Vocalist/cornet player
Al Basile
's longtime friend
Duke Robillard
gets front cover billing, as well he should, as co-producer and guitarist on this impressive outing. The album,
Basile
's fifth, was even recorded at the guitarist's Pawtucket, RI studio called the
Mood Room
, hence the album's title. Musically, it's a combination of old-school
R&B
(
"Baby Sister,"
"Be a Woman"
),
swamp
-tinged
rock & roll
"I'm in a Mood"
), mid-tempo,
Chuck Berry
styled groovers (
"Coffee and Cadillacs"
), grinding
blues
"Picked to Click"
) and even a
jump blues
throwback to the duo's
Roomful of Blues
days (
"She's on the Mainline"
).
Robillard
keeps the sound full yet stripped down -- most of the tracks feature a standard three-piece -- bass/drums/guitar setup -- which leaves space for
's sly vocals and snappy lyrics.
, a teacher and fiction author who also has a Master's degree in creative writing, not surprisingly crafts lyrics that are far more imaginative and original than most
artists'. But they never detract from these melodies that glide along sparked by
's tasty licks. The sound is clean and direct with each instrument clear in the mix as
and
work off each other's strengths. As an added bonus,
writes short blurbs for each track in the accompanying booklet. Most of these are witty, some enlightening and all convey a better grasp of why the song was written and/or how it was performed. The notes bring a personal touch to an album that sure sounds like a labor of love for
. They have created a low-key but tremendously enjoyable gem that any lover of classic
, and most
fans, will relish. ~ Hal Horowitz