Tony Wessels and The Revolvers – Reloaded
Self-Released
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11 tracks – 43 minutes
Tony Wessels is an independent blues artist performing out of Atlanta. The album is his second release. The Revolvers were given their name as they are eighteen individuals that rotate through the band upon Tony’s request to contribute to an individual song. Tony’s approach was that he would select a song that he wanted to record, be it a cover or an original. Tony provides the lead vocal and plays bass. He would go into the studio with a drummer and record the basics of the song and send it out to his selection of the musicians that he felt would be appropriate to the sound of the song. They would listen to what was recorded and then determine what they felt that should be added to the song. They would then come into the studio to record their portion. Tony said that the music frequently took a different sound than what he initially had in mind, but with few exceptions the added parts were as the musicians brought to the studio. The only exceptions were for the horn arrangements and backing vocals.
The long list of musicians includes Stevie Vegas on drums, percussion, vibes and mojo. Other drummers include Rick Gilbert and Art McNaughton. Guitarists include Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck, Richie Mays, Jody Worrell, Steve Cunningham (who also plays pedal steel), and Mal Abercrombie (who also provided backing vocals on one track. Stephe “Hobo” Reid and Katorah Wylie play the harmonica. Robert Meadows plays keyboards on three tracks. Danny Bermel plays violin. carl Hunt plays trumpet and Ethan Levitt adds sax. Backing vocals are provided by Alex Wessels, Ry Wessels, Cidney Mills, and Michael Ray.
The album opens with a cover of Brownie McGhee’s “Gonna Move Across the River”. Richie Mays’ slide guitar and Robert Meadows provide a standout arrangement that has little to do with the sound of the original song as Tony’s vocals are accompanied by a ringing chorus behind him. This is not a disparaging remark. The song is an excellent start to the album, just extremely different from the more known original version. Big Bill Broonzy’s “Key to The Highway” has a slightly more traditional approach with Danny Dudeck’s slide guitar out in front. William “Peetie Wheatstraw” Bunch’s “Sweet Home Blues” is the third track and again has Robert Meadows’s organ and Max Abercrombie’s slide ripping through it.
The first original is “Walking with Jody”, which appears to be a reference to Jody Worrell’s guitar work on the song which is the only instrument other than Tony’s bass on the song. This is a short instrumental and the only song Worell appears on. “Smiling Women is the next original song on the album. The song is a fast paced, almost rap, song with Steve Cunningham ‘s guitar as Tony sings about women that “smile all night long, and smiles until the morning comes”. “Broken Man”, another original, is a laid back song featuring only Tony’s bass work with Richie May’s guitar and Rick Gilbert’s drum.
Muddy Water’s “Got My Mojo Working”, which was written by Preston Foster, gets upturned into an entirely new version similar to Tony’s approach to McGhee’s song. Here it becomes a very upbeat song with Clark and Ethan’s horns driving the song and Robert Meadows’s organ also featured. The Water’s penned “Blow Wind Blow” is given a more traditional approach with Danny Dudeck providing the slide and Stephe Reid’s harmonica leading the way.
The next original, “Changed” is a smooth, quiet jazzy touch with Katorah Wylie’s harmonica providing an easy backdrop for Steve Cunningham’s guitar that bursts with sound as an interlude before dropping back into the easy sound that started the song. The final original “Moving On” rocks out with Danny Bermel’s fiddle giving definition and Steve Vegas taking a drum solo. The song definitely stands out from other songs on the album. Sam “Lightnin'” Hopkins’ “Cotton” is given a very moody approach with Tony’s vocals approaching almost a whisper and the music sliding over into a bit of bluesy psychedelia.
The album constantly shifts its sound from traditional blues to blues rock and to sounds that are harder to categorize. Likewise, Tony’s vocals are unique and hard to describe. They are smooth and polished with a slightly gruff sound. The album is well worth a listen.
