Pat Pepin – What More Can I Do
Self-produced CD
14 songs – 51 minutes
A veteran singer, songwriter and saxophone player who’s made three trips – including this year – to Memphis as Maine’s representative in the International Blues Challenge, Pat Pepin delivers a sound that puts a New England spin on the storytelling tradition of mainstream blues. And like the mighty Mississippi, it flows through every aspect of this down-to-earth, almost all-original set.
Pat’s an energetic entertainer whose brief, powerfully melodic runs on the reeds serve more as brief interludes to accent the songs she delivers with her equally powerful alto. A mix of soulful ballads and uptempo pleasers that celebrate the ups and downs of life, you’ll crack a smile occasionally because of the wry anecdotes and Down East humor infused in her lyrics.
This disc, like Pepin’s 2010 offering, In It for the Long Haul, were contenders for best self-produced album in the IBCs. A lady who’s toured Australia and been featured at major festivals across the U.S., she’s been serving as volunteer for events sponsored by the Blues Foundation for 20 years, too.
She’s aided here by her regular touring band, The Boneheads: guitarist Steve Jones, keyboard player Bob Colwell, bassist Scott Elliot and drummer Richard Hollis, all of whom provide backing vocals. The set was recorded by Colwell at The Root Cellar in Hallowell, Me.
A brief, fluid horn intro kicks off the medium-paced shuffle, “Mother Nature Blues,” which urges man to change his ways before the “madness” of drilling, blasting, poisoning water and more ruins all we’ve got. Elliot and Hollis provide the heartbeat throughout, and Pepin and Colwell take brief mid-tune solos. The ballad “What More Can I Do” opens quietly before Pat wonders why the man she loves has told her to find another man.
The theme brightens and the pace quickens slightly as Pepin bounces back from the heartache with “Don’t Tie Me Down,” which suggests plenty of activities but stresses she’s not looking for an “ever-more.” The action heats up even more for the the rocker “Mean Woman,” which describes another lady – undeservedly – walking around like a queen. The Boneheads then adopt a syncopated beat for “I Don’t Want to Go Home” as Pat announces to a gent that she really DOES want to settle down. Her solo celebrates her joy.
“Drifting” — penned by Glen Torrico – is a quiet ballad that bemoans the loss of closeness in a relationship before the sprightly “Little Things” finds Pepin falling in and out of love because the yo-yoing messaging emanating from her boyfriend’s mouth. The pleasant shuffle, “Call Me Up,” has bittersweet message: The man wants carries a torch on the phone, but wastes the singer’s time because he doesn’t carry the feelings through in real life. Once he shows up, however, Pat insists that he “Slow Down” because it seems that his only goal is to “get me on my back.”
A cover of “Damn Your Eyes” — written by Steve Bogard and Barbara Wyrick and first released by Etta James in the 1980s – follows. Then Pepin pays tribute to one of her favorite movie stars as she pays tribute to “Mae West.” Folks old enough to remember will identify some of the lyrics — “When I’m good, I’m good…but when I’m bad, I’m better” and – “Come up and see me some time” – as a couple of the actress’ trademarked sayings.
Pat doesn’t care what type of vehicle’s involved because she’s backed and ready to go in “Ride with You” before the original “Sugar Mama” adapts a ’40s feel as she announces she’s looking to replace the guy because she’s not going to be the title figure any more. The message continues in the closer, “Try Me,” which finds Pepin longing for the love of an old friend whose own relationship is coming to an end.
Try Pat, too. She delivers a pleasant, unexpected treat.
