Frank Bey – Peace
NOLA Blue Records
11 tracks
Frank Bey left his home in Georgia at 17 for Philadelphia where he performed and was with the Otis Redding Revue and then the Moorish Vanguard; he left the music business for 17 years and he returned in 1996 to Philly and released his first and second albums. He moved to California in the midst of health and music business issues and hooked up with Anthony Paule and they went on to release a trio of albums from 2013 to 2015. In 2018 he moved to NOLA Blue records and released a super pair of albums with them in 2018 and 2020. His afflictions caught up with him and he passed in June 2020.
This is his eight solo album and ninth album overall if you count the one he was on with the Moorish Vanguard. Bey was a superb soul singer who can move from the sublime to explosive power in just a few measures. His vocal prowess was amazing. These tracks are a collection of sorts, coming from four music sessions.
The first song is an Anthony Paul creation. Bey, of course, is on lead vocals there and throughout the album. Paule on guitar, Tony Lufrano on organ and keys, Nancy Wright on tenor sax, Tom Poole on trumpet, Mike Rinta of trombone, Endre Tarczy in bass and Paul Revelli on drums with Loraelee Christensen on backing vocals are a force to be reckoned with.
Two cuts were done at Greaseland with Rome Yamlov and Andersen on guitars, Jim Pugh on electric grand piano, Lorenso Farrell on Wurlitzer, Jerry Jemmott on bass and Derrick “D’Mar” Martin on drums. Vicki Randle, Lisa Leuschner Andersen and Christensen are backing vocalists. Vicki Randale is on percussion and Aki Kumar and June Core are clapping on the first cut. On the latter track, Wright is on sax, with Jack Sanford, John Hableib is on trumpet and on trombone is Ric Feliciano.
Six cuts feature Bey with Jeff Monjack on guitar, Kevin Friesen on bass, Thomas Jefferson or Kevin Sullivan on drums and many others on horns and keys. The other two have Brian Wolfe on drums along with Monjack, Friesen and the host of others.
Bey gets off to a rousing start with the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra behind him. The horns blare and Paule’s guitar blazes in support. Bey sings with passion and feeling as gets the ball rolling with grit and emotion. Great hook! Produced by Paule and mixed by Kid Andersen, it’s a great song. “One Thing Every Day” follows, an upbeat cut about making one thing every day to make the world a better place. This and John Lennon’s “Imagine” cover were produced and mixed at Andersen’s Greaseland. It flows and bounces with great backing vocals and Bey leading the fray. Jim Pugh on keys and Andersen on guitar flesh this out nicely. “Imagine” closes the album in a soulful and emotive rendition with Pugh and Lorenzo Farrell on keys and Andersen on guitar. Bey sins with power and vibrant feeling. The horns are plentiful and do an amazing job. The sax and guitar play back and forth and Bey intersperses his vocals sweetly with them.
Six tracks are mixed by Tom Spiker and produced by Kevin Frieson and Jeff Monjack.“Midnight and Day” has Monjack playing some slick guitar licks and a great organ groove is provided by Doug Travis. “City Boy” is a stripped down acoustic cut with Monjack on acoustic guitar. Bey sings this ballad with equal feeling to the other cuts. Sark “On The Harp” Damirijan closes the cut out with some solid and soulful harp and Bey howls out the last few lines to complete this somber and cool cut. “Blues Come Knockin’” is a bigger cut with more harp, but this time it’s in your face as is Monjacks’s guitar and Jay Davidson’s keys.
“Bad for My Soul” is a duo acoustic track that sounds like it came right out of the Delta with Bey and Monjack delivering a super cut. “”Blues In The Pocket” is the nest of their tracks, and this a funky soul piece with nice organ and a couple of saxes along with electric guitar and a bass groove making it special. Bey howls and delivers the goods, too! Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come” concludes this sextet of cuts and Bey is very much up to the task. He delivers a special performance with power and soul, being restrained when he needs to and letting it all hang out when appropriate. Some great guitar and organ help sell this one.
The other two are also produced by Monjack and Frieson, but those were mixed by John Chestek in Philadelphia. “Walk With Me” is a jumping song with horns and keys and guitar making this a lot of fun. “If You Want Me” features the same horns, guitar and keys, but this time it’s down tempo and just a pretty and special slow blues. These guys can jump and jive and get down and dirty with equal skill; another pair of superb songs and performances.
This is a killer collection of songs. They range from laid back to in your face. They range from traditional and acoustic to heavy funk and soul. They range from great to even greater. There are no clinkers here. Fantastic original tunes and exceptionally tasteful and amazing covers. There is nothing not to like here. Bey is likely to get nominated for his eighth Blues Music Award and another BBMA with this album. It is truly a winner and showcases the talents of this amazing musician who is physically lost to us but will remain in our hearts and souls with his music!
