Dave Fields – All In
FMI Fields Music Publishing – 2014
Eleven tracks with a total running time of 50:44
The fourth album by New York Blues-rocker Dave Fields is entitled All In and features 11 songs: 9 originals and a funky ‘live’ version of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” and a burning, almost unrecognizable, rendition of the timeless classic “Cross Road” (R. Johnson).
Recorded mostly live in the studio, All In, features many of the same musicians that played on Dave’s first three CD’s Time’s A Wastin’, All Wound Up & Detonation: Andy Huenerberg (bass), Kenny Soule (drums), Vladimir Barsky (keys), Dave Moore (drums) and some new comers: Tony Tino (bass) and special guest BMA nominee Dave Keyes (piano).
This CD should come with a warning label that reads: “Caution: prolonged exposure to these sounds will result in an extreme desire to max out the sound on your stereo.” From the opening track, “Changes In My Life”, to the last Fields takes us on a musical joy ride and if you decide to get on board you won’t be disappointed.
“Changes…” starts with a riff that will make you swear you have just put on a Sonny Landreth recording. Using Landreth-like riffs and a driving rhythm section this ditty will get you up and dancing whether you want to or not. With lyrics like, “The road is long, but I am strong. I don’t always sing a happy song but I keep going with the changes in my life.” – we are truly being treated to a complete Blues-rock package.
With the previously mentioned “Cross Road” (track 5) we get a completely reworked version of a Robert Johnson classic made famous by the English Blues-rock group Cream. Blues music is awash in cover music and their “interpretation” of timeless artists such as Johnson, Muddy, Dixon, etc. Few artists can make a cover sound like an original and Fields proves, with this song, that he is one of them.
“Wake Up Jasper” (track 6) is an up-tempo shuffle that showcases Fields’ guitar chops and he has them in spades. This is a slide guitar fan’s delight with hot slide licks all over it and combined with Dave Keyes’ prowess on the piano (swear he makes it sound like Lonnie Mack using a whammy) the listener has the total package.
There is so much to like on this CD: tasty guitar licks, cool-smoky vocals, excellent rhythm section, prime piano pieces, entertaining lyrics and last but not least the cover folds out and the lyrics are printed inside. What a concept – remember when printing the lyrics with a recording was the norm? Who doesn’t like to sing along with a kick-ass recording of some tasteful tunes? All in all there is not a clinker in the bunch of musical magic Fields treats us to on All In.
The only mildly negative thing this reviewer would have to say is “When are you going to leave the eastern US and treat the rest of the states to your musical mastery?”
