The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – What Are You Waiting For?
11 songs – 45 minutes
A nine-piece ensemble founded in San Francisco in 2007, The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra delivers a sound that draws its inspiration from blues and R&B bands of the ’60s and ’70s, and they hit new heights here. They team for the first time with Willy Jordan, a silky smooth vocalist who’s also an award-winning percussionist who’s worked with Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Louis Walker, John Németh and others for decades.
A fixture on guitar in the Bay Area music scene, Paule has been in the same circuit as Jordan for decades, but they finally met and struck up an immediate friendship when they finally crossed paths at the bar aboard a Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise a few years ago.
Willy’s presence marks a welcome return to the studio for the group, whose previous efforts have featured the beloved and dearly departed Wee Willie Walker and Frank Bay on the mic. With those powerhouses in tow, the band piled up eight Blues Music Awards nominations for soul blues album, song, band and overall album honors along the way.
The orchestra possesses a large sound, but it never overpowers the vocals. The set was recorded and mixed by Gabriel Shepard and Jim Gaines, the Nashville legend who passed recently, at 25th Street Recording Studio in Oakland and mastered by Michael Romanowski. Anthony’s veteran lineup includes Tony Lufrano on keys, Endre Tarczy on bass and Kevin Hayes on drums. Sax players Charles McNeal (tenor) and Rob Sudduth (baritone), trombonist Derek James and 22-year-old newcomer/trumpeter Ethan Pires compose the four-piece horn section.
Jon Otis adds percussion on two cuts, and Larry Batiste and the Sons of the Soul Revivers – Dwayne, Walter and James Morgan — make special guest appearances on vocals. And Nona Brown and Omega Rae deliver background vocals throughout.
The all-original set opens with “You Ain’t Old ’Til You Cold.” It’s a funky, medium-paced shuffle propelled by fluid horn lines. A horn-section blast gets your attention before the band joins in at a level that allows Willy space to shine. When he was 25, he notes, he thought he knew it all and was “having a ball, but it all changed with time.” Now, he realizes, he’s got to celebrate life every day because “two feet on top are better than six feet below.” It’s a message that’s driven home by Paule on the break.
The spirited “What Are You Waiting For?” kicks up the heat while continuing the idea forward. It celebrates trying something new or actually commit to the trip you’ve been dreaming about instead of dreaming about it and planning for the future. Lufrano’s organ smokes mid-tune. The mood shifts for guitar-driven “One Way.” It’s a love song delivered with a twinge of regret as it focuses on the future while bemoaning a reluctance to commit to the relationship in the past.
The true blue “You’re Somebody Else’s Baby Too” opens with a brief Paule solo before Jordan comes to terms with the realization that he’s not the only person in his lady’s life. It’s jarring because he’s witnessed it recently himself. But everyone needs a “Back Up Plan,” as the funkified song that follows states. Then the band gets serious. “Where’s Justice?” is loaded with images of families sleeping in tents and cars, children starving and more. It addresses American society’s empty promises regarding racial and cultural equality, stating “enough is enough!”
It dovetails into “Bruised,” which finds the singer crying out for help – this time after being left black, blue and confused by another romantic interest. The mood brights with “Love Out Loud,” which advises opening your heart and letting the whole world feel it. The stop-time “That’s Not How the Story Goes” confronts a rival spreading untruths before the humorous “No Tofu” finds Willy crying out for barbeque when his honey puts the title ingredient on his plate. The disc concludes with the soulfully tormented “After a While,” which addresses the singer’s pain after a split.
Lead vocalists have changed once again, but The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra remains at the top of their game. Willy Jordan sings from the heart, and you’ll rejoice when you hear him do it!
