Revelator Hill – Live By The Creek
Root Nine Records
8 songs/52 minutes
Revelator Hill, a blues-rock band from the DC/Virginia area, has released Live By The Creek, a new album featuring legendary saxophonist Ron Holloway. Led by guitarist and vocalist, Bobby Thompson, this collection of talented musicians have another fine album.
Coming on the heels of their well-received 2017 release, Atlantic Detour, Thompson recruited Ron Holloway to join the band for some live shows. Holloway is best known for his work with Dizzy Gillespie, but he is also a working member of The Warren Hayes Band and a guest of bands like Tedeschi-Trucks Band and Melvin Seals. The band clicked so they decided to record one of their shows and Live By The Creek is the result. Captured live in the summer of 2017 at Lubber Run Amphitheater in Arlington, Virginia, this is a great collection of songs and offers a good sample of what their lives shows are like.
Along with Bobby Thompson and Ron Holloway, the rest of Revelator Hill is Seth Morrissey – bass, vocals; Wes Lanich – keyboards; Gary Crockett – drums, and they do a great job of keeping the rhythm throughout the album.
The first three tracks come from Atlantic Detour, and form a nice set to open the show. “Bad Luck Goodbye” is a rockin’ number featuring some nice guitar and vocals from Thompson and an outstanding sax solo from Holloway.
“Gets Me Over,” is a soulful number featuring more killer vocals from Thompson. Morrissey plays some cool bass in the background, Lanich contributes some nice understated keyboards and Crockett provides solid drum work. Holloway’s sax stays in the background until his solo and then he nails it.
“Look At You Now” features more powerful sax from Holloway along with some pretty intense guitar from Thompson. It also features some nice work by Crockett on drums. Their cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years” is another standout track that combines more of Thomson’s fine guitar and vocals with some good organ from Lanich.
Other tracks on the album include “Nobody’s Fool,” with Lanich on organ and piano, “Consider Me,” a slower number with another solo from Lanich, “Until We Shine,” a spacy little song has some intense slide from Thompson, and the album closer, the band’s cover of Eric Clapton’s “Bottle Of Red Wine,” features Thompson and Morrissey’s vocals, Lanich with some well-played piano and Holloway adds more excellent saxophone.
Live By The Creek is another good effort from Revelator Hill. It sounds great and it’s a worthwhile addition to any blues-rock fan’s collection.
