cool rendition of “Blues For J,” with a delicious bass line. This is one of those bass lines that make you feel like a cooler person just for listening. And as you would expect from this tune, there is also some really nice work on organ. Then, when you think the track can’t get cooler, there is a bass solo, and that’s followed by a good drum solo that gets the audience hollering. Yeah, this is a live track. The disc then concludes with an instrumental track titled “Navajo Blues,” which Ronnie Earl wrote with Peter Ward. And, as you might predict of a tune written by those two, there is plenty of great guitar work on this one.
CD Track List
- I Shall Not Be Moved
- Higher Love
- Blues For George Floyd
- You Don’t Know What Love Is
- Blues For Lucky Peterson
- Big Town Playboy
- Albert’s Stomp
- In The Dark
- All Your Love
- Lord Protect My Child
- Mess Around
- Talking To Mr. Bromberg
- Black Lives Matter
- Blues For J
- Navajo Blues
Rise Up was released on September 11, 2020 on Stony Plain Records.
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