The Soul of John Black – Soul Salvation
Yellow Dog Records YDR 2878
10 songs – 33 minutes
Billing himself as The Soul of John Black, multi-instrumentalist John Anthony Bigham IS The Soul of John Black, and he reinvigorates the essence of soul blues with this offering, a masterful effort that serves up heaping helpings of both, tracing the music back to its root while delivering a set that points a great way for others to follow as they chart a similar course.
A Chicago native known as JB to his friends, Bigham was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side. His parents grew up in Tennessee and Georgia, where they were imbued with the blues tradition. They ingrained it into their son through both the tunes they played on the stereo and the tales they told him about Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and other standard-bearers in the Windy City.
His musical influences and resulting style came from an assimilation of the sounds that filled the streets around him – a place where Jerry Butler, Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield and other soul superstars played in lockstep with Tyrone Davis, Buddy Guy, Jimmy and Syl Johnson, Albert and B.B. King, Mavis Staples and other framers of Chicago’s multi-faceted sound.
A percussionist who traveled with Miles Davis and wrote songs for him, too, Bigham’s career includes two different runs as guitarist/keyboard player in the Los Angeles-based ska-funk-rock band Fishbone. He was in the group for two different stints totaling eight years, ending in 2019. And his licks have also been featured in tours and on albums by Dr. Dré, Eminem, Nikka Costa and Everlast.
But it’s The Soul of John Black that’s been the driving force for him since 2003. He made the “group’s” debut that year with an eponymous CD and six others have followed. But this is the first since Early in the Moanin’ in 2016. Bigham handles all aspects of this one – everything from vocals, songwriting and all instrumentation to production and engineering. The sole exceptions are Oliver Charles, who handles drums, backing vocalist Christine Rosander and mixing and mastering by Richard “Segal” Huredia and Robert Hadley.
Silky smooth and always at the intersection of blues and soul throughout, “Begging You Baby” kicks off the action. JB repeats the simple plea of the title throughout almost the number, layering it atop a plaintive guitar run and companion beat, as he seeks understanding from a lady for an unspecified offense.
The mood brightens from the intro to “Georgia Peaches.” It celebrates a lady named Sadie, a woman he met on his first trip South, as well as all the other beauties he’s made during his travels. The groove’s infectious throughout along with Bigham’s lyrics, which come in the form of a honeyed rap inspired by Johnnie Taylor. “Take Your Time” follows with a Memphis feel as it instructs listeners to take as long as you need to get things right.
Influenced by Mavis, “Come and Get It” is an unhurried, tender love song that keeps the Memphis feel going strong before the slow, syncopated shuffle, “Been Gone too Long,” incorporates the feel of Albert King but is delivered from the standpoint of someone driving home with heightened desire to a lover after an extended absence. Then he takes you to the Big Easy with the uptempo, funky “That Thang,” a number envisioned as a call-and-response while leaving the response part up to the listener’s imagination.
Delivered from the female perspective, “Right Now” serves up a demand atop a syncopated beat: If her man has been looking for a time to tell her that he loves her, the time is NOW. The silky “Get Closer” keeps the message going, this time influenced by soul giant Eddie Kendricks minus the falsetto. Two more keepers — “The First Time,” a soul ballad perfect for grinding on the dance floor, and “Saving It All for You,” which celebrates the closeness of a comfortable romance – bring the disc to a close.
Grab your honey and keep company with this one. You’ll be glad you did!
