Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore – Tell Me ‘Bout It
11 tracks
Bob Corritore offers up two new releases in his “From The Vaults” Series. His archives of recorded music are huge and we get to hear some magnificent music in these releases. The album with Louisiana Red album is a superb release featuring 11 tracks, recorded in seven sessions from 2000 to 2009 when Red would stop by Bob’s Rhythm Room as he toured the US. Louisiana Red passed on in 2012 but leaves a great recorded legacy of music behind and here were get seven never released cuts on top of four that were prior releases. Red wrote nine of these tracks and his wife Dora penned the other two.
Let’s look at the four tracks that were previously released. “Mary Dee Shuffle” opens the album. Joining Red and Bob is Buddy Reed on guitar and Matt Bishop on piano who does a delightful job backing and soloing. Red tells us about his days in New Jersey with a gal named Mary Dee who hung out at the Hideaway Club. Red sings with passion and Bob blows some great harp. “Alabama Train” is a driving and slick cut and Red hearkens to the girls in Pennsylvania, more references to time in the Northeast along with singing about the train to take him home. David Maxwell is on piano here and Little Victor plays some mean guitar; it’s a cool cut. Johnny Rapp adds some slick slide guitar to “Freight Train To Ride” as Red howls and Corritore explodes on harp. “Tell Me ‘Bout It” concludes the prior releases and here we have Chris James on guitar and David Maxwell on piano. It’s a great slow shuffle that just resonates with charm and emotion.
The new released cuts start with the second tracks on the album “Early Morning Blues” with just the duo of Red and Bob. Red picks out some licks as he sings and plays some pretty, slow blues as Bob punctuates things with his harp. “Caught Your Man and Gone” has Rapp on guitar again and it’s a another nice cut with Red, Bob and Johnny doing some classic blues. “New Jersey Blues” follows that as Red continues to hearken back to his days in the Garden State. New Jersey is a place that would be hard to forget for many a reason; here we have Red bemoaning the winter snow there and his woman who took his relief check to buy beer while he’s working hard in the steel mill. Reed is on guitar here and we get some more great slow blues to savor. Both Red and Buddy offer up some fine guitar work.
The last four tracks on the album are all newly released. ‘Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You,” a bouncing cut with Buddy Reed adding his guitar. Corritore is spectacular on harp and Red remains vigilant fronting the band. The next track opens with a familiar guitar tone; Bob Margolin is featured here supporting Red and Bob on “Edith Mae,” a gal back in Mississippi that Red yearns for. Margolin slips and slides on guitar and Red howls and moans for Edith Mae as Corritore aptly supports them. Next is “Bessemer Blues” where Buddy Reed plays lead guitar. Bessemer is the Alabama town Red was born in and he pays tribute to returning to the town of his mother. Guitar and harp solos are well done again and Red sings with great feeling. Johnny Rapp’s guitar opens the final track, “Bernice Blues.” Bernice is another New Jersey gal who must have made an impression on Red. Another excellent slow blues that the listener can appreciate.
Red handles all the vocals here and plays guitar. Corritore’s harp on each track is exemplary. The lead guitarists and piano players for each track were noted above; bassists were Paul Thomas (six tracks), Mario Moreno (two cuts), and Billy Troiani and Patrick Rynn with one cut each. The great Chico Chism plays drums on six cuts while Brian Fahey does so on three and Alex Petersen plays on another. This is a fine album with some superb music.
Louisiana Red is a great talent and Bob Corritore and he seem to have a great vibe going when they get together. There are fine musicians on each cut who know how to play the blues. If you want to hear some great stuff from this Alabama legend that Corritore and friends make even better then go grab this one.
