Customer Reviews

Delay Does Chicago

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Call this disc a tribute to the city where the blues reign. Bluesman Paul deLay had recorded all nine of his previous albums back home in Portland, Oregon. For this new CD, he made a pilgrimage to lay down a session with a specially formed Chicago band and invited Chicago guitarslinger Jimmy Dawkins and vocalist Zora Young to help out. The result is a rollicking set of blues originals from DeLay, well-known for his self-penned lyrics and compositions. Dawkins' guitarwork is tough stuff on his two cuts, and band member Rockin' Johnny Burgin tracks some solid licks on the remaining tunes. Zora Young sizzles on her sole song. Despite the guest stars, deLay still holds center stage. He sings his heart out and blows his diatonic and chromatic harmonicas as if his life depended on it. As deLay comments in the production notes in the liner booklet, "Technical, schmechnical---put some heart in it, dammit!"

This CD leaves you wanting more. You like Paul DeLay's harmonica, you'll want more harmonica. You like his singing, you want more Paul vocals. You like his selection of band members, you will want to hear more of each of them. While this is a showcase for Paul Delay, he generously gives up the spotlight to other players/vocalists while still letting you hear the DeLay touch. I think a highlight of this CD is Zora Young singing "Come On Home". A great song with a plot twist ! And now I'm trying to find more Zora Young. You can tell that Paul is excited to write and perform with a different band, but I could do without the kitschy intro device on "El Train". The song is good enough without it. DeLay continues to provide great blues with a special edge for today's listeners. Don't forget to pay attention to Jimmy Dawkins' guitar and Sho Komiya's bass.

If anyone ever wondered whether harmonica giant Paul deLay could belt out traditional blues, the evidence is conclusive on deLay Does Chicago. This CD is a self-proclaimed "dream project" on which deLay takes a one-time (I wonder) hiatus from his regular band. deLay happened upon the Rockin' Johnny Band at Buddy Guy's Legends club, and the Chicago-style blues groove was firmly etched in his brain. Straight from the start, on "Beautiful Bones," deLay conjures up a harmonica gale force befitting the Windy City. And when Johnny Burgin fires up his tasty guitar, the stage is set for a kinship that's quickly established. Always a prolific and terrific songwriter, deLay wrote or co-wrote all 12 tunes in a frenzy preparing for and all through the recording sessions. To say he was inspired by Chicago is an understatement to which anyone who's ever been there can testify. "Brave Woman" is a got-no-money blues song that starts out sorrowfully: "Boom boxes shakin' the windows/Pistols poppin' outside our door/I got no love for the `hood, but Oh Lord/It's all I can afford." But the song turns the corner into a celebration of a woman who loves her man for who he is. "Leave Me Alone" triggers a blues-infused intro by pianist Donny Nicholo that leaves no doubt as to the tradition rooted in this CD-and in deLay's new material. The song serves up another heapin' helpin' on this smorgasbord of blues harp. "Great Big Kid" is a funny up-temp song that reaffirms the premise that men are just boys with credit cards. "Come On Home" features vocalist Zora Young, while "El Train" welcomes Jimmy Dawkins aboard-and the Chicago guitar legend helps drive the train home. This CD is far more bluesy than the average Paul deLay (something which may attract a legion of new fans), and The Rocking' Johnny Band's Sho Komiya on bass and Kenny Smith on drums keep the blues rocking along. This CD is the blues-plate special if you want your deLay Chicago-style!

This is an unusual outing for The Man. The band is not strictly his own, but the title really does say it all. He DOES do Chicago. He is not "going back to roots" at all.

Instead, he leans into the style composing his own dynamite songs. In their way, they are as strong as anything in the Delay Band ouvre. No one should be without "Great Big Kid." It conveys the man accurately, joyously, beautifully. I too was lucky to see Paul many times, in all sorts of venues and formats, both before and after Recovery. The CDs that are in print are all post Recovery and all are absolute must-haves in your blues collection. He was a writer of great power, a master performer both vocally and on his instruments, and a wonderful man. I hope someone taped his sessions with pianist Janice Scroggins and a snare drummer. Those were the most pared-down excursions he ever made, and, as always, he ripped the joint up. I hope these too will be found and released. Don't miss Paul. Anywhere. Ever.

This is as good as Chicago Blues gets! Down and dirty the way Blues was meant to be played. The band is tight and the songs vary in tempo and have tunes for every occasion. Play him a lot at 1490 KOTY AM Yakima Nation Radio.

Save your money on this dud. DeLay is a great lyricist, vocalist, and harp player but his talents are wasted "getting back to his roots". He is much too improvisational to perform this tripe. More jazz than blues and loving it.