Duke Robillard & His All-Star Band – Six Strings Of Steel | Album Review

Duke Robillard & His All-Star Band– Six Strings Of Steel

MC Records – 2023

www.dukerobillard.com

12 tracks; 45 minutes

Duke Robillard here looks back at music that influenced his development as a guitar player, across blues, R&B, jazz and soul. Duke never makes a bad record and this one is another goodie, recorded with his regular band who certainly deserve the ‘All-Star’ tag. Alongside Duke the rhythm section is Marty Ballou on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, Bruce Bears is on keys, Doug James on sax and Chris Cote takes most of the vocals.

Although Barney Kessel is best known as a jazz guitarist, “Git With It!” is a rocking R&B instrumental with Duke’s twangy guitar set against Doug James’ tough sax work, a great opener, immediately followed by Smiley Lewis’ “Shame, Shame, Shame”, classic New Orleans R&B that fairly rockets along with vocalist Chris Cote delivering the familiar song brilliantly. Duke takes the vocal on “Lima Beans”, an obscure Chess recording written by Eddie Ware, expertly driven by the rhythm section. Chris returns to the mike for Chuck Willis’ “Love Struck”, the tune benefiting from Bruce Bears’ skill on the Hammond, a lovely sax chorus from Doug James and an aching guitar solo from Duke.

One of just two originals here, “In Perfect Harmony” is a soulful tribute to Duke’s wife Laurene, the other being an instrumental tribute to Telecaster maestros James Burton and Steve Cropper entitled “Groovin’ In The Swamp”. Duke spent a period of time playing guitar with Dylan, so “Watching The River Flow” is a natural fit, here arranged for Doug James’ bubbling baritone and guest Katie Shore’s fiddle. The baritone also features alongside Duke’s jazzy tones on the swinging instrumental “Billy In The Lion’s Den” (from the repertoire of jazz sax player Leo Parker) and the band adds Ska rhythms to Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino’s “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday”. Chris Cote’s vocal on the rocking version of Ike Turner’s “Take Your Fine Frame Home” is another highlight of the album before Duke takes his second vocal turn and plays some beautifully relaxed guitar lines on Lowell Fulson’s “Lovin’ You”. Duke closes the album with Link Wray’s classic R&B instrumental “Rumble’’, apparently the first tune he learned to play.

This is another fine album from Duke who remains one of the great guitarists on the current scene.

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