Tas Cru – Live
Subcat Records
10 Tracks – 43 minutes
The album has a sub-title shown on the cover as “All-Natural, Cage Free, and Fan Fed”. These three things are indicative of the recording being “rough and raw” exactly it was performed live before an invited audience in the Subcat Music Studios in Syracuse, New York with the recording of ten songs selected as the most requested songs on the band’s 2023 tour. He cites that these songs were selected from well over 100 songs that are currently in Tas’s repertoire.
Tas’s interaction with his audience is frequently noted in reviews of his concerts. The musicians on the recording are those that were on the 2023 tour with Tas. Tas, of course, is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the group. All the songs on the album are originals written by him. He is joined on vocals by Mia Casale, who has performed on all of Tas’s studio albums. Tom Terry on bass and vocals has a long history playing with other blues artists including Jason Ricci, Chris O’Leary, Alexis P. Suter and Paul nelson. Phil Diiorio plays drums and also adds vocals. Scott Ebner fills out the group on piano and organ.
The album opens with “Dat Maybe” from 2017’s Blues Music Award nominated album Simmered and Stewed. He comes out rocking with the declaration, “Don’t say you will, when you know you won’t.” “Don’t gimme dat maybe when your heart says no.” Two songs from his 2023 album Riffin’ the Blue follows. On the first one, he encourages everyone to ” Stand up” and “time for you to choose” and “time to come together as one”, offering a unifying social commentary. The second song from the album “Brown Liquor Woman” talks about the women who “do not drink no champagne or wine” and “just have one thing on their mind”. Scott’s piano strongly skitters alongside of Tas’s guitar through the song.
Mia takes the lead vocal on “Have a Drink” from 2018’s Memphis Song. Mia’s strong voice encourages everyone to “raise a glass and have a drink to the blues”. Scott pulls out a barrelhouse piano on this one that slides into a nice riff from Tas’ s guitar. Scott then jumps into the lead on “Take Me Back to Tulsa” from 2014’s You Keep the Money, which starts very quietly and builds rhythmically. They jump back to the 2017 album for “Grizzle & Bone”, a funky ode to all the Waffle House waitresses.
He returns to Memphis Song for the funky “One Eyed Jack”, which he says references that he plays with “the hand that the good Lord dealt me” but noting that “it is hard to keep on winning when the devil sits in”. Scott’s organ and Tas’s guitar keeps the music jumping. The next two songs are also from You Keep the Money, starting with the title song of that album as he asks “her to just show me love”. He determines that he feels like he is “Drunk Half the Time” from his baby that “has lips that taste like cherry wine”.
He ends the album with the gospel blues of “Heal My Soul” from Memphis Song. This is a feel-good song that was cowritten by Mia. The high energy song leads off with Mia’s charged gospel sound and then teaming with Tas in a strong duet with Tas backed by Scott’s driving piano.
If you have never attended a Tas Cru concert, you should know that this album and what you hear from Tas in concert is more on the funk and gospel side of music, definitely not hard rock album. The band is top notch with Mia’s strong backing vocals on every cut and Phil’s steady drumming that keeps the songs moving without overstepping the other musicians. In all this is an excellent album, well worth your time and certainly indicative of what you would hear at his concerts. But you should know that if you go looking for this album, Tas has said that at present CD’s and vinyl are only being sold at his concert venues. The full release of the album is not anticipated until September.
