The album kicks off with "Begging You Baby," a slow, funky blues number with a strong vocal performance. The lyrics are fairly simple: "I'm begging you baby, sweet baby/Please don't go/I'm begging you, baby, sweet baby/Let me love you some more/I'm begging you, baby, sweet baby/Oh, please don't go." That's basically it, and that's enough. It's more about the feel of the music, the sound, than its message, although each of us has had a moment when we've begged, or wanted to otherwise convince someone to stay with us. This is a fairly short song. It's followed by "Georgia Peaches," which quickly establishes a cool atmosphere, featuring some really nice touches on guitar. "When I first came down to the south," he begins this one, and there is a good rhythm to the vocal delivery, a large part of this track's appeal. "I love the girls from the south," he tells us. Oh yes. These days, the south has a terrible reputation, with the sense that that area is largely responsible for putting a convicted felon and rapist back into the White House. But this song reminds us of the better attributes. Who among us hasn't at one time or another fallen for a woman from Georgia? Well, there must be a reason for that, right?
"Take Your Time" begins with a good beat, and then almost immediately John Bigham sings, "Take your time, take your time/Get it right." It's a handy message, particularly in these days when everything feels rushed, when it seems that time is flying by. And especially when it comes to relationships, to love. "You know it ain't easy," he reminds us. This track has a great, classic Memphis vibe, and it features some good work on guitar. Then "Come And Get It" has a nice, relaxed, but very cool and smooth feel. There is a whole lot of soul to this track, a timeless kind of thing. "Baby, I'm just here for you/Oh, anything you want to do/Oh baby, come and get it/Come and get it." Ah, who could resist? There is certainly something sexy about this song, about its atmosphere. "I just want to make you smile/Can I hold you for a while?" And we know that holding her will make him smile too. There is an easygoing blues groove to "Been Gone Too Long." "Time keeps on creeping," John Bigham sings at the beginning of this one, but it feels that he has control of time here, and can bend it to his will, can tame it. This song has such a cool vibe. There is no rush here, no hurry. He can strut about at his own pace, and time itself will slow to let him do his thing. He delivers a sexy, captivating vocal performance. And, yes, there is some delicious work on guitar too. This track is one of my personal favorites.
John Bigham then takes us down to New Orleans with "That Thang." There is always something so appealing about this sound, and we all love that city as a result, even those who've never been there. This is another song with lyrics that don't really matter all that much, are largely inconsequential. It's about the groove, the rhythm, and the feel of the vocals. "Everybody say oooh/Ooh, that thang, that thang/When you move it like that/It looks like trouble." Then at the beginning of "Right Now," he sings, "If there ever was a time to say that you love me, baby/It would be right now/Right now." Indeed. Why wait? Life is short. And love is what it's all about. "At a time like this/It's crucial." This is another delicious, cool number, dripping with soul.
"Don't you want to get closer, baby?" John asks at the beginning of "Get Closer." Now that you've told that person that you love her or him, it's time to get closer, to hold each other. This is a good slow dance, as the rest of the world slips away into shadow and meaninglessness. Sometimes the world is all about two people, and that's what this song is about. Then keep that special someone in your arms as "The First Time" plays, and everything will be right. "The first time I saw you/When you walked in/How could I forget you/You were all I could see/A vision in front of me." I remember that moment so clearly, the woman in sharp focus, the entire universe working to put her in a sort of magical spotlight. This track features a particularly good vocal performance. Then "Saving It All For You" is about those details, those things we all do, like cooking for that special someone. It's more about the day-to-day magic than about that initial wave of magic that knocks us off our feet. And the day-to-day stuff is where most of the action is, isn't it? Life is so good when you have that special person to share these moments with, and even better when you have this music playing.
CD Track List
- Begging You Baby
- Georgia Peaches
- Take Your Time
- Come And Get It
- Been Gone Too Long
- That Thang
- Right Now
- Get Closer
- The First Time
- Saving It All For You
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