Bart Bryant – Backstage II | Album Review

Bart Bryant – Backstage II

Horizon Music Group – 2024

www.bartbryant.com

12 tracks; 51 minutes

Baltimore born Bart Bryant has played on his native East Coast as well as in Texas. This set, recorded in New Haven, Connecticut, with Vic Steffens mixing, mastering and producing, contains eight covers and four originals. The key musicians involved are former Johnny Winter bassist Scott Spray, pianist Floyd Domino, multi-instrumentalist Bill Holloman on all horns and occasional keys and drummer Alex Giosa who play on most of the tracks. Others involved are drummers Tyger MacNeal, Ernie Durawa, Liviu Pop and Bobby Torello, bassists Robert Liptrot and Dave Anderson, keyboard players Tony Cafiero and Jordan Giangreco and vocalist Simone Young-Brown; Bart plays guitar and handles the lead vocals throughout. The material ranges from straight blues to heavy rockers, taking in a few soulful detours along the way.

The album opens with a cover of Robin Trower’s “Day Of The Eagle”, the horns sounding a clarion call to which Bart responds with heavy guitar and wah-wah over pounding drums, definitely one for the rockers out there! In contrast Little Johnny Taylor’s “If You Love Me Like You Say” plays it pretty straight, Bill Holloman standing out on both organ and horns while Bart’s rough-edged vocals work well here, as they do on a good, late-night reading of Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby” with fine, rolling piano and blues guitar. SRV’s “Empty Arms” is transformed by the horns and pounds long impressively with Bart’s guitar and Bill’s piano to the fore. “Mess Of Blues” is a Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman tune, best known from Elvis’ version, this cover adding a swing feel to the familiar tune. Two familiar songs are given a full-on Blues-Rock treatment: “I’m Ready” works OK, “Born Under A Bad Sign” is a little more on the heavy side, while Buddy Guy’s “Whiskey, Beer And Wine” (from his 2015 album Born To Play Guitar) suits Bart’s heavier side very well.

The four originals start with “Past The Pain”, a melancholy slow blues with Bill adding harmonica to his horn work. The other three originals widen the styles on show: “Out Of This Blue” is a quiet, reflective tune with gentle rhythms and flute; “You Make Me Move” is a trio performance with Tony Cafiero’s synthesiser adding a slightly weird tone to a track that sits uneasily with the rest of the album; “Motown Groove” does what the title suggests as Bart pays tribute to the Motor City’s most celebrated musical offering to close the album in joyful style.

The variety of music on offer here means that there will be something for most Blues Blast readers to enjoy.

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