Drummer Andy Peake has been performing for a long time, supporting artists on tours and in the studio, as well as working as producer and engineer for various projects, and only now is releasing his debut solo album, Mood Swings, on which he plays drums and provides lead vocals. Joining him on most tracks are Al Hill on keys, John Prestia on guitar, and Paul Ossola on bass. There are also several other guests on various tracks. The album features mostly original material, in the blues and roots realms.
The album opens with an original song co-written by Will McFarlane, “Make Peace With The Blues.” I love making lists, and someday I’d like to make a list of every blues song that begins with some variation of the line “I woke up this morning.” There certainly are a lot of them. What I love about this one is that Andy Peake follows that opening phrase with this: “Like it or not.” That comes as a delightful surprise, and immediately we know we’re in good hands. Yes, the song mentions some of the usual blues troubles, “My baby, she’d left me/My bank account’s shot,” but uses those as a jumping off spot. “The blues is black, the blues is white/The blues is day and the blues is night/Never know when it might come around/So you just can’t let it keep you down.” There is a smooth vibe and attitude here that seems to gently urge us to make our own peace with the blues. Good advice in these strange times, eh? And this track features a really good lead on electric guitar approximately halfway through. James Pennebaker joins the group on guitar on this one. That’s followed by “Hip Replacement,” a humorous and cool tune that features a horn section. Scott Ducaj is on trumpet, and Michael Gutierrez is on tenor saxophone. The song is about someone who used to be hip and no longer is. Yeah, it’s playful. I love the lines “Now thinking about your future is a thing of the past” and “Your ceiling is another man’s floor.” And I love that lead on trumpet halfway through, which is followed by a wonderful lead on electric guitar.
“Mood Swings,” the title track, is a gently swinging jazzy gem, one of my personal favorites. “Some days it’s filled with joy and all is well/But other days it’s a bit of hell/When feeling good outweighs the doubt/Then that’s what love is all about.” This track features a groovy bass line and some really nice touches on keys. Then things begin to rock New Orleans-style with a cover of “If The Blues Was Green,” a fun, enjoyable number about how he’d be doing if the blues led to money. “And I’d have you to thank/You can take that to the bank.” Kevin McKendree delivers some wonderful work on keys on this track, and James Pennebaker gives us a good lead on guitar, in addition to some nice touches throughout the song. This song was written by Randy Handley and Richard Fleming. That’s followed by “Do It While You Can,” which opens with some delicious work on drums, establishing a rhythm to get us dancing, and right away putting me in a good mood. That drum solo is less than ten seconds, and I would love to hear an extended version where Andy Peake just digs into it. Perhaps in concert? This is a song with a seize-the-moment message, with Andy singing “Now you ain’t really anywhere if you ain’t here and now.” In the middle, following the line “You can’t get down if you don’t get on up,” he suddenly dips into James Brown’s “Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine” for a moment. This is an excellent track, a cheerful, positive number, and there is another short drum solo toward the end. Will McFarlane and Chris Leuzinger are on guitar, Bob Marinelli is on bass, and Phillip Wolfe plays keys on this one.
John Cowan joins Andy Peake on vocals for a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” the two giving a soulful performance. Phillip Wolfe is again on keys for this one, and delivers some sweet and moving work. That’s followed by “My Baby’s Got A Light On,” which has an easygoing vibe, with the horn section returning. At the beginning of this one, Andy Peake sings “I don’t like haunted houses/I don’t care for Halloween/Old dark and spooky places/They ain’t ever been my scene.” But his fear is now gone, because of his lover’s light. Hey, how can you dislike Halloween? Check out that work on saxophone. So good! Then we get a heavier dose of blues with “Another Day, Another Teardrop,” written by Dave Duncan and Karen Leipziger. In this song, his girl is gone, and though he tells his friends he’s doing well, the truth is “Nothing seems to ease the pain.” And check out these lines: “When I’m at home, I never answer the phone/There’s no one I want to talk to.” I don’t answer my phone either, but that is mostly because of those damn telemarketers (the entire lot should be drawn and quartered).
“Untangle The Line” has a relaxed summer vibe, in part because of the percussion, and offers some advice about taking one’s time and appreciating the moment. “Take the time to untangle the line/Every day is a one-of-a-kind.” This one was co-written by Mark T. Jordon, and features John Marcus on bass. That’s followed by “Bitter Pill,” a mellower, thoughtful number about a troubled person and the end of a relationship. “Your words were filled with hate and blame/To win was what you’d come to claim/Everything of value had passed you by/You had come to say good-bye.” This one features some excellent and moving work on guitar. I love that instrumental section at the end. Then Andy Peake closes the album with a good dose of classic rock and roll, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” this version with a bit of a Cajun flavor. And yes, it features some nice work on both guitar and keys. It’s a fun way to end the disc.
CD Track List
- Make Peace With The Blues
- Hip Replacement
- Mood Swings
- If The Blues Was Green
- Do It While You Can
- I Shall Be Released
- My Baby’s Got A Light On
- Another Day, Another Teardrop
- Untangle The Line
- Bitter Pill
- Johnny B. Goode
Mood Swings is scheduled to be released on August 20, 2021 on Big Little Records.
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