The Shaelyn Band – Chapter 3
House of Berry Productions
14 tracks/54 minutes
This Florida soul blues band is a high energy group with a slick sound. The seven members present a diverse and deep sound with their performances that fully fleshed out and well done. All the songs are originals.
Shaelyn fronts the band with energetic vocal performances. Eric Guess is on lead guitar, Curtis Harris is on bass and Tim Mulberry is on drums and keys and adds backing vocals along with Win Carlson. Isaiah Gayles on trumpet and Moses Maldonado on trombone lent their horn skills to the mix to good effect.
Shaelyn starts off with “Blues Choose Me” and takes us to church in a fervent cut with powerful vocals and great accompaniment. “Gumbo” follows, a mid tempo piece with great front and backing vocals, horns and guitar.
The guitar introduces and shines “Cruise,” another passionate cut where Shaelyn tells her man if he ain’t in it for the long haul then cruise on down the road. Then it’s “Push” which has a nice instrumental intro and then Shaelyn and company give us a cut about pushing it to the limit. A bit of a slower tempo and just a cool vibe here along with horns and a nice guitar solo.
They go acoustic on “Carry On” which has a cool front porch sort of feel to it, but it’s jazzed up with horns which makes it seem more modern and cool. The R&B infused “Takin’ My Love Back” is next which hearkens a little to early rock songs. Shaelyn sings with passion in this well-done ballad.
“Bet It All” is a strident cut with Mulberry singing her heart out. It’s got a nice groove and moves along smartly. Great accompaniment and another slick guitar solo are featured here. “Make Ya Move” also begins with some stinging guitar in another hot and jumping number.
Then we have “Music Makes It Right,” another hot cut with a great groove, horns and vocals. It’s high energy stuff for sure! “I’m Not Ready” turns the heat and pace down as Shaelyn and company go through the paces as she says in no uncertain terms what the title says. Another cool guitar solo is offered up here.
“Debt” is up next, a slow and soulful song with a lament-ful guitar intro and support throughout. Shaelyn croons out a nice one here with pretty accompaniment. “I Won’t Sell My Soul” follows, a slow to mid-tempo number with another nice instrumental introduction. The blues are strong as she and band deliver a powerful performance.
Piano and organ introduces “Slow Blues” with an orchestral sound in this slow and somber piece. Shaelyn takes us to church again as she grabs at the listener with a super performance. The song is pretty and offers another side of Mulberry and her band. Pretty guitar picking helps set the tone along with the great keyboard work. They finish with “Just Keep Moving” which is a slow to medium paced song with nice guitar, horns and vocals. Soulful and slick, it’s a great conclusion to the album.
Mulberry sings with passion and the band supports her well. It’s a wild and fun ride. I liked this album!
