David K. Mathews: “The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 2, Soul, Pop, R&B” (2020) CD Review

In 2018, pianist and organist David K. Mathews, known for his work with Santana and Etta James, released The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 1, Standards, on which he was joined by some talented vocalists, including Maria Muldaur, Amikaeyla Gaston and Steve Miller. As you might surmise from its title, the music chosen for that release was standards, including material by Billy Eckstine and Irving Berlin. Now he is following that up with the second volume in the series, The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 2, Soul, Pop, R&B, in which he once again is joined by some excellent vocalists, this time performing songs by James Brown and Stevie Wonder, among others.

The album opens with a cover of The Isley Brothers’ “For The Love Of You,” featuring Amikaeyla Gaston on vocals. She is one of the vocalists who performed on the first volume in this series, and here she offers a smooth and sweet vocal performance. This song is from the 1970s, and is mellower than the band’s earlier rock material. This rendition features some nice work by David K. Mathews on keys and Carl Lockett on guitar during the instrumental section in the middle. That’s followed by “You Had To Know,” and, for me, this is where things start getting really good, this track featuring a passionate and soulful and impressive vocal performance by Tony Lindsay. Seriously, this is a tremendous performance. Also, this track features a good horn section, made up of Mel Martin on tenor saxophone, Joe Cohen on baritone saxophone, Mike Rinta on trombone, Jeff Cressman on trombone, Bill Ortiz on trumpet, and Louis Fasman on trumpet.

Steve Miller joined David K. Mathews on the first volume, delivering an excellent rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies.” After enjoying that performance, I wanted to hear more from him in the jazz realm, and here my wish is fulfilled. Steve Miller returns for a cool and interesting version of “One Mint Julep,” a song written by Rudy Toombs, one that was a hit for The Clovers in the early 1950s and has been covered by a lot of artists over the years, including Ray Charles. It is from that Ray Charles rendition that this version gets its inspiration, at least for the first part of it. The track begins with a big band-styled rendition, and then it suddenly switches gears to a more bluesy take on the song, and that is when Steve Miller joins the group, on both vocals and guitar. It’s a cool and totally enjoyable rendition. I dig those backing vocals by Leah Tysse too. And of course there is some wonderful work by David K. Mathews on organ. Near the end, the song shifts back into the big band rendition.

Amikaeyla Gaston then returns for a nice long rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)” (approximately two minutes longer than Stevie Wonder’s original LP version), giving another smooth and beautiful performance. This track also features more nice work by Carl Lockett on guitar. In the middle there is an interesting keyboard section before the second part of the song. Also interesting is that the makeup of the band changes somewhat for this second part, with Marc van Wageningen taking over for Dewayne Pate on bass, and Michael Spiro taking over for Peter Michael Escovedo on percussion. And there is no guitar in this section. In this second part, David K. Mathews plays organ and synthesizers, and that sound plays a more prominent role. There is also a cool lead on bass. Tony Lindsay joins the group again for “So Sweetly,” a track which features some wonderful work on backing vocals as well. Those backing vocalists include Ray Obiedo, who wrote the song. There is also some really nice work by Mark Russo on alto saxophone, which rises up as another strong voice. That work on saxophone is what really makes this track stand out for me.

Things then get funky with a cool rendition of James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good),” with Funky Fred Ross on vocals. He delivers a ridiculously enjoyable performance here, and the band is totally invested. Joe Cohen is on saxophone, Mike Olmos is on trumpet, and Mike Rinta is on trombone. David K. Mathews gives us some delicious stuff on organ. Lady Bianca then delivers a soulful and powerful vocal performance on “Giving Up,” a slower, bluesy number written by Van McCoy and which was a hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips. Halfway through, the song goes up to another level because of the work from the horn section, as well as that electric guitar offering a delicious bluesy lament. This is an excellent track. It is followed by “Goin’ Out Of My Head,” a song originally recorded by Little Anthony & The Imperials. I hadn’t heard this song in a while, and this version reminds me of what a damn good song this is. Glenn Walters is on vocals here, and his voice has both warmth and power. There is an interesting ending to this rendition.

Amikaeyla Gaston once again joins David K. Mathews on vocals, this time for an unusual take on “Wichita Lineman,” which was written by Jimmy Webb and was a hit for Glen Campbell. This version features some nice work on bass and drums. Peter Barshay plays acoustic bass, and Marc van Wageningen is on electric bass. Deszon Clairborne is on drums. That’s followed by “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know,” a song written by Al Kooper and originally recorded by Blood, Sweat & Tears and included on that band’s first LP. This is a cool rendition, the focus being on the vocal performance by Alex Ligertwood, with David K. Mathews supporting him with some excellent stuff on organ. There is so much truth and passion to the vocal performance. The album ends with “Yesterday,” a song that has been covered an insane amount of times. And yet, you may not have heard a version quite like this one. It takes its time, establishing a good groove, with some vocal play. Kenny Washington is the vocalist on this track. On the CD case, this track is listed as an extended mix, and that is no joke. This version is more than eleven minutes, and it is nearly three minutes before Kenny Washington begins to sing the lyrics, delivering a beautiful and moving performance. After approximately six minutes, it seems like the track is going to end, but then it goes into a groovy section, even featuring a bit of scat.

CD Track List

1. For The Love Of You
2. You Had To Know
3. One Mint Julep
4. Superwoman
5. So Sweetly
6. I Got You (I Feel Good)
7. Giving Up
8. Goin’ Out Of My Head
9. Wichita Lineman
10. I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know
11. Yesterday

The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 2, Soul, Pop, R&B is scheduled to be released on June 5, 2020.