JP Soars & Anne Harris – Gypsy Blue Revue
9 songs – 56 minutes
Both JP Soars and Anne Harris have reputations for high-energy, genre-spanning roots music played with deep emotional power, and Gypsy Blue Revue is a glorious snapshot of the magic that can happen when virtuoso musicians inspire each other to new heights. Mixing Southern soul, Gypsy jazz and roadhouse blues with a dash of folk, a little rock attitude and even a Latin groove or two, Soars and Harris have created a hugely enjoyable album.
Gypsy Blue Revue kicks off with the slide-driven electric blues of “Jessie Mae” (a tribute to Mississippi Hill Country legend, Jessie Mae Hemphill) and ends with the 18-minute “Cigar Box Jam”, which finds the musicians nodding towards some noted improvisers of the past, including Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and even The Beatles (“Norwegian Wood”). In between, the songs include the swinging acoustic blues of “Viper”, the Latin-tinged “Paradise”, the folk of “Old Silver Bridge” and “May Mountain Waltz”, the country blues of “Goin’ To South Carolina” and the jazz of “Go With The Flow”.
Soars contributes seven songs in addition to Harris’ “May Mountain Waltz” and Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Blues”. He also sings and plays electric and acoustic guitars, Merlin stick dulcimer, two-string cigar box guitar, cavaquinho, dobro, lap steel guitar, cowbell, shekere and whistle. Harris adds her inimitable fiddle and mandolin. The duo are joined by Chris Peet on drums and Cleveland Frederick on bass and bongos. Jeremy Staska adds shaker and tambourine to a couple of tracks.
The album was recorded at Tony’s Treasures Studio, Cadiz, OH, with engineering by Cody Romshak and Mark Puskarich, with mixing and mastering by Staska at Studio 13 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
There is a real sense of enjoyment and the thrill of being inspired by other musicians on Gypsy Blue Revue. “Minor Blues” contains solos from all the musicians but it is played with such verve and it swings so hard that you don’t want it to end. Likewise, listening to Soars and Harris exchange solos in “Go With The Flow” is akin to watching someone run along a tightrope strung between two tall buildings without a safety net: one marvels at the technical brilliance whilst being terrified that a disaster is surely just around the corner (spoiler: it isn’t).
Harris’ playing throughout the album is quite exceptional. Her solo on the fade out to “Old Silver Bridge” is worth the price of admission by itself, while the melody to her own “May Mountain Waltz” will lodge in your brain.
Gypsy Blue Revue is a superb release from JP Soars and Anne Harris and essential listening for roots music fans who enjoy blues-based music that incorporates a wide range of traditional influences and some modern attitude. Great stuff.
